Pupils receive exam results

Wide range of achievements celebrated

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has congratulated students across Scotland as they receive their Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) exam results.

Around 145,000 students – the highest since 2015 – have achieved a wide range of qualifications including National 5, Highers, Advanced Highers and SQA Awards.

With this year marking the return of full coursework assessment following the disruption during the pandemic, the data published by the SQA shows the pass rates for Advanced Highers are 75.3%, Highers are 74.9% and 77.2% at National 5 level.

A record 90,045 vocational and technical qualifications have been awarded this year, an increase of almost 25% on 2024, reflecting the wide range of opportunities available to students.

The data also shows the poverty-related attainment gap at National 5 and Higher has returned to levels broadly similar to 2019 – the last year of pre-pandemic results.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Congratulations to all of Scotland’s young people receiving their results for this year.

“Their resilience is remarkable, and their achievements all the more impressive given the significant disruption to learning due to the pandemic at the end of primary school and start of the secondary school journey. Today is a chance to celebrate the full breadth of achievements attained by Scotland’s young people. 

“I also want to give my thanks to the teachers, lecturers and staff in our schools and colleges – and, importantly, Scotland’s parents and carers – for supporting each individual young person.

“Among those achievements, I’m really heartened to see a record high 90,045 vocational or technical qualifications have been awarded this year, up almost a quarter on 2023’s results.

“Young people now have a much wider range of choice than ever before, allowing them to find the route into employment or further education that is right for them and we know that the poverty related gap has reduced by 60% since 2009 for young people leaving school and going on to a positive destination, such as work, training or further study.

“Of course Scotland is not unique – and like countries the world over, our education system is still in recovery from the pandemic. Undoubtedly, that has contributed to some of the variability we have seen in results this year, particularly with the full return to qualifications requirements for the first time since the pandemic.

“I am determined to work with our teachers, school staff and local authorities to drive further improvements in our schools.

“The curriculum improvement cycle is already underway, with mathematics and numeracy being prioritised first, which is being led by the recently appointed new national specialist in Mathematics.

“In the coming weeks, I will publish the Behaviour Action Plan, set out new action to improve attendance and confirm the Scottish Government’s next steps on qualifications reform early in the new parliamentary term.

“I am also conscious that there is a wide degree of variation in results between our 32 local authorities.  To that end, I will be meeting with all local authority Directors of Education, the Chief Examiner and the interim Chief Inspector to consider the context of these results and how the Scottish Government can work with our councils to drive the improvements we all want to see.”

Levels of attainment for pupils across Edinburgh remain above those achieved before the Covid pandemic according to exam results released today.

Around 12,390 pupils in the Capital have received their results from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). This is the first year since 2019 where there are no adjustments to course and assessment requirements. Different assessment models were used in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic.

A total of 44,003 resulted awards were certificated for 12,392 candidates (including special school, adult and mainstream secondary pupils) in over 92 subjects ranging from Accounting to Urdu.

The performance of pupils across Edinburgh was maintained or improved in most measures for National 5 and Higher courses when compared to both 2023 and 2019 performance.

The gap in performance between the least advantaged and the most advantaged pupils has decreased in almost all measures when compared with 2023 and 2019 data.

The number of passes in National Progression Awards have increased by 17%. By broadening the range of learning pathways for young people more personalised opportunities for achievement are being created.

Sanjay Nair (16) who is going into sixth year at Liberton High School said: “I had the vision of going to university since I was quite young and towards the end of this year I decided to stay on for sixth year.

“I’ll go to university next year to make sure I’m ready to go on to study further. I’ve enjoyed Computing Science for a while and I like programming. My Dad does it at home and so I’m delighted that I’ve got the A and Bs at higher I need to make my parents proud and do what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Paige Quin (15) who has just left Liberton High school to go to college to study Childcare said: “Over the last couple of years I’ve done courses in hairdressing and beauty at Granton College and I studied childcare in school.

“I’m excited now to be moving on to college and my goal is to become a foster carer as I think it is really important that all children have the right to a loving and caring environment. I’m really pleased that I got the grades I needed today to do that.

Jenna Braban (17) who has just left Liberton High School to go to Cambridge to study Veterinary Medicine said: “I’ve always wanted to be a vet and I started considering Cambridge as a possibility at the end of fifth year. Going to a summer school made my mind up.

“I’ve had to study so hard to achieve the As I got at advanced higher. I did a lot of interviews and my teachers were a great support during that time. I’m ecstatic about my results and I can’t wait to start my studies at Cambridge after the summer.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I would like to thank all of our school staff who have worked incredibly hard to ensure that our young people were able to perform so well in their coursework and examinations.

“I want to recognise the invaluable support given by parents and carers and most of all I would like to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of our young people.

“Every learner’s journey and achievements are unique to them, we have the ambition that all young people are able to fulfil their potential, reach the highest levels of achievement through the provision of the best possible educational experiences.

“I am particularly pleased that our schools are using a wide range of vocational qualifications, providing pathways for all into positive destinations.”

Additional results analysis

Results by end of S4

5 passes at National 5 or better – 47% (1pp down on 2023).

Results by end of S5

1+ pass at Higher or better – 61% (1 pp up on 2023 and 4 pp up on 2019)

3+ passes Higher or better – 42% (1 pp down on 2023 but 4 pp up on 2019)

5+ passes at Higher or better – 24% (same as 2023 and 4pp up on 2019)

Results by end of S6

1+ pass at Higher or better – 70% (1pp up on 2023 but 4 pp up on 2019)

3+ passes Higher or better – 52% (1pp up on 2023 but 3 pp up on 2019)

5+ passes at Higher or better – 39% (1pp up on 2023 but 3 pp up on 2019)

1+ pass at Advanced Higher – 32% (1pp up on 2023 but 5 pp up on 2019)

Anyone who did not receive the results they had hoped for, or who is just unsure about their next steps, should get in touch with the SDS exam helpline for access to expert careers advice.

Breaking new ground for replacement Liberton High School

The next major phase for the replacement Liberton High School has been marked by a special groundbreaking event on the site yesterday (Tuesday 30 April).

Head Teacher Alison Humphreys was joined by current high school pupils and primary school pupils who will be educated at the new school. They were joined by Education Convener Cllr Joan Griffiths, Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills at the Scottish Government, and Hector MacAulay, from contractors Balfour Beatty as Managing Director of their regional business in Scotland.

The construction of the school is due to be completed by early 2026 and has been funded from the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme and the City of Edinburgh Council.

Once pupils and staff have moved into the new building, the second phase will be the demolition of the old school which is due to be completed within a year.

The plans for the school, which will have capacity for 1,200 pupils, will consist of a variety of inspirational and inclusive spaces for learning.  Classrooms, studios, workshops and science labs will connect and work with shared collaborative areas and breakout spaces, providing learners with more personalisation and choice over their learning environment. 

Sports facilities include a floodlit multi use games area, basketball court and athletics facilities. The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports block.

A new fitness suite and dance studio will be provided to complement the existing sports facilities. There will also be outdoor learning spaces and a grassed amphitheatre.

A key part of the new school will be the community campus features as it will include non-educational facilities such as a café, library and flexible workspaces.

The school will also be constructed to Passivhaus standards designed to meet the city-wide aspirations for our schools to be as energy efficient as possible in response to the climate emergency and net zero targets.

The building has been designed to be energy efficient and will utilise high-performance windows and doors, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to reduce carbon emissions, improve indoor air quality and decrease heating bills.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It was great to join pupils at the groundbreaking event for the replacement Liberton High School yesterday.

“Our new school campuses are innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment.

“The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school. This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks.

“Our Community Hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone.

“This is all part of the Council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.”

Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, said: “The Liberton Community Campus is another example of the Scottish Government working together with local authorities to provide learning environments which are both modern and state-of-the art.

“The Scottish Government will invest over £21 million in the Campus and I am grateful to the Council for providing me with the opportunity to get a glimpse of how our support will be of significant benefit to pupils and their families in the local area.

“Right across the country, we are continuing to invest in Scotland’s schools through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. Thanks to direct investment from the Scottish Government, the quality of our school estate has improved from 61% of schools in good or satisfactory condition in 2007, to 90.7% in 2023.

“We will continue to work with local authorities, who own school buildings, to drive improvements across the school estate.”

“Many of our future pupils are currently at these primary schools, so it was very important to us that they played a part in the special event yesterday to celebrate the work on the site.”

Alison Humphreys, Headteacher at Liberton High School, said: The Liberton High School community, and our wider learning community including Craigour Park, Gilmerton, Liberton and Prestonfield Primary Schools, are very excited about the creation of our new Liberton Community Campus.

“Many of our future pupils are currently at these primary schools, so it was very important to us that they played a part in the special event yesterday to celebrate the work on the site.

“In addition to a new secondary school with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, the building will also include a community library, community cafe, partner agency spaces and community fitness facilities.

“This is something that we are really looking forward to as it will bring so many opportunities for the wider public to use the space as a hub for accessing supports, learning, and fitness, and for socialising too.”

Hector MacAulay MBE, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland, said: “It was an honour to join with colleagues and pupils from Liberton High School today to mark this important occasion.

“As we embark on the next phase of the project with construction now underway, we remain committed to delivering a modern, safe and sustainable learning estate that will enhance and support communities and improve the lives of families in the local area.”

New Liberton High School takes another step forward

Proposals for a replacement Liberton High School have taken a major step forward after the planning application for the new school was approved yesterday (Wednesday 1 March 2023).

The plans for the school, which will have capacity for 1,200 pupils, were approved by Councillors on the Development Management Sub-Committee.

Construction is due to begin in May this year with the new school planned to open in 2025. 

The three-storey building will consist of a variety of inspirational and inclusive spaces for learning.  Classrooms, studios, workshops and science labs will connect and work with shared collaborative areas and breakout spaces, providing learners with more personalisation and choice over their learning environment. 

Sports facilities include a floodlit multi use games area, basketball court and athletics facilities. The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports block.

A new fitness suite and dance studio will be provided to complement the existing sports facilities. There will also be outdoor learning spaces and a grassed amphitheatre.

A key part of the new school will be the community campus features as it will include non-educational facilities such as a café, library and flexible workspaces.

The school will be constructed to Passivhaus standards designed to meet the city-wide aspirations for our schools to be as energy efficient as possible in response to the Climate Emergency and Edinburgh’s 2030 Net Zero target.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The new school campuses we’re planning are innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment.

“The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create, as part of an inclusive net zero-carbon city, a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school.

“This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks. This Community Hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone.

“This is all part of the Council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.