Rough for the NHS, rough for the economy, rough for housing, rough for transport, rough for the energy sector. However, even in private, they really, desperately struggle to accept that it has been rough for Scottish schooling. In 2023, the last time the study was released, the Scottish Government, in the classic doublespeak we have come to expect from our education establishment, hailed that “Scottish education maintains international standing”. The Scottish Government’s own report - Behaviour in Scottish Schools - recorded that two-third of teachers had encountered verbal abuse in the previous week. Nothing that is wrong with our schools will go away because we cross our fingers, turn around three times and rename the qualifications body.

Source: The Herald February 06, 2026 18:32 UTC