Education Scotland

Scotland's universities ranked from best to worst

Edinburgh’s Firrhill High School has been shortlisted at the Tes Schools Awards 2025

Local school up for national prize at 'TES Schools Awards 2025'

Schoolchildren from Forthview Primary celebrate the launch of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens with artist Suzi Cunningham ahead of the performance of ‘Soup,’ which will be part of the event's opening day celebration at the National Museum of Scotland. Picture: Julie Howden

The best city in the UK for ‘edutainment’

Scotland's 14 universities ranked best to worst

School girls walking to school. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire

Teacher raises alarm over cuts to inclusion services

Pupils (L-R) Tess Worley, Abbie Hart and Leah Mathieson from Craigmount High School in Edinburgh look at their exam results during SQA results day in 2023. SQA strikes could impact the delivery of exam results next year. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

All the new term dates as pupils return to school

New Beeslack High School will be off Bush Farm Road at Easter Bush. (Pic: Midlothian Council)

New Beeslack school gets backing of majority of consultees

Council criticised by inspectors over adult education and youth work

Newbattle High School. (Google Maps)

Praise for school's focus on attainment

Take a look through our photo gallery to see Midlothian’s high schools ranked from best to worst, according to latest exam results.

Midlothian high schools ranked best to worst

Take a look through our photo gallery to see East Lothian’s high schools ranked from best to worst, according to latest exam results.

East Lothian high schools ranked from best to worst

Rank within West Lothian: 1. Rank within Scotland: 12. Percentage 5 or more Highers as a %: 68%.

West Lothian high schools ranked from best to worst

Rank within Edinburgh: 1. Rank within Scotland: 9. % pupils passing 5 or more Highers: 70%.

Edinburgh high schools ranked best to worst

Take a look through our photo gallery to see Midlothian’s high schools ranked from best to worst, according to latest exam results.

Midlothian high schools ranked best to worst

Take a look through our photo gallery to see East Lothian’s high schools ranked from best to worst, according to latest exam results.

East Lothian high schools ranked best to worst

Rank within Edinburgh: 1. Rank within Scotland: 9. % pupils passing 5 or more Highers: 70%.

Edinburgh high schools ranked from best to worst
These are the best secondary schools in the Capital, ranked from 1 to 21
Gary Flockhart

Councillors said the report was disappointing.

Pupils at a Midlothian school say lessons are not hard enough

Education Scotland said the teaching on offer at the Howdenhall children’s home was unsatisfactory (Picture: Emma Cook)

Council's guardianship of vulnerable children is a disgrace – Susan Dalgety

Readers' letters: Nessie on film sends wrong message

Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) totalling £520 million will be distributed to schools in every council area

Headteachers to receive half a billion pounds to help close attainment gap

Professor Kenneth Muir said "more is needed" from the education system in Scotland ahead of the scrapping of the SQA in 2024.

‘SQA needs to deliver and change’, says independent adviser

Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. Picture: PA

SNP plan education overhaul as SQA and Education Scotland scrapped

Vogrie outdoor early learning centre.

Vogrie outdoor learning highlighted

Exams are set to be reformed

Exams in Scotland to be reformed, but not scrapped, Education Secretary says

Midlothian South councillor Jim Muirhead (Labour)

New Community Learning and Development Plan for Midlothian

The EIS has hit out at plans to resume school inspections.

Teachers' union hits out at resumption of school inspections during disruption

The SNP needs to confront their own mistakes if Scottish education is to improve, says Daniel Johnson (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

What OECD report on Scottish education teaches us about the SNP – Daniel Johnson
It is just over two weeks since the critical OECD report on Scottish education was published. But I think the true lessons from it are yet to fully sink in.
Daniel Johnson

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville during the ministerial statement on National Qualifications 2021 at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh.

SQA and Education Scotland set to undergo reform

The attainment gap between pupils from different socio-economic backgrounds is narrowing, the Scottish Government has said.

Closing poverty-related attainment gap is making 'good progress', report claims

Ian Murray claims education has not been Nicola Sturgeon's priority Picture: John Devlin.

Murray claims Sturgeon has broken pledge

£1.5m funding package to help teachers get over pressure of Covid

Almost one in three primary schools in Scotland has not been inspected in at least a decade, new figures from the Scottish government reveal.

A third Scottish primary schools have not been inspected in a decade

Pic - Greg Macvean - 12/03/2020.
Burnbrae Primary School in Bonnyrigg.

Bonnyrigg school’s poor inspection report adds to parents’ concerns

Bill Geddes celebrated his 33rd year as an inspector last month

Bill Geddes gets OBE after 33 years as schools inspector

Lessons will teach children that everyone is equal and that assumptions based on how others see our gender shouldnt limit what we can do in life. Picture: John Devlin

Primary one children will be told '˜your gender is what you decide'

Councils are failing to prepare for the impact on students. Picture: Getty Images

Girls '˜negatively affected' by new rules on transgender school pupils

More than 133,000 bags of books will distributed to pupils. Picture: TSPl/Phil Wilkinson

Scottish primary pupils to receive free educational gift bags

Teachers have criticised many of the Education reforms.

Staff driving education reform don't believe they can deliver

St Mary's Primary, Bonnyrigg

Move to new campus beckons for Bonnyrigg primary

John Swinney is to hand Headteachers more control in schools

Powers to decentralise decision making granted to Capital schools

John Swinney is to carry out a review. Picture; John Devlin

John Swinney launches review into school food standards

Schools should be allowed to manage their own budgets and appoint their own staff. Picture: Getty

Brian Monteith: Hands up if you want education prioritised

There has been a reduction of nursery inspections in the last five years.

Number of nursery inspections drops

Murray Robertson (4) and Sophie Allan (3) admire the cake marking the excellent inspection report

Gold star for nursery school

Castlebrae Community High School. Picture: Ian Georgeson

Norma Prentice: Castlebrae High puts its troubled past behind it

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Picture: Julie Bull

SNP accused of refusing calls for school building checks

The improvement of schools and teaching is at the very heart of what Education Scotland is supposed to do. Picture: Getty

Martin Hannan: Schools chiefs must do better

Teachers have been warned not to offer personal opinions to pupils on independence. Picture: Robert Perry

Scottish independence: Be neutral, teachers warned

School given thumbs up

Top marks at inspections

Education chief named

Castlebrae High closure plans ‘moving too fast’

Top marks for school’s staff

Inspectors give primary full marks

Plaudits for Lasswade Community High