Jenny Gilruth's constituency includes Kinglassie.

'As schools across the Kingdom open their gates again after the summer holidays, it is right we take the time to celebrate another successful year for Scotland’s pupils and the dedicated school staff who make it all possible.

Of course exam results are not a panacea; some of you might have followed the #nowrongpath hashtag on results day. It was really interesting to see the different pathways people from all over the country followed - sometimes often despite their exam results or indeed course choices.

Across Scotland Higher passes remained consistent, despite a fall in the national numbers on the school roll, and the number of Advanced Highers taken continued to grow.

I would like to personally congratulate each and every young person in my constituency who sat exams this year. I am sure you all worked incredibly hard in the lead up to results day.

Just as importantly, I want to extend a special thanks to our teachers who work tirelessly to prepare pupils for exam day and beyond.

It was also encouraging to see the number of pupils from Scotland’s most deprived communities accepted into university has increased for the third year in a row.

‘Closing the attainment gap’ is now starting to mean something to the pupils in our schools - it means a more level playing field, it means wider opportunities to succeed and it means a fairer education system which will recognise the talents of all - regardless of background.

Of course, poverty in our schools is about so much more than exam results. Local heroes, like Leven hairdresser Craig Boyd, are also helping to ensure that every child has an equal chance. Craig has offered free haircuts at his salon to children whose families rely on local food banks. Craig also pledged to help provide pre-packed school bags full of essentials. The campaign has raised around £700, over 210kg in food and has provided 120 free haircuts for local children. These efforts are a real testament to the strong community spirit of Levenmouth.

The First Minister is clear that education will continue to be the number one priority for this Scottish Government. There’s plenty of work ahead, but the evidence tells us the attainment gap is beginning to close. Exam passes remain high. The future looks bright for Scotland’s school pupils.

I’d like to wish our pupils, students, teachers and lecturers across the Kingdom, the very best for the coming school year. And to all of our local heroes challenging poverty outside the classroom - thank you. Exam results are not the be all and end all - only by working together will we be able to provide equal opportunities for everyone to reach their potential'.