Scottish politics has all the dynamism of day-old porridge. Nothing ever changes, except for the worse. The latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), covering educational performance among 15-year-olds across 91 developed countries and territories, place England in the top ten for maths, science and reading. Scotland is not in the top ten for any of the three.
In maths, the nation of John Napier lags England by 25 points. In science, the country that gave the world James Clerk Maxwell trails England, again, by 25 points. Reading is the runaway success story, where Walter Scott’s homeland is a mere nine points behind its southern brethren.
The SNP has been in control of the devolved Scottish Government in Edinburgh and, therefore all aspects of education expenditure and policy, since 2007. How has it responded to the PISA findings? Party leader and first minister John Swinney told the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday:
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Tim Shipman
