Pupils and teachers across Aberdeenshire have received a gold star for steadily improving exam pass rates.
Members of Aberdeenshire’s education committee met at Woodhill House to discuss the detailed breakdown of exam results achieved by senior pupils.
The latest findings show improvements at all levels and, crucially, the gap between the best and worst performing students has narrowed.
Senior education officer, Vincent Doherty, said: “We are delighted to see on the measures in this report that we are indeed closing the attainment gap.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Isobel Davidson, former chairwoman of the committee, said: “It’s great to see that, after a lot of hard work, things are changing.
“I would like to make sure we congratulate all our pupils, teachers, staff, support workers and parents.”
Her calls to acclaim all those involved in education across the region were unanimously welcomed by the committee.
Conservative member Ron McKail added: “A few years ago, we were quite depressed but our education director has turned things around.”
The percentage of S4 pupils securing passes in English and maths at National 4 and 5 levels has increased every year since 2014, and stands at 91% and 59% respectively.
In comparison, only 83% of students across Scotland have at least National 4 passes and only 47% have National 5 levels.
The gap between students in the 30% most deprived areas and the 30% least deprived areas has narrowed year-on-year since 2014.