Scotland Faces Literacy Crisis in Schools

Scotland is facing a significant literacy crisis, with around 30% of secondary students reading below their age level, and some as far behind as seven or eight years. Despite evidence supporting structured reading instruction, outdated methods persist in classrooms, hindering progress. The Clackmannanshire Study from the early 2000s demonstrated the effectiveness of systematic synthetic phonics (SSP), yet Scotland has not adopted these recommendations widely, unlike England, which implemented reforms following the Rose Review in 2006. As a result, England has seen improvements in literacy, ranking highly in international assessments, while Scotland lags behind. The continued use of cueing methods, which encourage guessing rather than decoding words, contributes to the literacy challenges faced by Scottish students. Without a commitment to evidence-based reforms, many children in Scotland will continue to struggle with reading.