* In its contribution to the debate, the Scottish School Board Association says that parents, pupils and teachers are generally happy with the state of Scottish education.
Ann Hill, its chief executive, said: “There are many reasons for this but one of the most surprising is that they believe that, because we don’t have very many private schools in Scotland outside main cities, the state system has flourished and remained comprehensive.”
Among the improvements the association suggests are reduced burdens for teachers, smaller classes, more specialists in schools and measures to crack down on classroom disruption.
