Death knell for local councils

The demise of education authorities and advent of local management took a significant step forward at the Scottish Tories’ conference. Scottish Secretary Ian Lang promised to “examine ways of getting more money direct from the taxpayers to the teachers and pupils. We are not in the business of making Scotland’s education service better-funded than before, only to see that money lost in administration and bureaucracy.”

Identity crisis brews for 5-14s

A group preparing an important report on environmental studies for the government’s 5-14 programme came close to disbanding, as secondary teachers tried to retain subject identities. It has taken much effort by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum to find a compromise acceptable to primary and secondary.

Councils pound;93m out of pocket

The Government’s “12-year failure” to harmonise business rates between Scotland and England costs regional councils pound;93 million a year, money that could cut poll tax bills or improve standards of education, Labour education spokesman Tony Worthington has alleged. He claims that in 1989- 90, English rates cost pound;35 per primary pupil and pound;78 per secondary pupil, while in Scotland the sums were pound;133 and pound;240 - a disparity he described as “staggering”.

Catholic accord on falling rolls

A “constructive and helpful” meeting was held between Strathclyde representatives and the Catholic Headteachers’ Association. Ian Davidson, the council’s education chair, said it was keen to hear Catholic schools’ views on how to cope with falling school rolls.

For richer, for poorer (comment)

Uneasy peace has broken out between Scotland’s headteachers and teacher unions. The Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee, which gives teachers the bargaining rights withdrawn in England, arrived at two agreements: the annual pay deal for teachers, amounting to 8.5 per cent, and the settlement of heads’ separate deal. The teachers’ deal is for this year; heads, deputes and assistants will not receive their extra money until 1992.