Scotland will apply to rejoin international education league tables as part of an attempt to increase transparency about the performance of schools.
In a reversal of 13 years of SNP education policy, Humza Yousaf will allow comparisons about how the country fares globally at reading and writing. SNP ministers withdrew in 2010 from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, two globally respected tests that provided an international perspective on Scottish education.
At the time the Scottish government claimed that the comparisons were too expensive and produced limited data on Scottish education. Critics said it was because they showed performance in Scottish education was declining.
