John Swinney’s education reforms met with lukewarm response

Concerns remain about the Scottish Government’s planned reforms of school governance, according to the results of its latest public consultation.

Education Secretary John Swinney wants to see head teachers handed more power over budgets, while strategic planning will be done by councils working together in new regional improvement collaboratives.

Swinney has already made important concessions to local authority umbrella body COSLA over the structure of the plans.

An analysis of the latest consultation on the plans was published today.

It said: “In general, there was support for the principles behind the Education (Scotland) Bill although there was less support for legislation to enshrine these principles.”

There was a call for greater clarity over what the new structure would look like.

For example, some elements of the proposed headteachers’ charter are already happening in schools, according to respondents, and there were warnings from a fifth of respondents that inconsistencies could arise between schools.

There were also concerns about increased teacher workloads.

Views were “polarised” over the regional improvement collaboratives, the report added, while the proposed Education Workforce Council for Scotland also split opinion, with many respondents expressing concern over the loss of the existing General Teaching Council for Scotland's role.

Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary Liz Smith said the results would be “uncomfortable” for ministers.

“The Scottish Conservatives are the biggest champions of school reform but we believe the new bill to be published in the autumn will need to have different priorities from those so far set out by the SNP,” she said.

“Specifically, there needs to be a wholesale move away from central control of education towards schools themselves.”

Labour education spokesperson Iain Gray said: “This analysis of this consultation shows that the Scottish government has failed to create a consensus for school reforms.

“Support is at best lukewarm and divided, and there is much scepticism of the need for legislation. 

“The truth is everyone in the education sector knows that what our schools need is more teachers and more resources, not an Education Bill largely designed to make it look as if the SNP government is doing something.”

Scottish Green education spokesperson Ross Greer said the consultation was the third on the plans, but had come back with the same results.

“Despite their best efforts to construct a consultation which will return responses favourable to their plans, the Scottish Government has again been faced with the reality that their proposals are not needed, not wanted and not popular with teachers, parents or pupils,” he said.

The consultation drew around 700 responses.