Preston Lodge High School and Impact of School Pipe Band Membership on Exam Results

That the Parliament notes the reported findings of a 10-year study that has determined that young pipers and drummers at Preston Lodge High School (PLHS) in Prestonpans are outperforming their school mates in exams; further notes reports that the research focused on pupil players at the school, with all 78 pipe band members between 2014-2024 being tracked from final exams through to higher education and employment, finding that all of them, including pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, have had better outcomes than the national averages; understands that according to the study, 52% of pipe band members attained five or more Highers, compared with 39% nationally, 41% left school with one or more Advanced Highers, compared with the national average of 18.7%, and that the impact was even greater for pupils from the two most deprived Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles (1 and 2) with 45% having achieved three or more Highers, compared with 38.2% nationally, and 40% having attained one or more Advanced Highers, compared with 10.5% nationally; believes that the study’s findings demonstrate the potential for membership of school pipe bands to support enhanced exam performance and reduce the attainment gap, as well as the development of wider personal and social skills, and congratulates PLHS and the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT), which supported the school’s programme, on the findings of the study and the PLHS Pipe Band’s contribution to the success of pupils in achieving positive destinations in work, training or further education.