On 23 March 2021, the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission published Improving outcomes for young people through school education.
The report says:
"The poverty-related attainment gap remains wide and inequalities have been exacerbated by Covid-19. Progress on closing the gap has been limited and falls short of the Scottish Government’s aims. Improvement needs to happen more quickly and there needs to be greater consistency across the country."
Read the report on Audit Scotland's website
Information about the Public Audit Committee's consideration of the report can be found below.
The Committee took evidence from:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value; Tricia Meldrum, Senior Manager; and Zoe Maguire, Senior Auditor, Audit Scotland.
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 9 September 2021
Read the Official Report, 9 September 2021
Read the meeting minutes, 9 September 2021
Decision: The Committee agreed to invite the Scottish Government to give oral evidence at a future meeting.
The Committee took evidence from:
Joe Griffin, Director-General Education and Justice; Graeme Logan, Director of Learning, Scottish Government; and Gayle Gorman, Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, Education Scotland.
Followed by:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value; and Tricia Meldrum, Senior Manager, Audit Scotland.
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 30 September 2021
Read the Official Report, 30 September 2021
Read the meeting minutes, 30 September 2021
Decision: The Committee agreed to wait on further information before considering its next steps.
Letter to the Convener from Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland, 27 October 2021.