Tuesday March 3rd 2026
West Lothian Council Leader paid tribute to staff and teachers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Primary children in West Lothian were among the best in Scotland for numeracy and literacy in 2024/25.
Every measure for Primary 4 and Primary 7 pupils in literacy and numeracy was at least four percentage points above the national average.
Council leader, Labour’s Lawrence Fitzpatrick, paid tribute to staff and teachers, saying “This is a fantastic result.”
Councillor Pauline Stafford, the depute SNP group leader said: “Thanks for this report there are some brilliant results in this.”
The Scottish Government’s Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels for 2024/25 report shows that 80.8% of Primary 7 pupils in West Lothian are meeting the expected levels of literacy, which is more than five percentage points above the national average.
Similarly, 84.4% of Primary 7 pupils achieved the expected level of numeracy, which is again more than five percentage points above the national average.
Delivering the report to the ducation Executive, Geraldine Armstrong, the council’s Quality Improvement Manager said: “As a local authority we also perform very well in terms of others. West Lothian is ranked 6 out of 32 local authorities in Scotland.”
The attainment gap, which tracks the difference between the most and least affluent pupils, also narrowed in the last year.
Councillor Fitzpatrick said: “I’m sure we’ll all agree, this is a fantastic result and we are so lucky to have such a superb support educational team in the centre and heads and teachers who are totally committed to their children and giving them the best chance in life.”
Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire said: “It’s fantastic that West Lothian continues to be one of the best performing areas in Scotland for primary attainment.
“Huge thanks to everyone who has played a role in this incredible achievement from teachers and colleagues from across education, parents/carers and, of course, our amazing pupils themselves.
“It’s essential we do all we can to give our children the best possible start in life to help them have a successful future. The achievement of our primary pupils, together with exam attainment in West Lothian rising consistently for the last decade for secondary pupils, is evidence that our approach of prioritising education is proving successful.
“We know deprivation is a major factor when it comes to educational achievement, and it’s great to see the attainment gap closing in West Lothian. There is always more work to do in this area, as we aim to ensure all our young people can achieve their potential.”
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