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There is a marked overall decline in youth violence in Scotland but a surge from 2012 in England as Tory austerity kicked in

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Professor John Robertson OBA Today’s reporting of apparent surges in youth violence across parts of England bears no resemblance to Scotland other than in the bonfire riots in 2023 and before. What is the long-term youth violence trend in Scotland? Overview of Youth Violence in ScotlandYouth violence in Scotland typically refers to violent incidents (e.g., assaults, robberies, or homicides) involving individuals under 18 as victims, perpetrators, or both. Data comes from sources like the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS, a victimization survey), Recorded Crime in Scotland (police data), and cohort studies such as the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions … Continue reading There is a marked overall decline in youth violence in Scotland but a surge from 2012 in England as Tory austerity kicked in

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The Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry must ask if the Scottish Labour Government of 20 years ago took its eye of the ball

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From Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry begins work, published yesterday: The independent Public Inquiry into the investigation of Emma Caldwell’s murder in April 2005 has been formally set-up and begins its work today (9 Dec). Justice Secretary Angela Constance informed Parliament on the formal setting-up date and on the Inquiry’s terms of reference through a Government Initiated Question today. The statutory inquiry will examine what went wrong in the investigation carried out by Strathclyde Police into the murder of Emma Caldwell, including the direction given by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. It will examine what steps which could reasonably … Continue reading The Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry must ask if the Scottish Labour Government of 20 years ago took its eye of the ball

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English schools excluding pupils at twice the rate and expelling infinitely more often than in Scotland with consequent surges in youth crime

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Professor John Robertson OBA From School attendance, absence and exclusions statistics 2024-25 published yesterday: Cases of exclusion decreased from 11,673 in 2022/23 to 10,647 in 2024/25. This is consistent with the overall downward trend since 2006/07. The rate of exclusions per 1,000 pupils decreased from 16.6 in 2022/23 to 15.2 in 2024/25. This is consistent with the overall downward trend since 2006/07. No pupils were removed from the register in 2024/25, compared with one pupil in 2022/23. This is the first time there has been no pupils removed from the register since records began in 2002/03. In England, in the same period, … Continue reading English schools excluding pupils at twice the rate and expelling infinitely more often than in Scotland with consequent surges in youth crime

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6 505 fewer teachers yet more teachers and still far fewer pupils per teacher to refute Herald’s claim

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Pupil and teacher characteristics 2025 published yesterday, the above data revealing a significant fall in pupil numbers yet a small increase in the number of teachers.1 There are 18 pupils for every teacher in England, 18.9 in Wales but only 13.3 in Scotland’s schools. That’s a huge difference that must surely transform the experience in Scottish schools.2 The Scottish Government has managed to support the far better PTR in Scotland through years of a reducing share of Scotland’s revenue being returned to us. Sources: Continue reading 6 505 fewer teachers yet more teachers and still far fewer pupils per teacher to refute Herald’s claim

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TB cases in Scotland at less than half that in England and 40% down on last Scottish Labour government

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From Tuberculosis annual report for Scotland 2024 published yesterday, the above graph and: In 2024, 266 cases of tuberculosis were reported in Scotland, equating to an annual incidence of 4.8 cases per 100,000 population. Whilst this is a 6.0% decrease in case numbers compared to 2023 (283 cases, 5.1 cases per 100,000 population), it is a 33.7% increase since 2022, (199 cases, 3.7 cases per 100,000 population) and a return to levels last observed in Scotland in 2018. In 2024, 75.2% of tuberculosis cases in Scotland were born outside of the UK, the highest proportion recorded since surveillance began. Of … Continue reading TB cases in Scotland at less than half that in England and 40% down on last Scottish Labour government

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NHS Scotland treats 23% more for pain management than NHS England

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Waiting times for pain management services Quarter ending 30 September 2025 published yesterday: During the quarter ending 30 September 2025, 5,791 patients were referred to a pain management service. This compares to 5,838 referrals in the previous quarter, a decrease of 0.8%, and to 5,859 a year ago in the quarter ending 30 September 2024, a decrease of 1.2%. During the same quarter, 3,510 patients attended their first outpatient appointment with a pain management service. This compares to 2,745 patients in the previous quarter, an increase of 27.9% and to 2,930 patients seen a year … Continue reading NHS Scotland treats 23% more for pain management than NHS England

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Talking-up Scotland returns to Reddit Scotland two years after being banned but I’m quickly spotted as that ‘known nutjob’ and worse

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Professor John Robertson OBA Browsing Reddit Scotland, a place where you can say what you like about people’s sanity, I was banned, two years ago for those satirical spoof things I often do. This kind of thing: They said ‘FAKE NEWS!’ He’s trying to fool us! I thought they’d get it. Satire, you know. They didn’t. Today someone posted my piece on school attainment in Scotland and England (at the top). Very soon, I was outed in the terms perfectly acceptable to Reddit: If you can, please share all TuS posts there. Continue reading Talking-up Scotland returns to Reddit Scotland two years after being banned but I’m quickly spotted as that ‘known nutjob’ and worse

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Scotland’s schools surging ahead of those in England in literacy and numeracy attainment

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2024-25 published today, we see that in Scotland’s schools there have been significant increases in the numbers of pupils achieving the expected levels in the four years since the pandemic.1 Remember these, at first sight, small percentage differences refer to around 50 000 pupils at each level so the 4% improvement in S3 literacy means 2 000 more pupils succeeded last year than in 2021/2022. Scotland’s media have yet to respond. It will be interesting if irritating to see how they try to spin this success down. The … Continue reading Scotland’s schools surging ahead of those in England in literacy and numeracy attainment

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Ingrained cultural bias in Scottish media that disadvantages the independence movement

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Professor John Robertson OBA In my previous post, Grok AI, correctly I feel, suggested that the above reporting was not a hit job and agreed that it was mostly cultural within Scotland’s media. So, I asekd: I agree it’s not a ‘hit job’ but could it be an example of a culture of bias against the case for Scottish independence where that bias has become normalised and where reporters habitually report in ways that will please their supervisors, get things published and enhance their career prospects without being told by supervisors how to report? The answer: Exploring Normalized Bias in … Continue reading Ingrained cultural bias in Scottish media that disadvantages the independence movement

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Why was NHS Fife nurse tribunal reported more than twice as much as Darlington County Durham equivalent?

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Professor John Robertson OBA We all, right across Scotland, know the name of nurse Sandie Peggie in NHS Fife but did you know the names of the eight nurses in Darlington, County Durham pursuing an identical case regarding a trans colleague? Do you think the folk in County Durham know their names just as we know Peggie? It seems less likely. Why? Here’s an AI report. Has the Fife case had more media attention in Scotland than the Darlington case has had in England and if so by how much? To address your query directly, yes, the NHS Fife case … Continue reading Why was NHS Fife nurse tribunal reported more than twice as much as Darlington County Durham equivalent?