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Call for school autonomy debate Call for 'diversity' in education
(about 13 hours later)
Scottish Education Secretary Mike Russell is expected to call for a full debate on moves to give schools more autonomy. Scottish Education Secretary Mike Russell has called for greater diversity in how education is delivered and governed in the country's schools.
Delegates at an education conference in Edinburgh are likely to hear Mr Russell talk about the case for diversity in the way schools are run. Mr Russell told a conference in Edinburgh that the Scottish education system was "good but not good enough".
He also stressed his commitment to fully implementing Curriculum for Excellence and delivering smaller class sizes.
Schools in Scotland are directly controlled by their local councils.Schools in Scotland are directly controlled by their local councils.
Critics have claimed council control can sometimes be wooden and bureaucratic. Critics have claimed council control can sometimes be wooden and bureaucratic and have called for greater autonomy for schools.
But supporters say it is a responsive and democratic system as councillors can be voted out of office if the public are unhappy with standards in schools. But supporters of the current system believe it is responsive and democratic as councillors can be voted out of office if the public are unhappy with standards in schools.
East Lothian Council is looking at allowing schools to become semi-detached. What we have to do now is to discuss openly and widely the means to make this a reality for our young people Mike RussellEducation secretary
They would each be run by a trust, and head teachers would be allowed to make more decisions of their own. Making his first major speech on priorities in school education since taking office in early December, Mr Russell also outlined his desire to develop better support structures to develop teachers' skills and to introduce a more supportive and less confrontational inspection process.
Mr Russell is expected to say later on Tuesday that he backs councils giving schools more flexibility and control. He told the Holyrood education conference: "In every educational sector I now see a clear consensus around the outcomes we know our young people need, to ensure they are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.
But he is also expected to make clear head teachers will still be subject to restrictions and will not, for example, be allowed to cherry pick which pupils they enrol. "What we have to do now is to discuss openly and widely the means to make this a reality for our young people.
"I believe that we need to examine how diversity in delivery, pursuit of excellence through the curriculum, improving the skills of our teachers and providing more supportive inspection can contribute to that purpose - all within the context of the traditional and strong values of Scottish education."
Mr Russell said courage was needed to confront the weaknesses of the education system.
"The reality is we don't have a monochrome, one dimensional education system in Scotland, and that is a key strength we need to build on," he added.