Ministers agree that teachers should be in the majority with 25 seats and they should continue to be elected. But it suggests that some of those teacher seats should be reserved for groups such as headteachers, special needs teachers and pre-school staff. Part-time teachers will also be allowed to stand for election.

Fears about EIS domination of the council have also been dismissed. The consultative document states firmly: “It would be naive to assume that the professional associations, and the EIS in particular with around 61 per cent of teachers in membership, will not continue to play an influential role in the elections.”