By stewartb

A report from the Centre for Cities provides striking comparative analysis of levels of educational qualifications across 65 of the UK’s cities and large towns.

Source: Centre for Cities (January 2025) Cities Outlook 2025 (https://www.centreforcities.org/publication/cities-outlook-2025/ )

The Centre’s research is summarised in two tables (reproduced below). In Table 10, the remarkable finding is that all four areas in Scotland within the scope of the Centre’s study of UK urban locations appear in the top ten in terms of the percentage of the working age population with high-level qualifications. (The report explains ‘high-level qualifications’: equivalent to Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 4 or above, viz. qualifications from Higher National Certificates through to doctorates.)

The STV News article mentioned earlier also quotes Chris Deerin, director of Reform Scotland: “The most recent Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) figures were particularly alarming”. Is he implying that an OECD PISA ranking is the sole arbiter of the performance of a national education system? Deerin and Labour’s education spokesperson seem to agree that the system in Scotland which is educating our children and grandchildren has been and remains poor, and at least in the latter’s view, it’s down to ‘SNPbad’!

Let’s for the sake of argument assume that PISA rankings are the prime arbiter of a national education system and that PISA results can be attributed to the success or failure of a political party in government.

A report published (March 21, 2024) by the ‘authoritative’ Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ’examines the major challenges for education in Wales, including low outcomes across a range of measures and high levels of inequality.’ (See https://ifs.org.uk/publications/major-challenges-education-wales )

It states: ‘PISA scores declined by more in Wales than in most other countries in 2022, with scores declining by about 20 points (equivalent to about 20% of a standard deviation, which is a big decline). This brought scores in Wales to their lowest ever level, significantly below the average across OECD countries and significantly below those seen across the rest of the UK’.

‘Lower scores in Wales cannot be explained by higher levels of poverty. In PISA, disadvantaged children in England score about 30 points higher on average than disadvantaged children in Wales. This is a large gap and equivalent to about 30% of a standard deviation. Even more remarkably, the performance of disadvantaged children in England is either above or similar to the average for all children in Wales.’

And beyond PISA rankings, the IFS reports: ‘There are worse post-16 educational outcomes in Wales, with a higher share of young people not in education, employment or training than in the rest of the UK (11% compared with 5–9%), lower levels of participation in higher education (particularly amongst boys) and lower levels of employment and earnings for those from disadvantage backgrounds.’

Might one be entitled to argue, borrowing from Labour’s education spokesperson in Scotland: ‘It’s clear the British Labour Party can only deliver more failure and that a new direction from a new government in 2026 is needed to deliver for young people in Wales’?

End note

As I’ve written before, I’m not motivated to talk down Wales. After all, Wales is also stuck with a flawed devolution settlement and the constraints of devolved powers; it has been impacted by Tory governments in Westminster and their imposed austerity; impacted by Brexit, by a global pandemic, by UK inflation, by a UK cost of living crisis. And what is the current party of government in Westminster – aka LINO (the Labour in Name Only Party) – bringing to ease the present challenges faced by Wales?

No, the prime purpose is to counter the gaslighting and the hypocrisy of leading British Labour Party politicians towards Scotland’s electorate. I do wonder how Ms Duncan-Glancy would explain her party’s role regarding the performance of the Welsh education system! (And while we’re at it, what about Labour’s responsibility for the state of the NHS in Wales?) ’Failed’ or something else altogether?

In the run up to the 2026 Holyrood election, it looks as if relentless negativity about Scotland will loom large in the British Labour Party’s campaign. We can expect this to be aggregated and amplified endlessly by BBC Scotland, STV, the Daily Record, The Herald, The Scotsman and others – all put to their listeners/readers (to voters) typically without context, perspective or comparative analysis.

Labour in power in Holyrood is not the solution to Scotland’s needs: Labour in power in Cardiff has been shown not to be the solution for Wales! Evaluation of Labour’s track record in governing Wales is relevant as we approach the 2026 election in Scotland: it is the hypocrisy of the Party’s leadership in Scotland that makes it so!