Michael Gove has offered to advise the Scottish Government on improving schools by applying lessons from his time as UK education secretary in England, arguing that SNP ministers' "ideological fads" and rising classroom indiscipline have let down Scottish pupils. The offer comes as Scotland's education performance continues to slide in international rankings, reviving debate over school standards and discipline north of the border. Education Secretary Màiri McAllan did not outright dismiss the proposal but said meeting an "architect of Tory austerity" was not a priority for her.

The intervention follows the latest PISA study, which found reading and maths ability among Scottish 15-year-olds at an all-time low, though science scores had improved since 2022; Scottish pupils now trail their English counterparts by six months in reading and more than a year in science and maths. First Minister John Swinney was criticised as "utterly delusional" for calling the results "essentially stable", while Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay accused the SNP of being "close-minded and petty". Gove, writing in The Times, said he would work with McAllan and Public Service Reform Secretary Ivan McKee, blaming political failure rather than pupils or teachers, and citing an unaddressed "behaviour crisis" in Scottish classrooms.