Timid Russell should welcome teacher reforms

Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education (HMIe) is charged with assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Scotland's schools system, so when it puts forward a proposal for change it should be listened to.

In its submission to the Donaldson review of teacher education, HMIe has made a number of suggestions, including putting heads on fixed-term contracts and moving teachers from school to school more regularly.

Both ideas are radical, marking a change to the state education status quo, but each has merit.

Although it is disappointing that teaching unions oppose the idea, fixed-term contracts would be a means of setting performance targets for heads and for the schools they lead.

If the targets are challenging but realistic it could bring education into line with much of the rest of the public and private sector in having an element of performance-related pay, and even lead to the best heads being paid more.

Encouragingly, the idea of moving teachers around the system has been welcomed by part of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union.

But it was disappointing that Michael Russell, the education secretary, refused to comment on these plans. If there are good ideas being promoted by HMIe what is to stop the minister from giving them a cautious welcome? Nothing unless, that is, Mr Russell has suddenly developed timidity, a characteristic for which he was not previously known.