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BBC Scotland yesterday bypassed evidence of the attainment gap closing slightly between 2023/2024 and 2024/2015, to shame their own folk, once again with:
The attainment gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest school pupils remains wider than before the pandemic, according to new figures.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20j12pw851o
Remember how we, using AI, revealed that no liberal democracy, anywhere, has ever hit its A&E target since the panic?
I wonder, has any liberal democracy ever closed the attainment gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas?
You know the answer already, I’m sure:
No Western democracy has ever completely closed the attainment gap in schools between the least and most deprived students or schools. While some countries, such as Finland, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, have achieved relatively high levels of educational equity with smaller socioeconomic gaps compared to others (as measured by PISA and similar international assessments), the gap persists in all systems. Socioeconomic status continues to explain a portion of the variation in student performance everywhere, typically ranging from about 7-10% in the most equitable Western democracies to 15-20% or higher in less equitable ones.For context, the OECD’s PISA 2022 results show that socioeconomic status (measured by the Economic, Social, and Cultural Status index, or ESCS) accounts for an average of 15% of the variance in mathematics performance across OECD countries. No country reached 0%, and the lowest among Western democracies include:
- Iceland: ~9%
- Norway: ~9%
- Canada: ~9%
- Denmark: ~8%
- Finland: ~10%
Higher figures appear in countries like France (21%), Belgium (22%), and the Slovak Republic (~26%). Historical trends from PISA (since 2000) and other studies (e.g., over the past 50-60 years) indicate these gaps have generally remained stable, widened slightly in many places, or narrowed modestly in a few—but never eliminated. For instance, U.S. racial achievement gaps narrowed between the 1970s and 1980s but have since stalled, while socioeconomic gaps have persisted or grown. In the UK, progress in closing gaps stalled around 2017 and widened post-pandemic. Global analyses show increasing socioeconomic gaps in a majority of countries since the 1960s.
Sources:
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/unequal-education-and-great-gatsby-curve
https://academic.oup.com/sf/article/94/2/505/2583794
Has any non-liberal democracy ever closed the gap? Yes, Maoist China and Maoist Albania, in the 1960s:
How did they do it?
Only in Albania and Maoist China were the gaps narrowed, reversed even, by only allowing the poor to get an education and sending children of the middle classes and the rich to work in the fields and factories.
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Talking-up Scotland 
It was a stick that the SNP Government created for its own back, and Bridget Phillipson has done the same in England, although she has tried to be more nuanced.
‘New’ Labour was thrilled to the misguided concept of ‘meritocracy’. The term was coined by Michael Young who was a social reformer and one of the driving forces behind the ‘Welfare State’. His book, ‘The Rise of the Meritocracy’ was written as a satire to show what a vacuous concept it is’.
But the media and politicians latched on to the term which they interpreted as passing competitive exams that would rank people in order – everyone would compete on equal terms and those who came highest would get to be the ruling elite.
It was bollocks and the ruling elite were never going to allow oiks to get to run things.
They might allow a few, but nothing signifant would be allowed to happen.
People do not start on the same starting line. The wealthy have a substantial head start and they have coaches and tutors to make sure they ‘pass’ skewed exams, and, when it comes to selecting people for the top jobs, the old boys and girls network dominates.
Sadly, some of those from the ‘lower social orders’ who make it into the top echelons often succumb to the lifestyle of the others in the echelon, sending their children to private schools, for example. These people have been ‘socially upwardly mobile’, which is another venal term. Thus we have SIR Keir Starmer (‘I was the son a toolmaker’) and accepting suits and specs and hospitality packages at Arsenal that cost more for one match than season tickets at Celtic and Rangers combined.
Bridget Philipson has actually derided the social mobility concept and describes well it maliciously effect, but, as has already happened, the Blairite ‘meritocrats’ start briefings against her.
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Starmer’s dad was a business owner, he OWNED the tool business, now in my book and experience that’s at least one notch above working class, at least.
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Well the answer is self evident. Evict the rich and middle class children from schools and only educate the poorest children.
Working on the farms looks a fine healthy lifestyle.
The SNP should put it in their May manifesto. 😂
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aye and it’s not the only stick, if a bus is 10 mins late, it’s Swinney must resign, any NHS problem, it’s the SNP Gov to blame.
but, no matter how bad the story elsewhere, it’s never linked to Starmer or the Lab Gov there.
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The last paragraph shows a 33.2% increase in the number of mainstream and special school leavers achieving one or more vocational qualifications at SCQF Level 5 or better in just 11 years!
https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-8-2026-edition/pages/section-6-other-groups-of-qualifications/
“Section 6.2 Developing the Young Workforce
The Scottish Government established the independent Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, led by Sir Ian Wood, in January 2013. Its remit was to explore the development of a modern, responsive and valued system for vocational training and to emulate the labour markets of the best performing European countries.
More information on the Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce strategy. Tables Z2.1a and Z2.1b in the supplementary tables show attainment in vocational qualifications at SCQF Levels 2 to 7, by local authority. These vocational qualifications include National Certificates, Higher National Qualifications, Scottish Vocational Qualifications, National Progression Awards and Skills for Work.
40.5 per cent of 2024-25 mainstream and special school leavers achieved one or more vocational qualifications at SCQF Level 5 or better. This compares to 35.0 per cent in 2023-24, and to 7.3 per cent in 2013-14.”
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Including mature students 25% in the statistics lowers the difference in the attainment gap. Scotland life long learning. 50% + of the population has a Degree. More have other qualifications, College and apprenticeships. Go on to uni. HNC – HND – 2nd year university.
Scotland has 15 universities – 5.4Million pop. The highest number, pro rata, in the world. Ability to learn, not the ability to pay. Financial support for students. Less need to worry about finances, for a short time. 3-4 years. Less student poverty.
Nursery places. School meals.
US 40% of the population have higher degrees. Lower ability to pay. US average life expectancy 76. 5 years higher for women. Guns and less ability to pay.
The UK, and the US, have the highest inequality in the world. More equal places are more cohesive and happier.
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China lacks universities. Students go to universities elsewhere, worldwide. They have to pay for education. Medical care they pay. Hot house students. Not healthy. They need to invest more in Education. Not adequate. A large population. Interesting history of discovery and invention.
Chinese Premier- Scotland the country of discovery and invention.
Scotland the first country in the world to have education to 14 years old. +Tertiary.
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