Skip to main content

Scotland Giving More Power To Headteachers

Consultation on a bill to introduce radical reforms to the education system has been opened.

During the Programme for Government the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, made clear that the Education (Scotland) Bill 2018 will be the centerpiece of the legislative programme for the year ahead.



It will include a number of provisions to reform how schools are run and put schools in charge of key decisions about a child's education including;

- More freedom to make choices about curriculum, improvement and funding at school level,
- More freedom for headteachers to choose school staff and management structure,
- New regional improvement collaborative's to provide streamlined and strengthened support to teachers, drawing on experts from local authorities and Education Scotland,
- Strengthened engagement with young people and parents in schools.

The new powers will be guaranteed in a statutory charter for headteachers, with provisions to ensure young people and parents also have a stronger voice in schools.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, launched the consultation during a visit to the Royal High School in Edinburgh.

 Swinney said; "Improving education and closing the attainment gap is this governments number one priority. Our focus is unwavering in ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, has an equal chance to succeed.

"There is already much to be celebrated within our education system but radical reform is required to make the improvements we all want to see. The consultation on the Education (Scotland) Bill will ensure that everyone with an interest in how our young people learn and develop will have an opportunity to contribute to the future education in Scotland.

"The reforms to be taken forward through the bill are all based on the presumption that decisions about children's learning and school life should be taken at school level. This is built on strong international evidence that empowered schools and engaged parents lead to a better education. I look forward to a constructive, informed and, no doubt, impassioned discussion around these proposals in the weeks to come." 

The ambitious Education (Scotland) Bill adds pressure to headteachers across Scotland who are already stretched thin by the most recent education reforms in Scotland.

Areas such as the Highlands have Headteachers governing a number of separate schools within the same area.

We would like the hear your opinion on the new Education (Scotland) Bill. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why I Do Not Care About Madeline MacCann

Of all the children who go missing everyday Madeline MacCann is virtually the only known face, or name on the register. Brought into the press again with the publication of The Truth of the Lie, by Portuguese police investigator Goncalo Amarla, Madeline MacCann seems to be the only cute child the press cares about. The Truth of the Lie states that the MacCann's killed their daughter, and then covered it up with an investigation, which of course the parents took to court. Whether this is true or not, the disappearance of Madeline was very much the parents fault anyway, having left her in a foreign hotel room while they went drinking all night and having different people check in with her every hour. If anything her disappearance should have highlighted poor parenting, the dangers of foreign travel with small children, or even just the extensive list of ongoing missing children cases. That is not how it went however, instead the press decided these parents care more than

Red Nose Day

Red nose day is fast approaching, with brilliantly entertaining shows all ready hitting our screens to raise money for the event, including the so far fantastic and hilarious Bake-Off for Red nose day, which has yet to disappoint. As with every year the red noses are out on the streets, however unlike previous years this time there are a total of nine noses to collect, including a possible golden prize winning nose, and also unlike last year and to some people great irritation the noses are bagged, making it a complete gamble as to which one you'll get and making it even harder to collect them all. As of last year the Red Nose day group have released a selection for other exciting red nose day products, including, my personal favorite, a red nose day teapot! However do not get too excited, although most of this years Red Nose day products are available for purchase from the red nose website, others have been distributed to particular stores and are only available from the