Professor John Robertson OBA, , former schoolteacher, education lecturer, head of department, Associate Dean (Quality Assurance), Research Professor, research methods tutor, Masters and PhD supervisor, multiple peer-reviewed international research author, Faculty Research Ethics Chair
The above is on the front page of the Scotsman, based on a report by the far from ‘independent‘, pompously self-styled Commission on School Reform (neither royal nor government just invented) and fronted by the notorious Carole Ford with, as always, party-affiliation hidden, and at the end evidence of Pisa-data which no respectable published educationist will ever use.
Note - I've put all my 'stuff' there because it matters in this topic which is being represented in MSM by a team less credible than I am to talk about it. I'm sorry if this seems self-important. I suppose it is.
I’d need to see their full report before commenting on its substance but I feel sure it won’t add up.
Why?
Because I know who these people are and what their agenda is:
The Commission on School Reform:
- Keir Bloomer (Chair): Education Consultant and former Director of Education [Clackmannanshire!]
- Carole Ford: Former head teacher of Kilmarnock Academy and former president of School Leaders Scotland [candidate in the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in Glasgow Kelvin and on the Glasgow regional list, coming fifth]
- Jim Goodall: Former Head of Education and Community Services at Clackmannanshire Council and former Lib Dem councillor at East Dunbartonshire Council
- Johann Lamont: Former teacher (1979-99) and retired Member of Scottish Parliament (1999-2022) Labour leader!
- Cllr Alix Mathieson: Conservative Councillor at East Dunbartonshire Council, member of education committee and Former Chairperson of a third sector nursery
- Lindsay Paterson: Professor emeritus of education policy in the School of Social and Political Science at Edinburgh University. [The only Scottish ‘academic’ who thinks Pisa scores are useful]
Only Paterson has published research on education and it’s just based on statistics he chooses to favour such as Pisa scores. He has never, taught in schools. His background is in agricultural research. Ford is a serial presence in anti-SNP media. Bloomer wouldn’t know a research method it it bit him in the bum. Lamont? FFS.
Their previous report Behaviour in Schools, in September 2025, makes no pretence. It does not feature the word ‘method’ for the simple reason it has none – FAILED Research Methods 101! The report, also does not have a review of literature upon which to base and to justify its research questions [NONE] – FAILED.
And Pisa?
By Alasdair Macdonald
The issue is with PISA. It has very little statistical rigour and offers nothing in the way of improving educational practice.
I was a secondary school head teacher at the time it and other ‘measures’ were introduced in education in Scotland in other places. I and my colleagues argued against it.
Educational provision, like everything else, ought to be continuously evaluated, partly to get evidence on whether it is achieving the aims set out for it and partly to get information on areas which require attention. However, there are, literally, hundreds of aspects to be measured and many of these aspects are not measurable by things like tests of arithmetical competence. Such tests are part of the picture but their results are not the full picture (insofar as a full picture can be obtained) Most of the data have to be set in a fairly long time context so that temporary fluctuations can be seen. Usually such temporary fluctuations are easily explainable, in the cases of individual schools.
Such data do, in fact exist. There is a great deal of it and it requires a great deal of care and experience to identify things which are of statistical significance. And things can be significantly ‘good’ as well as ‘poor’.
PISA is of no benefit in this evaluative context. It is an instrument of BLAME and, as such, is a tool of control and compliance over schools and teachers. For some politicians and their media mouthpieces it is a malign instrument which stifles the creativity which is an essential part of teaching.
Some of those in power see such creativity as presenting a threat to their power.
Creativity and the autonomy necessary to be creative can challenge power, but it is the way that people in all walks of life improve things. It is essential in medicine, science, engineering, the arts, social policy, etc.
PISA is a club to beat creativity out of teachers and schools.
And:
As for Scotland performing ‘below’ England? Complete twaddle. See:
The England PISA sample consisted of 201 eligible schools having at least one pupil in this age range. In England, 3,852 pupils from original sample schools and 911 pupils from replacement schools participated. Pupils in participating schools that did not participate are not replaced. 159 agreed to participate, along with a further 32 replacement schools, but 16 schools withdrew before data collection. Data was therefore collected from 143 schools in the original sample and 32 replacement schools. Of this total, nine original sample schools and one replacement school were omitted from the response rate adjudication process, leaving a total of 134 schools from the original sample and 31 replacement schools.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/656dc3321104cf0013fa742f/PISA_2022_England_National_Report.pdf
So, in England, in the end, 165 schools and 4 763 pupils took part.
The Scottish participation, from only a tenth of the pupil population and schools, was:
117 secondary schools participated in the survey, representing a school response rate of 96.4 per cent; exceeding the OECD’s minimum standard of 85 per cent. 3,257 students took part giving a weighted student participation rate of 79.4 per cent, slightly below the student participation technical standard of 80 per cent. https://www.gov.scot/publications/programme-international-student-assessment-pisa-2022-highlights-scotlands-results/
There are 357 secondary schools overall in Scotland so a sample of 32.8% was used.
Only 4 763 pupils in 165 schools took part in England. There are 3 458 secondary schools in England so only 4.7% of them took part. Were they then representative or just maybe, the best performing?
There are roughly 10 times as many 15 year-olds in England yet the sample-size was less than twice.
The Pisa results in England and Scotland are simply not comparable and had the English sample of schools been similarly representative and not so suspiciously selective, we can only guess that Scotland would have performed far better than England.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
”Never mind the quality, feel the width !”
Another in a long ( and endless ) procession of anti-SNP pap which is produced by the Unionist media . Often instigated by ”Scottish and proud ” failed journos who are desperately seeking money/kudos /Peerages from the agents of a foreign land . How sad !
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Well said mj.
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Page 20 P@J today on PM_C a short article I well remember when they and the rest of the Union lackies went chasing after Mark MacDonald and his text messages but then again he was SNP not Lab and where is the other stories about the other lab ( gentlemen) who who have been hidden away.
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“Scotsman ‘newspaper’ front pages self-important” you say.
Joanna Cheery says haud my pint.
She posted this on ‘X’ :
“Delighted to reveal the cover of my forthcoming memoir – ‘Keeping the Dream Alive: An Insider’s Account of a Tumultuous Decade in Scottish Politics’. Published 23 April 2026“.
Timing is everything and one wonders if it will also include Cherry’s “tumultuous” time spent within the politics of WM, which after all was where she worked as a Scottish SNP MP for her constituents….right up to losing her seat in 2024.
So the party she is now so obviously very opposed to, the SNP, is the same one she still stood as a candidate for, from the very first time she was elected in 2015 and then also going forward in subsequent General elections in 2017, 2019 and then finally in 2024.
So obviously her tolerance with the SNP as a #BAD party was very high and enduring, considering what is included within her new book about the SNP or rather all of the #SNPBAD parts.
So the fact that this book is due to be released at a pivotal political time , then makes you wonder whether some opposition parties to the SNP will rub their hands in glee, as they all will receive an unexpected , but very welcome, ally in their political campaigns next year.
As let’s be honest the media will promote all of the #SNPBAD parts of this book as they will know it’s worth as a #SNPBAD weapon that they can try and use against the SNP , thus perhaps hoping it improves the chances of other political parties in the Scottish elections next year.
So looking online at a review of what the content of this book will include it states it will be “A memoir covering a decade in Scottish and UK politics, detailing SNP internal culture, the handling of the Alex Salmond case, scandals surrounding Nicola Sturgeon, and insights into the future of Scottish independence“.
A decade in Scottish and UK politics” yet the other details of the promoted content fails to specify what negatives there were with WM and it’s culture, scandals and also insights upon the future of the UK State and also upon other political parties, it is instead just highlighting all of the #SNPBAD parts of the book.
As to the “future of Scottish independence” well if this book does indeed hinder or impact the SNP in next year’s elections , via the media over promoting it’s #SNPBAD contents , then there will be no Scottish independence opportunity any time soon.
That is because the majority of the public associate and so recognise the SNP as the only party , via their elevated political position within Scotland , who are widely known to support and so want Scottish independence.
The key words linked to the SNP in the above paragraph are “majority” , “associate” , “recognise” and “elevated” in relation to the Scottish public, because the Alba party are now a spent force whose political impact never exceeded their desperate anti SNP grievances and also their failed political expectations with their continuous message , like all of the pro UK parties, being mostly #SNPBAD and not much else.
As is Ms Cherry now a spent political force since losing her SNP seat in 2024.
The real question that the media should ask of her, post the publication of her book, is “If the SNP are as bad as you say in your book then why did you still decide to stand as an SNP candidate in the 2024 GE” ?
In fact I wonder whether her ‘memoirs’ will explain why she still stood as candidate for the SNP in the 2024 GE while openly , at times , speaking against them as one of their MP’s and perhaps her constituents also wondered why, hence perhaps a good reason why her constituents removed her as their elected representative in 2024.
In fact ‘The Centre on Constitutional Change’ described the swing to Labour in her seat in 2024 as “disproportionately large” .
Now perhaps she hopes that her book , with a huge promotion by the pro UK media, will manage to finish off the SNP politically within Scotland and so all of her supposed thoughts and supposed dreams upon Scottish independence happening any time soon, or indeed at all , will then amount to Jack S*** .
As if the “dream” she supposedly wants to “keep alive” is Scottish independence then that will be broken.
As if the SNP falls or if they do badly in next year’s Scottish elections then the parts of the public who are disengaged from politics within Scotland will then likely lose all interest in perhaps eventually supporting Scottish independence in the future .
So they, as Scottish voters, will just continue to accept the status quo in the UK State being maintained, as in a UK State that still includes Scotland as a part of it, or rather a Scotland that is considered by both the UK media and UK politicians as being a too needy ,over indulged , minor and insignificant part of their UK State.
So job done for the UK State……..and yet another useful idiot being willingly exploited whose message is #SNPBAD.
So then for many of those currently politically disengaged voters within Scotland that then may also equate to being a case of ………..
#ScottishIndependenceBad !
Apparently it is not enough to just oppose the Gender Recognition Reform Bill as apparently what must also be done is the demonisation of the SNP and so then the also hoped for destruction of the SNP and also the same for their former leader Nicola Sturgeon.
So let’s think who, politically and constitutionally, benefits from that ?
No guesses for whom (other pro UK political parties) and what (UK State) will benefit from all of the negative publicity against the SNP, sourced from this book by Cherry , at a time when party political campaigns will be in full swing just before the Scottish elections.
Indeed is that not then more really a case of “Keeping the nightmare alive” .
As in keeping Scotland still a part of the UK State for many, many , many years to come……….too many…..in that some of the pro UK political parties may undeservedly benefit politically next year as will the UK State, what with all of the pro UK media promoting the #SNPBAD content within Cherry’s book .
The ego, another one, has landed .
Sick of this succession of political personalities who put self before country.
Also I am not opposing what they, as individuals, say they are against, as in what they oppose i.e. their opposition of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill , as in that Bill that was passed by the Scottish parliament as in Not-Just-By-The-SNP which is what the media promote to be the case, but if they then try to exploit that opposition and so make it into an anti SNP message then I do oppose them as individuals and also they, as individuals , then lose all credibility. (and they also lose the argument).
Honestly it is now a case of ……..
“What the **** now” ?
As it’s one thing after another , where it seems that all of these things happen and so then exist just in order to stop Scotland getting it’s independence.
Now Joanna Cherry (and her ‘book’) is yet another individual in a long line of individuals, establishments etc etc who are mostly pro UK , whose actions and words try to hinder Scottish independence happening ……….that then helps the UK State remain intact……..for the foreseeable future.
Merry Xmas everyone and at least we and many others are trying to do our best in “keeping the dream alive” now and also with next year’s Scottish elections , unlike some others.
Liz S
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