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In Scotland education is compulsory, of good quality and provided for free. There are still issues to overcome, however.

The Scottish government has identified one of the main issues as the attainment gap between children from the least deprived areas and those from the most deprived areas.

Education in rural areas

Scotland's geography can cause issues with education:

• Pupils in rural areas often have to spend longer travelling to and from school.
• The range of subjects in some places can be limited by the lack of specialist teachers.
• Accessing further education can be difficult for young people who would rather stay living in their community.

Watch this video to find out about how remote learning can play a part in education in rural areas.

Impact of Covid-19

Covid-19 has had an impact on education across Scotland but it has affected some people more than others.

Children is more deprived areas have been less able to learn from home because of lack of access to digital resources, lack of space, and in some cases less parental support. (Source:

Scottish education facts

• Scotland has 702,197 pupils in 2,476 schools (Source:
• There is a ratio of one teacher per 13.3 pupils in Scotland (Source:
• By age 5, there is gap of 13 months in vocabulary ability between higher-income households and lower-income households (Source: