John Swinney: devolve education decisions to school level

John Swinney - parliament TV

State schools in Scotland are to be “empowered” over pupils’ learning, according to Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

Swinney, who is also Cabinet Secretary for Education, said the principle of schools making their own decisions is a “guiding principle” of the Scottish Government’s new consultation on the school system.

The School Governance Review will consult the views of children and young people, parents, teachers, practitioners and the wider community on how schools are run, he said.

RELATED CONTENT

John Swinney publishes Scottish education plans

Councils to discuss council tax reform impact on education

John Swinney: 'There is a great deal of strength in Scottish education'

Among the more controversial proposals is the creation of “educational regions”, which Swinney said will collaborate with local authorities to promote “good practice, ensure best value, build capacity and deliver the best outcomes for children and young people”.

He ruled out a move to privately-run academies, selection or grammar schools – as Theresa May recently announced for England.

Swinney said: “This is a vision of empowerment and devolution. We will empower our teachers and our early years workers to make the best decisions for our young people.

“We will place them at the heart of a system that makes decisions about children’s learning within the schools themselves, supported by parents and the local community.

 “Our reform will be based on evidence of what works. The evidence shows that systematic collaborative engagement at every level of education is what builds capacity and delivers the best outcomes for children and young people.”

Concern has grown among local authorities and schools leaders that the plans may include taking control of schools away from local authorities.

A spokesman for councils’ umbrella body COSLA said it “remained concerned” Swinney had already decided the outcomes of the consultation before it took place.

“Once again we would appeal to Mr Swinney to proceed with caution. The aim of central government, local government and all those with an interest in young people is the same, we all have similar aspirations, we all want them to succeed,” he said.

Scotland’s largest teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland’s (EIS) general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The EIS believes that there is scope for greater support being provided to schools without compromising local democratic accountability.

“The focus of any governance review should be on how teaching and learning can be supported more effectively, rather than evolving into a turf war between the Scottish Government and local authorities.”

Scottish Conservatives Education spokesperson Liz Smith said the creation of “educational regions operating above local authority level looks a little bit like centralisation, which is at odds with decisions being taken at school level”.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s Education spokesperson welcomed the Deputy First Minister ruling out the introduction of selective schools and academies, but said the government should use the powers of the parliament to protect the education budget.

He said: “Empowering teachers, parents and communities to achieve excellence in education is a laudable aim and one that we share, but we recognise that we must have enough teachers and enough resources to properly pursue it.”