Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, commonly referred to as the Education Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet responsible for all levels of education in Scotland. The incumbent is Jenny Gilruth, who assumed office on 29 March 2023 and was reappointed on 8 May 2024.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
Image: Cathy Jamieson
Image: Peter Peacock
Image: Hugh Henry
Education in Scotland is provided in state schools, private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. Mandatory education in Scotland begins for children in Primary 1 (P1) at primary school and ends in Fourth Year (S4) at secondary school. Overall accountability and control of state–education in Scotland rests with the Scottish Government, and is overseen by its executive agency, Education Scotland, with additional responsibility for nursery schools being the joint responsibility of both Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate. Scotland's private schools are overseen by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools. Children in Scotland sit mandatory National Standardised Assessments in Primary 1 (P1), Primary 4 (P4), Primary 7 (P7) at the end of primary school, and Third Year (S3) in secondary school, which assist in monitoring children's progress and providing diagnostic data information to support teachers' professional judgement.
Pupils and Early Years Minister Adam Ingram, Education and Lifelong Learning Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Schools and Skills Minister Maureen Watt with pupils at Avenue End Primary Campus in Glasgow.
Scottish school children during a classroom lesson
First Minister Alex Salmond visits a classroom at Turriff Academy
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with pupils, launching the National Improvement Framework which also conducted a review of national standardised assessments in Scottish schools