Exclusive:Officials warned of financial 'risks' a few weeks before SNP ministers delayed plans to replace the SQA

‘Resourcing challenges’ were highlighted by reform programme board

Officials privately discussed financial and staffing "risks" linked to the overhaul of Scotland's education bodies in the weeks before the government announced a delay, it has emerged.

Newly-published minutes from the Education Reform Programme Board have raised fresh questions about the reasons for a recent decision to push back the legislation that will create three bodies to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Education Scotland.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth revealed last month that the government had decided to “pause for a year” before proceeding with the shake-up.

She told MSPs the delay would allow the government to consult teachers on proposed changes to school qualifications and ensure there was an “overarching narrative” to tie together the findings of a series of recently-published reviews.

However, minutes from the Education Reform Programme Board, which has been helping to oversee and steer the overhaul, show that financial considerations were beginning to dominate discussions around the delivery of the reforms in April.

The status of the programme was described as being at “amber”, with the board discussing how “many of the high-level risks are related to finance”.

Board members agreed to consider “mitigation and contingency measures” for these financial risks at their next gathering, which was scheduled for June.

At the meeting on April 18, not long after Ms Gilruth and First Minister Humza Yousaf took on their current posts, the programme board also heard concerns relating to staff and financial “resource constraints” from Jim Wilson, a head teacher representative on the panel.

The minutes said: “He noted there was an increasing gap between the current workforce and the workforce required.”

In response, Clare Hicks, board chair and director of education reform at the Scottish Government, was said to have “agreed it’s importance and impact on education reform within the wider public sector context”.

Officials referenced “resourcing challenges” in two other sections of the discussion in April.

Meanwhile, during talks on the creation of a new education agency it was “noted that financial planning for the options being developed still included an estimated range which could be refined further following a clear understanding of the Cabinet Secretary’s ambition".

In another section, the “importance of financial analysis” was flagged while developing “the future vision for education” emerging from recent reports.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly described how it is facing the “most challenging financial environment since devolution”.

However, it said yesterday that the programme board’s discussions played “no role” in the decision to delay the education reform legislation.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, Ms Gilruth’s predecessor as education secretary, had previously raised concerns about progress with the plans.

A minute from the board’s meeting in January said: “In terms of overall progress, the draft strategic TOMS (target operating models) are not yet reflecting the significant and anticipated level of change that the Cabinet Secretary is looking to see in terms of how each new body will operate.

“In the next stage, she is keen to see greater clarity on the proposed roles and functions, individually and within the system.”

The new education bodies, which were supposed to be up and running by next year, were recommended by Professor Ken Muir following a review.

Other reviews into the future of Scottish education were published in the lead-up to Ms Gilruth’s announcement last month, including a “national discussion” study, the Hayward review on qualifications and the Withers review on skills.

The minutes from the programme board have emerged after it was reported in the Scottish Mail this week that almost £1.3million had been spent on the shake-up of Scotland’s education bodies by April.

Scottish Labour’s education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “Yet again teachers, pupils and public services will bear the brunt of SNP failure to plan, financial mismanagement and ultimately to see things through.

“Promising but never actually delivering is getting way too common under the SNP.

“From workload issues and pay for teachers to concerns over the SQA, it could not be clearer that the SNP is failing Scotland’s schools."

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr said: “Scotland’s once world-leading education system is in desperate need of urgent reform after 16 years of SNP failure.

“These reforms must be substantial and the SNP should stop making excuses for delaying them.

“Ministers who are letting down pupils, parents and teachers at every turn, need to embrace bold and innovative changes.

“The SNP has been in sole charge of Scottish education for 16 years – further delay on prioritising the needs of pupils is inexcusable.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said the programme board’s discussion did not impact on the timetable for the legislation.

“With four major reports on the future of Scottish education and skills - including significant proposals for reform - having been published in recent weeks, it is right that these are considered fully and holistically as we move forward,” he said.

“The Education Secretary has been clear that we must take the opportunity to design our national education and skills landscape in its totality, to better support children, young people, and our adult learners – and that this process should be given the time needed to allow it to be shaped by the expertise of our teachers and practitioners.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to replacing the SQA and Education Scotland and work is continuing to bring this about.

"The highlighted minutes played no role in the Education Secretary's decision to pause legislating on the respective replacement bodies until next year."