John Swinney faced fierce criticism at First Minister's Questions after new international rankings showed Scottish pupils' reading and maths skills falling to record lows, with opposition leaders branding it the SNP's "greatest failure". Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called Swinney "utterly delusional" for describing education as "essentially stable", while Reform UK Scotland's Malcolm Offord called the figures "a national emergency" and "the ruination of a once proud nation". Swinney insisted he was "proud" of Scottish education and accused critics of insulting teachers, pointing to government investment aimed at closing the attainment gap.

The clash followed the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) study, which found Scottish 15-year-olds' reading and maths performance had sunk to its lowest level since testing began in 2000, though science scores improved slightly. Scottish pupils now trail their English counterparts by more than a year in science and maths and by six months in reading. Findlay cited teachers reporting some Glasgow secondary pupils with reading ages of five or six, while Offord accused Swinney of having presided over college cuts and downgraded pandemic-era results during his time as finance and education minister. Swinney countered by highlighting positive figures on pupil destinations and university entry, and attacked Findlay's past support for Liz Truss.