Scores in maths and reading among teenagers in Scotland have fallen to their lowest level ever recorded, according to a major new study.
The alarming figures were revealed in a study of more than 90 countries around the world carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), did show a small improvement in performances in science in Scotland since 2022, but only enough to restore scores to pre-pandemic levels.
The Times reports the statistics reveal pupils in Scotland are falling notably behind their counterparts in England, with experts warning Scotland's most able pupils and those from well-resourced middle-class homes are being particularly let down and outscored in all three core areas of the curriculum.
In the most deprived areas, pupils in England also scored higher than their counterparts in Scotland.
The report, which has been sent to the Scottish government, said: “The longer-term decline in performance remains an important challenge.
“Scotland’s science, mathematics and reading performance all remain significantly below that achieved in a number of earlier Pisa cycles and substantial proportions of pupils are performing below baseline proficiency, particularly in mathematics.”
The Times reports Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, noted that the gap between pupils in England and Scotland had grown over the past decade.
He said: “There are certainly things that Scotland can learn from England. I think the greater rigour, the greater focus in the instructional environment — the coherent applications of the science of education, how students learn best in curriculum and standards — certainly has a role to play.”