Tory claims agreement exposes end to SNP class-size policy

Published on Monday 20 July 2009 22:03

THE SNP's election promise to cut class sizes is "in tatters", it was claimed last night, as education secretary Fiona Hyslop prepared to sign an agreement with a council which excludes the pledge.

Ms Hyslop is today due to sign the single outcome agreement (SOA) with North Lanarkshire Council – its blueprint of aims and objectives for the next few years.

But the document excludes the SNP's election pledge of reducing P1 to P3 class sizes to 18.

David McLetchie, a Tory member of Holyrood's local government committee, claimed it was an embarrassment for Ms Hyslop and the SNP.

"The class size policy lies in tatters, he said. " Yet another SNP fraud, just like broken promises to give grants to home buyers and write off student debt. Fiona Hyslop should pronounce the last rites on a dead policy."

The saga is the latest in line of questions over the class size policy which was reduced to an aim in the Scottish Government's 2007 concordat with councils.

A Scottish Government spokesman said that the SOA had nothing to do with the class size pledge.

"The joint commitment to lower class sizes is contained in the overall concordat, rather than each single outcome agreement, and the reality is that primary class sizes are at an all-time low under an SNP government," he said.