John Swinney has been urged to concentrate on attracting more teachers to classrooms as he revealed plans to give headteachers greater powers over schools.
The Education Secretary outlined sweeping reforms at Holyrood, including a radical overhaul of how schools are funded in an effort to increase transparency, raise attainment and close the gap between the poorest and richest pupils.
Headteachers will also have the power to choose staff and management structures, decide on the curriculum – within a national framework – and directly control “significantly” more funding.
Mr Swinney said: “The evidence is clear the strength and quality of leadership in our schools is crucial to delivering improvement.
“We know headteachers want to focus on delivery of learning and teaching, not be chief administrator of their school.
“We will, therefore, give headteachers more power over decisions on learning and teaching, freeing them to make a difference to the lives of children and young people.”
He also said parents would be given a stronger voice, with involvement in the running of schools.
A consultation on “fair funding” has been launched to consider how to distribute cash.
But Labour’s Iain Gray said: “Consultation responses to the governance review from teachers, parents, educationalists and councils all said the same thing – that the first reform we need is more teachers, properly paid, properly supported and properly resourced.
“Why has Mr Swinney’s statement nothing to say about that?”
Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson said she was worried councils would be shut out of decision-making in another round of centralisation.
She added: “I believe local democratic accountability must be at the heart of the delivery of Scottish education.
“We need to read these proposals carefully and respond, but, on first reading I find little here to welcome and am concerned this is a first stepping stone to more centralisation.”
