EDUCATION secretary John Swinney’s planned shake-up of school governance was undoubtedly well-intentioned. By creating new partnerships across several council areas to support schools and raise standards, he was responding to concerns that local performance was variable.
In pursuit of his Government’s drive to improve education Mr Swinney thought some councils were doing much better than others at supporting schools to get better. But the new partnerships, known as “regional collaboratives” were immediately controversial. Regardless of the motive, making the bodies accountable to the quango Education Scotland appeared to be diminishing the ability of councils to influence their own schools.
For a Scottish Government which some critics regard as excessively centralising, this was further evidence of control-freakery. Yet the government’s reforms were also intended to empower headteachers in the name of greater local control. The new approach seemed philosophically incoherent.
Meanwhile, although it is undoubtedly the case that the quality of school support has been variable, this is not simply a consequence of the commitment or competence of councils. Significant cuts to the very posts which might deliver the improvement the government seeks have hardly been helpful.
Yes, there may be more classroom assistants, but councils have disposed of more than a third of Scotland’s quality improvement officers and 13 per cent of educational psychologists, as they struggle to make ends meet.
Few disagree greater collaboration between councils will be beneficial. But representatives of all sides of the educational debate – teachers, education authorities and parents alike – expressed their doubts about Mr Swinney’s approach.
There was already a sign of the potential for councils to work together under their own auspices in the Northern Alliance of seven councils in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen and the Highlands and Islands. When Glasgow and neighbouring councils forged a West Partnership last month it was both a challenge to Mr Swinney’s approach and an offer of a solution.
The Scottish Government’s apparent U-turn is welcome and it is to Mr Swinney’s credit that he was willing to reconsider and largely adopt the approach taken independently by the West Partnership and now endorsed nationally by Cosla.
Councils will be able to appoint a director from within their own ranks to the role of regional lead officer on the collaboratives, which will report on progress to Education Scotland but will not be directly accountable to the inspection and improvement body as Mr Swinney had envisaged.
There will be safeguards with councils required to demonstrate improvement is taking place. But the change of heart is likely to have the support of those affected, while preserving local democratic accountability.
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