A school in Paisley has come second in the The Sunday Times Primary School League Table.
St Catherine’s Primary School, in the Gallowhill area of Paisley, has scored top marks for the third year in a row, after topping league table in 2023.
In first place was Our Lady of Lourdes Primary in West Lothian. They sent every child off to high school with a good grasp of reading, writing and numbers for the first time despite educating some of the poorest children in Scotland.
Schools submit data on the percentage of pupils up to standard in reading, writing, numeracy and combined listening-and-talking. The Sunday Times aggregates this data into a maximum score of 400.
A record 89 schools scored top marks this year, up from 85 last year and just 52 when the government first began compiling data in 2016/17.
Schools with a higher proportion of deprived pupils are weighted to rise up The Sunday Times Primary School League table to recognise their achievement in delivering a good education despite the challenges of poverty. The data, based on teacher judgement, are drawn from the same government statistics policymakers use to make decisions about schools and nurseries in Scotland. Paisley school named second best in Scotland on The Sunday Times Primary School League TableSt Catherine’s Primary School, in the Gallowhill area of PaisleyAlmost 1,200 primary schools submitted data.
Nearly a third of (64 per cent) of Our Lady of Lourdes pupils are deemed very deprived in the Scottish Government’s index of multiple deprivation, just ahead of St Catherine’s in Renfrewshire where 62 per cent of pupils are recorded as very deprived.
The full searchable table of 1200 schools is available at: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scottish-school-league-table-2025-best-primary-xfnxxlv22.