What has the SNP done for Scottish education?

The SNP continues to prioritise investment in our children and young people’s education, with the Scottish Budget 2026-27 set to deliver record funding of more than £3.5 billion.

As the Scottish Government the SNP continues to prioritise investment to deliver funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to all eligible children. Families across Scotland have been benefitting from the provision of 1,140 hours of high quality ELC since 2021, worth up to £6,000 per child each year.

Scotland has the highest spend per pupil in the UK, as well as the lowest teacher-pupil ratio. The SNP in government is also investing in Scotland’s teachers and funding initiatives which address the challenges facing the education workforce, including supporting new teachers into the profession.

The SNP government is investing £1 billion during this parliamentary session through the Scottish attainment challenge. As a result of this continued investment, the poverty-related gap for young people leaving school and going on to a positive destination has reduced by 60 per cent since 2009.

At a time when students in other parts of the UK face mounting debt and tuition fees, our resolute commitment to free tuition and our enhanced student support offering means that access to university remains based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay.

The SNP recognises the valuable contribution that our colleges make to enabling people to fulfil their potential and improve their circumstances. The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that we invest in our college sector to support students to move on to positive destinations.

The provision of apprenticeships in Scotland is a key priority for the SNP government. Around 400,000 apprenticeship opportunities have been provided to young people across the country since 2008 and the SNP government’s funding commitments make clear they will continue to be a key feature of Scotland’s education and skills system going forward.

The SNP government is steadfast in its commitment to deliver support to all children and young people with care experience and improve their educational outcomes and life experiences. More than £60 million has been invested in the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund since 2018 to support tailored educational and wellbeing intervention.

The new Care Leaver Payment offers a £2,000 one off payment to support young people moving on from care. The Care Experienced Student Bursary offers up to £9000 per year in non-repayable financial support, bringing the funding available for care experienced young people up to £11,400.

The SNP government is taking action on careers support and advice; this year’s Programme for Government committed to reviewing and improving school-age and adult careers support, including better information on career choices, job prospects and earnings, and delivering on its commitment to recognition of prior learning.