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Devolution: school and health results often worse outside England

Performances in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ significantly despite having more money to spend, report finds
After two decades of devolution, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have significantly different, and often worse, outcomes in school and hospital performance compared with England, despite having much more money to spend.
The analysis from the Institute for Government, published on Thursday, maps how public service performance has diverged across the UK from 1999 to the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Noting that spending per person in Scotland and Northern Ireland is 29% higher than that on comparable services in England, and 23% higher in Wales, the report found that all the devolved nations have higher rates of treatable mortality – deaths that could be prevented through timely and effective healthcare interventions – and by 2018 all three had lower maths and science results.The report comes as the Scottish Nationalists face scrutiny in the Holyrood election campaign over educational and health outcomes after 14 years in government, and as the Welsh Labour government’s record on education and health, after more than two decades in charge, has been criticised during the campaign for next week’s Senedd elections.
The report suggests that “Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence has not (so far) lived up to its name”. The paper reveals that when pupils last sat Pisa tests (a programme of international student assessment) in 2017-18, Scotland spent 9% more per pupil than England, but Scottish pupils achieved significantly lower results than English pupils in maths and science tests.
According to the analysis, Welsh pupils consistently achieve lower scores in international tests than pupils in the other three nations and by the age of 15, Welsh pupils’ reading ability is about six months behind pupils in the other three nations.
There were also striking differences in health performance, with Scotland consistently admitting, discharging or transferring a higher proportion of A&E patients within four hours than England, Wales, and Northern Ireland since 2015. While in March 2020, almost 40% of patients on waiting lists in Northern Ireland had been waiting longer than a year just to get an appointment – compared with only 0.1% of patients on waiting lists in England.
The senior researcher for the Institute for Government and report author, Graham Atkins, said Scotland’s education performance may relate to differences in pupils’ backgrounds: “Socioeconomic background has a big effect on educational attainment and, on average, disposable household income is lower in Scotland than in England. But this doesn’t entirely explain the difference. Indeed in 2006, Scottish pupils achieved similar science results to English pupils in and outperformed English pupils in maths.”
He also called for the four governments to record data in better comparable ways to improve accountability. “The establishment of the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1999 created a fascinating policy laboratory to see what effects policies have had, and so improve services and outcomes. But in practice this kind of analysis is much harder than it should be.”
source: Libby Brooks
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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