Today the Commission on School Reform publishes its report
on improving Scottish Education.
The title - By Diverse Means – is a welcome acknowledgement
of a key component required to improve our education – diversity of practice.
Whilst more time is needed to assess the detail of the
report here are a few initial responses along with consideration of
implications for two key current educational issues in Edinburgh : the proposed closure of Castlebrae Community
High School
- The report as a whole is a welcome contribution to the debate
- The call for a diversity of education is welcome and, if implemented, will contribute to problem solving and raising standards. Recommendation 14
- The
recognition that schools should have greater autonomy and be subject to
less centralised bureaucracy will be widely welcomed by parents and
schools. Recommendations 20-22
- Comments
encouraging the focus of talented teachers to commit to disadvantaged
areas are welcome. Effective
schemes to achieve this have a role to play in such schools where turning
around performance has been elusive in
- The call for an independent review of Education Scotland is welcome. Recommendation 23
- a reduction in regulation and bureaucracy. Instead there are recommendations for the setting up of extra bodies – perhaps worthy in themselves – but which may have the cumulative effect of reducing autonomy and front line resources.
- the excessive number of layers of governance and management is barely addressed.
There are, however, gaps.
We would have like to have seen recommendations calling for
Inevitably, the introduction of diversity in education might
have given more options for the improvement in Castlebrae School
It is not clear that the report helps with one of the major
educational problems facing Edinburgh Council, namely responding to the
pressure on primary one places at oversubscribed schools in the city. Certainly flexibility in regulations would
give more room to manoeuvre.
