Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 September 2020
It is, of course, common knowledge that, in several programmes for government, the SNP has been unequivocal in placing education at the top of its priorities—and, specifically, policies that are designed to narrow the stubborn attainment gap. When that was first announced, it was generally popular and very well received by parents, schools, colleges, universities and members of the Scottish Parliament. The commitment chimed with public opinion and the need to restore our schools to their former pre-eminence. They were much admired and, indeed, copied around the world.
Looking back at what the SNP said at the time, in the chamber and in committee, it was hard to disagree with the broad principles, especially those that aspired to excellence and equity. Sadly, we are here now, several years later, with the unequivocal evidence that Iain Gray spoke about in his speech to support us, noting that the SNP’s commitments have most certainly not been delivered and that there has been no closing of the gap between the SNP’s rhetoric and its delivery. For the sake of our young people, it is surely incumbent on all of us not only to analyse what has gone wrong but to make policy recommendations to improve matters quickly.
Let me concentrate on the question of teacher numbers. In our book and in the eyes of parents, teacher numbers are absolutely critical to improving educational standards. They are also, of course, the key to getting curriculum for excellence back on track.
Teacher numbers are bound to fluctuate as a result of changing pupil demographics. I remember Mike Russell saying that when he was the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning. However, that does not explain away the significant drop of just under 3,000 teachers since 2007. That has had a profound effect on the ability of schools to deliver top-class education, given the resulting pressures on resources. In particular, groups such as the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition have regularly produced worrying statistics that show the cumulative effects on additional support for learning—and the most recent data indicates that around a quarter of Scottish school pupils are identified with those additional support needs.