SNP will give 'fair hearing' to radical reform of schools

SCOTLAND'S new education secretary has signalled that he is open to a radical reform of the structure of primary and secondary education, including the possibility of removing schools completely from council control.

In a keynote speech, Michael Russell vowed to give a "fair hearing" to every suggestion made by councils on alternative ways to control schools.

And he went as far as to promise not to dismiss out of hand any proposal to remove schools completely from council control.

He spoke on the day it emerged Scotland's children are no better at reading and writing than they were in 2005.

The government's Scottish Survey of Achievement (SSA) published yesterday, showed while 75 per cent of primary three children are achieving expected standards in reading and all are reaching writing levels, just 40 per cent of second years could read, and 33.3 per cent write, at the expected level for their age.

Mr Russell said: "There can be little doubt that some of these results make the case for change. Not least because they have remained more or less the same for several years. And if we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got."

He described East Lothian's controversial proposal to create schools in an arm's-length trust as "a great example of building on what is best in Scottish education" in his warmest comments yet on the plan.

He said the plan for a group of schools to be run by a governing board of community representatives was a "radical extension" of arrangements which already exist in Scotland. Although he said it was too early to say what exact form that plan would take, he admitted devolving power to schools could improve standards.

Mr Russell's open mind on reform is significant as the SNP has been reluctant to push it in other areas such as the NHS. It is also certain to meet opposition from within his own party.

He said: "One way of strengthening the role of headteachers is to be more imaginative about how we deliver education; to create systems that give them more central roles and free them up to give of their best whilst utilising the whole of our educational estate to its fullest potential."

On East Lothian he added: "We need to explore more ideas like this. I am open to them. I am listening. They will get a fair hearing if they build on traditional Scottish virtues and can guarantee access and excellence. A fair hearing from me, and I know a fair hearing from Scotland."

Mr Russell said several other councils had also been in touch with their own ideas for running schools since the East Lothian plan was revealed by The Scotsman.

He also said a decade ago the Scottish education system had been found to be "over-assessed, too centralised and insufficiently deep" in a review of the system.

He said: "It was only 'good enough'. And – very importantly in the light of today's statistics – it was not moving forward in terms of international comparisons nor in terms of domestic assessment."

Don Ledingham, director of education at East Lothian Council, who has driven forward the authority's proposal, said schools had to change.

Speaking at the same conference as Mr Russell, he said: "The status quo is not an option. It is doomed. If anyone thinks they will just stay with the same system and they will be able to deliver (educational improvement] in five years, they are living in cloud-cuckoo-land."

He said an expected 15 per cent cut in council budgets over the next four years would force local authorities into change.

Liz Smith, Conservative schools spokeswoman, said: "We need radical reform to allow far greater choice for parents over where they send their children to school, far more powers to be given to headteachers and the end to the state monopoly of school provision."