Calls for 'education emergency' after area records worst Higher exam results in Scotland

Calls for Moray Council to declare an “education emergency” have again been voiced by councillors after the area produced the worst exam results in Scotland.

In November, councillors Sandy Keith (Elgin City North, Labour) and Derek Ross (Speyside Glenlivet, Independent) raised a motion to declare an education emergency in Moray after the region experienced its worst attainment rates in the last five years.

However, the pair were voted down by the education committee.

Now they are once again asking the council to reach out for help following the 2026 exam results, which placed Moray at the bottom of the table – once again.

Cllr Keith hopes that declaring the emergency will put everybody on the same page.

In a statement, he added: “It didn’t give me any pleasure then to call for such a declaration but the figures released last week mean that I have to reiterate my plea.

“I am sure that the pupils have been trying their best and that Moray has many dedicated and gifted teachers, but something is wrong when we are frequently amongst the lowest performing authorities.

“The pupils of Moray deserve the best opportunities and I call upon the council leadership to address the situation immediately and, as a first step, to declare an education emergency.”

This year’s results saw Moray record the lowest percentage of pupils achieving top grades at Higher level anywhere in Scotland with 69.5 per cent achieving A to C.

Those sitting National 5s performed better with 74 per cent of pupils achieving A to C, but this only placed Moray joint third from bottom of 32 authorities in Scotland. The Advanced Higher pass rate was 69.7 per cent – again putting Moray third last.

Moray Council acknowledged the results were “below” where it wanted to be but explained it is on an “improvement journey” and is working on addressing the “challenges” the sector faces with recruitment.

But it added the S4 results gave it the “confidence” that its changes are having an “impact”.

Former teacher Cllr Ross stated attainment in Moray has been “stubbornly difficult” to address.

He explained how other authorities face the same issues as Moray but they seem to be able to “surmount them and achieve better attainment figures”.

He added: “I acknowledge that many pupils have been successful with examination passes, but equally, many have not.

“Declaring an education emergency is an essential step in turning around the situation. The change required will take some time but we must start now after refusing to declare an education emergency last year.

“The pupils, teachers and parents of Moray deserve better and I for one will continue to argue that case.”

In response to the councillors’ call, a spokesperson for Moray Council said: “Lasting improvement takes time and our continued focus on strengthening leadership in schools and early support for those who need it most are contributing to a change in culture in our schools to improve outcomes for our young people.”

Moray Council explained it’s “reviewing” the current improvement plans in place and the “impact” they have on exam results to identify opportunities to expand on that work.

It emphasised that last year 93 per cent of Moray school leavers moved to a “positive destination” which it said was “extremely insightful” and added that it remains focused on helping every young person achieve the best possible outcome.

Councillors will have the opportunity to discuses the results further at a meeting in September.