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| Call for parent choice on schools | Call for parent choice on schools |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Parents should be given control over their children's education funds to allow them to choose school places, the Scottish Conservative have urged. | Parents should be given control over their children's education funds to allow them to choose school places, the Scottish Conservative have urged. |
| The move is among plans being debated at a Tory conference in Edinburgh, billed as a call for higher standards. | |
| It is backed by a petition from parents who won the right to chose a school in South Lanarkshire, after being taken to court to try to prevent them. | It is backed by a petition from parents who won the right to chose a school in South Lanarkshire, after being taken to court to try to prevent them. |
| The Scottish Government said it was committed to improving every school. | The Scottish Government said it was committed to improving every school. |
| Figures released in March showed that placing requests were made for one in seven pupils starting secondary school in Scotland and 20% of pupils starting primary, with about 80% of these granted. | Figures released in March showed that placing requests were made for one in seven pupils starting secondary school in Scotland and 20% of pupils starting primary, with about 80% of these granted. |
| I don't think we are doing our best for Scotland's children and I think at last people are starting to realise that Annabel GoldieScottish Tory leader | I don't think we are doing our best for Scotland's children and I think at last people are starting to realise that Annabel GoldieScottish Tory leader |
| The Scottish Conservatives want to go one stage further and give parents control over their child's personal education budget from the state. | The Scottish Conservatives want to go one stage further and give parents control over their child's personal education budget from the state. |
| A school's income would then depend on its ability to attract pupils. | A school's income would then depend on its ability to attract pupils. |
| The party argues this scheme would encourage poorly performing schools to do better. | The party argues this scheme would encourage poorly performing schools to do better. |
| Speaking before the event, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "Education will undoubtedly be one of the major political battlegrounds in Scotland over the next two elections - Westminster and Scottish Parliament. | Speaking before the event, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "Education will undoubtedly be one of the major political battlegrounds in Scotland over the next two elections - Westminster and Scottish Parliament. |
| "Why? Because I don't think we are doing our best for Scotland's children and I think at last people are starting to realise that. | "Why? Because I don't think we are doing our best for Scotland's children and I think at last people are starting to realise that. |
| "There is compelling evidence to show that successive Scottish Governments have failed to give all pupils the best possible opportunities." | "There is compelling evidence to show that successive Scottish Governments have failed to give all pupils the best possible opportunities." |
| The Tories also propose that a "pupil premium" should be paid to school children from poorer areas. | The Tories also propose that a "pupil premium" should be paid to school children from poorer areas. |
| Bureaucratic nightmare | Bureaucratic nightmare |
| A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the administration supported the right of parents to make placing requests. | A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the administration supported the right of parents to make placing requests. |
| "However, we are also committed to ensuring that every school has the resources necessary to reduce class sizes and to provide every young Scot with the highest quality of education," she said. | "However, we are also committed to ensuring that every school has the resources necessary to reduce class sizes and to provide every young Scot with the highest quality of education," she said. |
| "We would never support a policy which delivered anything less." | "We would never support a policy which delivered anything less." |
| Labour said the Tory plans would "create a bureaucratic nightmare and damage schools". | Labour said the Tory plans would "create a bureaucratic nightmare and damage schools". |