Pupils achieve record A grades but attainment gap between the most deprived and affluent students widens
Scottish pupils have achieved record A grades alongside a slight fall in the overall pass rate, but the attainment gap has widened despite a new grading process this year intended to address inequalities.
Opposition politicians described the SNP government’s record on education as “shambolic” and called for the head of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to stand aside as data revealed pupils from the most deprived areas were more than twice as likely to have their grades fall at Higher and Advanced Higher than young people from the most affluent backgrounds.