Mairi McAllan ‘in denial’ as standards in Scots schools drop further behind England

McAllan was mocked by opposition parties after she previously suggested the 2026 Pisa report did not reflect Scots schools’ success in “artistic expression”.

Mairi McAllan has been accused of being “in denial” as performance in Scots schools drops further behind England.

The SNP Education Secretary today claimed she wanted to be viewed as a “reforming” minister after the 2026 Pisa report on global education performance showed 15-year-old pupils in Scotland are not achieving the same standards as their peers south of the Border.

McAllan was last week mocked by opposition parties after she previously suggested the Pisa report did not reflect Scots schools’ success in “artistic expression”.

She told BBC Scotland today: “Pupils are very much at the forefront and in all of these reforms that I’m taking forward currently in that curriculum improvement cycle – the ending of mobile phones in our classroom, and in the public service reform agenda generally of the First Minister, there’s so much scope for improvement there.

“I do not intend to stand still. I will pursue these reforms vigorously and I will have the very best outcomes for all our children in Scotland at the core of how I pursue that.”

Curriculum for Excellence – the current teaching framework in Scotland – will be reformed, McAllan said, with knowledge being given a greater focus, while teachers are also being told to monitor more closely the “progression” of young people.

“I think the combination of those things can push us really far in that pursuit of academic excellence, which I am so dedicated to, but I won’t do it to the detriment or to the exclusion of support for creative expression, problem solving, moral education and that really strong wellbeing factor that came in our Pisa results,” she said.

Katherine Sangster, Scottish Labour education spokeswoman, said: “Parents will be deeply frustrated to hear yet more excuses from another SNP minister on Scotland’s falling education standards.

“Alarm bells have been ringing for years about the challenges our schools face, but the SNP show no ambition for our children and no curiosity about what has gone wrong.

“No-one will be convinced by Mairi McAllan’s TV appearance that the Scottish Government has fully grasped the scale of the issues that must be tackled.

“Pupils in Scotland are now behind their peers in England when it comes to reading, maths, and science tests.

“However, Mairi McAllan stubbornly refuses to even consider there are lessons to be learned from England.

“The SNP should be apologising to parents and pupils for their dismal failings, not offering up more excuses.”