It’s a dreich day for Scottish education, isn’t it? Every time I open a paper, it feels like another plea for help, another warning from the folk on the frontline. This week, it’s the secondary school leaders, through their organisation School Leaders Scotland (SLS), laying out their manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election. And frankly, I’m not surprised by what they’re saying. It’s what many of us have been shouting from the rooftops for years.
SLS has launched what it calls an “ambitious and optimistic vision for a more equitable, sustainable and trusted education system that will serve the needs every child and young person in Scotland.” Sounds grand, doesn’t it? But unity in Scottish politics these days feels as rare as sunshine in January. They’re explicitly urging “all political parties to place the needs of Scotland’s young people at the forefront of education policy and investment.” A noble sentiment, but one I fear might fall on deaf ears.
The Workforce Crisis and Broken Promises
One of their main points, and it’s a big one, is about the teaching workforce. They want to strengthen, protect, and sustain it, which means proper investment in recruitment and retention. I mean, it’s not exactly rocket science, is it? We’ve heard promises before, particularly from the SNP, about increasing teacher numbers, but those targets have been missed. It leaves you wondering if anyone is truly listening or if these pledges are just for show.
The problem isn’t just getting new teachers in, it’s keeping the good ones we already have. SLS believes we could retain staff better through a reduction in class contact time, helping to secure a “manageable workload” for our dedicated professionals. The SNP even promised a cut in contact time in their own 2021 manifesto, yet that’s another pledge that’s quietly slipped by the wayside. It’s easy to make grand statements before an election, but delivering on them? That’s a different kettle of fish entirely.
Bureaucracy and Rural Challenges
SLS is also pushing for “explicit steps to reduce the combined impact of local and national bureaucracy”. Aye, that old chestnut. Teachers are swamped with paperwork, not teaching. They spend their precious time ticking boxes instead of inspiring the next generation. It’s a key complaint I hear time and again from those in the classrooms.
And for our rural and island communities, they’re asking for support with “placements, housing, travel and university partnerships”. It’s a real challenge, trying to get good teachers to places like Orkney or the Western Isles, and it’s a challenge that needs more than just lip service. We can’t let our wee bairns in the Highlands and Islands be left behind, simply because Holyrood can’t get its act together on practical support. The thought of any child missing out on a quality education just because of their postcode is a galling one for me.
Funding, ASN, and the Wider Support System
Then there’s the money, or lack thereof. SLS wants to “resolve Scotland’s education funding crisis” by delivering “fair and equitable resourcing for all schools”. This is where the rubber meets the road, isn’t it? Our local councils are already struggling, as I’ve written about before (Local Councils Are Running Out of Money: What Happens Next?), so where’s this “significant and sustainable investment” going to come from?
Especially for pupils with additional support needs (ASN). The numbers needing ASN have shot up massively over the past two decades, but the staff and the cash haven’t kept pace. SLS rightly points out that we need to “rebuild” the “wider support system” around ASN provision, including “funding specialist provision, restoring the role of multi agency services and redressing any assumption that schools alone will meet escalating needs”. Schools can’t do it all on their own, not without the proper backing from a properly funded, joined-up system. It’s a disgrace, quite frankly, that we’ve allowed this vital support to fray at the edges.
Political Will and Scotland’s Future
It’s a full list, a vision even, for a system that’s truly ambitious. But I look at Holyrood, at the bickering and the short-term thinking, and I have to wonder if they have the courage for it. With the next Holyrood election looming, every party will be scrambling to show they care about education. The Scottish Labour candidates, for instance, are sensing an opportunity (Scottish Labour Candidates Sense Opportunity Ahead of May Election) and will no doubt be sharpening their pencils on education policy.
But this isn’t about party politics for me, not really. It’s about the fundamental right of every child in Scotland to a decent education. The Scottish Government outlines its vision for education online (Scottish Government’s education policies), but the gap between policy and reality seems to be widening by the day. We’ve had Scottish Politics: Power, Policy, and the Path Forward for years, but what about the power to actually fix things on the ground?
SLS is urging all parties to “place the needs of Scotland’s young people at the forefront of education policy and investment”. It’s a simple request, really, but one that seems to get lost in the political machinations. We need more than manifestos and missed targets. We need action, real action, before another generation of Scottish bairns pays the price for our politicians’ inability to get their act together. Our future, the very fabric of our society, depends on it, plain and simple.
Source: Herald Scotland
