Education Secretary Màiri McAllan is facing criticism for a perceived lack of ambition following her inability to guarantee an improvement in Scottish school standards by 2029. The remarks come in the wake of the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study for 2025, which revealed a decline in performance for 15-year-old students in Scotland, particularly in mathematics and reading, reaching a record low.
The PISA study, coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), indicated that Scotland's performance has fallen since the previous study in 2022. Education experts have expressed concern over the results and suggested that Scottish ministers should consider approaches adopted in England, where schools reportedly performed better in key areas according to the same study.
Critics have accused McAllan of being "in denial" about the challenges within the education system and of lacking the curiosity to understand the root causes of the decline. When questioned on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast about the possibility of improved PISA results in three years, McAllan stated that educational changes, such as curriculum reform, require time to be fully implemented. She indicated that a new curriculum is scheduled to be in place from 2028, expressing confidence that improvements would follow from that point.
Pressed on whether she could commit to an improvement in three years, McAllan responded that an immediate, "kneejerk reaction" would not be appropriate. She emphasized that substantial work is currently underway, with curriculum content to be published later in the year. McAllan further explained the process involves ensuring school leaders and teachers are trained to effectively utilize the new curriculum, after which improvements are expected.
Scottish Labour education spokesman Katherine Sangster described McAllan's interview as evidence that the SNP is "in denial over the scale of the challenges facing our education system." Sangster characterized the Education Secretary's response to the PISA figures as "an insult to Scotland’s pupils, parents and teachers" and asserted that McAllan "has no ambition for Scotland’s schools and no curiosity about what has gone wrong."
Keir Bloomer, chairman of the Commission on School Reform, labeled the PISA results as "very disappointing." Professor Lindsay Paterson of the University of Edinburgh suggested that Scotland could learn from England's educational strategies. The PISA study indicated that Scottish pupils were more than a year behind their English counterparts in science and mathematics.
Scottish Conservative education spokesman Meghan Gallacher commented that McAllan's defense of the situation was an "extraordinary attempt to defend the indefensible."