Comment from the COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson, Councillor Tony Buchanan, on the PISA Results:

“Today’s PISA results must be seen within the context of the impact of the pandemic on children and young people. And it is clear that as an education system, there is the need for collective and collaborative effort to bring about the further improvements we all want for our children and young people.

“Local Government is committed to working with our partners, including the Scottish Government, to better support Scotland’s children and young people. Further work will be needed to address longstanding recruitment challenges, particularly for STEM subjects. At the same time, we will need a continued focus on the programme of education reform - in line with recent reports on the curriculum, qualifications and new national education bodies - to support the best outcomes for all children and young people. “