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Swinney to publish plans for Scots schools review John Swinney: Schools review to 'empower' teachers
(about 17 hours later)
Education Secretary John Swinney is due to publish details of a review of how Scotland's schools are governed. Teachers will be "empowered" to take the best decisions for their pupils in a major review of how schools are run in Scotland, John Swinney has said.
The Scottish government says it wants to empower schools to take the decisions needed to raise attainment. The education secretary has launched a consultation on the governance arrangements for schools, which could give them substantial new powers.
Mr Swinney said there would be a "relentless focus" on closing the attainment gap and seeking equal opportunities for pupils. Mr Swinney said councils would remain democratically accountable for schools.
Critics in local government fear there may be moves to reduce the role of councils in education by stealth. But he said the government's aim would be to give schools and head teachers as much power as possible.
The Scottish government sees raising attainment in schools as a top priority. Mr Swinney also outlined plans to create regional education boards to encourage co-operation across council areas.
The governance review will look at how to decentralise management to schools and how best to support teachers and head teachers in exercising their new responsibilities. The actual details of what powers will go to schools and which ones are to remain with councils will now be discussed.
The Scottish government said Mr Swinney would set out the goal of making schools the key decision makers on children's education and consult on how to make that a reality. Some in local government have previously expressed concern about any moves which could reduce the role of councils in the system by stealth.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the review, he said: "Our relentless focus will be on how we can build on the many strengths in Scottish education to close the attainment gap and deliver excellence and equity in our schools. Announcing the review to Holyrood, Mr Swinney ruled out introducing privately-run academies, selection or grammar schools in Scotland.
"We believe that the key to achieving this for all children depends on the quality of teaching and the relationship between teachers and children. That is why we are taking forward our commitment to make schools, their teachers and parents, the key decision makers in a child's education." He told the Scottish Parliament such a system was "divisive".
'Targeted actions' The School Governance Review will run until 6 January 2017, with the government seeking views from children, parents, teachers and the wider community.
He added: "We have already initiated a range of targeted actions to close the equity gap and reduce classroom workload, but we want to go further. We want to ensure that the whole education system in Scotland is focused on supporting teachers to do what they do best - teaching our young people. In his statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said: "Our guiding principle for the way our schools are run is simple. Decisions should be taken at school level. That will be our presumption and we will place it at the heart of this review.
"Our starting point is schools must have the flexibility to take the decisions that matter for children's education. The governance review I will publish this week will begin with the presumption that decision-making must rest with schools. This approach poses the question of how the rest of the system can support teachers, head teachers and parents in that extended role. "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.
"It will also consider how we can involve parents and the wider community better in the life of schools, because we know that there is strong global evidence that greater parental and community involvement promotes children's attainment and achievement." "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."
But some in local government will be on the lookout for anything which could risk either undermining the role of councils in running schools by stealth - or add to the workload of head teachers. The education secretary promised that reform would be based on evidence - which he said showed that "systematic collaborative engagement" at every level was what delivered the best outcomes for children.
He added: "We will never go down the divisive academy model. And there will be no return to selection or grammar schools."
BBC Scotland's education correspondent Jamie McIvor said some in local government would be on the lookout for anything which could risk either undermining the role of councils in running schools by stealth - or add to the workload of head teachers.
Councils are fiercely protective of their role in the education system.Councils are fiercely protective of their role in the education system.
A row is already brewing between the government and some councils over plans to give £100m from changes to the council tax to head teachers.A row is already brewing between the government and some councils over plans to give £100m from changes to the council tax to head teachers.
Some councils fear that through the complexities of the local government funding system this money will effectively go into a national pot - undermining the direct link between council budgets and the council tax.Some councils fear that through the complexities of the local government funding system this money will effectively go into a national pot - undermining the direct link between council budgets and the council tax.
'Democratic accountability' Free school 'disaster'
But Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the largest teachers union, the EIS, said there was no question of schools being removed from council control, and said there should not be a turf war between the Scottish government and local authorities. Scotland's largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the review must enhance support for schools and promote local democracy.
He said: "The Scottish government has made clear that it does not intend to take schools out of local authority control nor does it intend to mimic the disasters of UK policy in terms of academies or free schools. EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The Scottish government has made clear that it does not intend to take schools out of local authority control nor does it intend to mimic the disasters of UK policy in terms of academies or free schools. That is to be welcomed.
"These are welcome parameters around the forthcoming governance review. The EIS believes that there is scope for greater support being provided to schools without compromising local democratic accountability. "In Scotland, there remains a widely shared continuing commitment to the core ethos of our highly inclusive system of comprehensive education.
"It is important, also, that schools themselves are democratic places where teachers have a voice in how education is delivered. The focus of any governance review should be on how teaching and learning can be supported more effectively, rather than being a pointless turf war between Scottish government and Cosla." "At a time when the UK government seems determined to embed division - largely based around socio-economic factors - within its school system, it is important that we take a different approach here in Scotland."
Mr Flanagan said the EIS believed there was scope for greater support being provided to schools without compromising local democratic accountability.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "We have been calling on the Scottish government for years to drive more control and power down to schools.
"If this is what is going to happen under this review, then that is to be welcomed.
"But as ever with this SNP government, it will need to be watched carefully to make sure it delivers on its promises."
She added: "New educational regions must not be a Trojan Horse for yet more centralisation.
"What's more, Mr Swinney should cut the evasion and simply back parents who want to save their school by opting out of local authority control."
Labour's education spokesman Iain Gray said Mr Swinney had refused to rule out "a return to the discredited Tory policy of letting schools opt out of local authority control".
Mr Gray said: "Schools opting out of local authorities would risk the gap between the richest and the rest growing.
"If Mr Swinney is serious about cutting the attainment gap then he should pledge a world-class education for every young person, rather than allow the possibility that some schools could opt out."