Keegan blames ‘nationalist’ policies for Scotland’s falling education scores

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK’s Education Secretary has warned Scotland’s school standards have “plummeted” because Scottish ministers prioritised “nationalist politics” above pupils. The SNP have inflicted the worst ever education results in Scotland’s history for both maths and science on parents and pupils Gillian Keegan Ms Keegan, a Chichester MP, said Scotland was “once the envy of the world for education” but warned that the latest Pisa results were a “tale of two records” with England “continuing to rise up the international rankings versus a failing Scottish system at the brink of collapse”. Ms Keegan would do better to focus on the areas she has responsibility for in England, rather than pontificating about schools outwith her jurisdiction Scottish Government Scotland placed third across the UK on the two subjects, behind England’s 492 in maths and 503 in science, with only Wales scoring less on 466 and 473. They need a government who will put pupils and parents above their nationalist politics to ensure the next generation have a brighter future.” In response, a spokesperson for Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government won’t be taking any lectures from Gillian Keegan about how to run our schools.