The paper draws on a wider study which is part of the ESRC’s Learning Society research programme. The study compares performance in initial and continuing education in Scotland and England. Here we report on the part of the analysis which deals with performance in initial education. Key findings include the large numbers of unqualified adults as the legacy of a previously highly polarised system; and the fact that it was girls’ greater schooling achievements which mainly account for Scotland’s earlier lead in initial education performance. We conclude that the differences between England and Scotland are reducing; and raise some questions about the foundation laid by the Scottish initial education system for a learning society.
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