Skip to main content

Reforms To Child Education

Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, has set out his vision of empowerment and devolution for Scottish education, putting children at the heart of the system.



At the School Leaders Scotland summer conference, the deputy First Minister reiterated his pledge to make teachers and parents the key decision makers in schools.

It comes ahead of a statement of Parliament by Mr Swinney next week, subject to Parliamentary approval, when he will set out the next steps for education reform.

Mr Swinney, said; "As part of the relentless drive to improve Scottish education, we must embrace the need to reform and reshape our education system. To close the attainment gap and raise the bar for all, decisions about a child's learning should be made as close to that child as possible.

"That is why I have pledged to make teachers and parents the key decision makers in the life of a school. Reforms already introduced, such as Pupil Equity Funding, put the power to change lives directly in the hands of those with the expertise and insight to target resources at the greatest need.

"We must go further to drive improvements, putting young people at the heart of Scottish education and supporting and empowering headteachers, teachers and parents. Later this month, I will set out the actions which will achieve this.

"This is a vision of empowerment and devolution, devolution from local authorities to school, including teachers, headteachers, parents and communities, and devolution from a national to a local or a regional level to drive improvement in Scottish education."

Although the Scottish government speaks highly of the improvements they plan to put in place for primary to high school teachers, and pupils there is little talk about nursery care.

With the current SNP government promising free, all day, nursery care for all children it comes as a surprise to many to find out that many Scottish nursery schools are having their overall budgets cut, while the hours are increased. What has also come as a surprise is the drastic pa difference between regions for nursery employees, and the extreme pay drop when compared to teachers dealing with smaller classes and shorter days.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Brexit Threat To Disability Rights

The UK Government's pursuit of a hard Brexit would widen the inequality gap faced by disabled people, Social Security Minister, Jane Freeman has said. Ms Freeman raised her concerns on a visit to Strasbourg today, where she discussed Scotland's leading approach to promoting the rights of disabled people with the Council of Europe and Members of the European Parliament. Brexit poses a significant threat to the right that disabled people currently have under international conventions, rights, Ms Freeman said must be protected. Ms Freeman, said; "While the Scottish Government continues working hard to improve the lives of disabled people in Scotland, we know a hard Brexit puts jobs at risk and will create a further attack on their rights, eroding the protections and obligations we have come to expect. "Through my dialogue with the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, I stressed what we are already doing to uphold these principles. "The best w...

Increased Carer's Allowance To Be Delivered Next Summer.

The next milestone in building Scotland's new social security system will be the delivery of the first benefits and these will be the increased Carer's Allowance, the Best Start Grant and the Funeral Expense Assistance. The new benefits will be subject to the scrutiny and agreement of the Scottish Parliament. Social Security Secretary, Angela Constance, said; "The delivery of these first benefits is the next milestone in building Scotland's new social security system - the largest, most complex programme of change in the history of devolution. "The benefits we will deliver may be different in nature but there is one common thread which binds them - an investment in the people of Scotland. "Our approach will always treat people with fairness, dignity and respect, and there is no better way to show this than providing the support that they need and when they need it. These steps are key to helping us create a fairer country for all. "Our plan...

The Slow Climb To Living Wage

Gorgie City Farm has become the 800th Scottish-based living wage accredited employer, with employees benefiting from fair work principles which the Scottish Government would like become a national standard. The Scottish Government has set a target of reaching 1,000 Scottish-based living wage accredited employers by this autumn. Cabinet Secretary of Fair Work, Keith Brown, said: "This is a significant step in our drive to promote fairer working environments for Scottish employees and ensures people's basic wage continues to meet the reel cost of living. "Paying the Real Living Wage makes sense for businesses. It's an investment in people and all the evdience shows it leads to increased productivity and reduced staff absence, while sending a strong signal to customers about fairness. "We will continue to work with the 'Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative' to encourage more businesses to recognise the benefits of paying the real living ...