Schools Management

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A new curriculum, resource constraints and lacklustre international rankings have given further impetus to calls for reform of the Scottish education system – not least the delivery of education in schools. With the main party manifestos and a report by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee all in favour of affording more autonomy to schools, discussion on the issue shows no signs of abating.

As we await the Scottish Government’s response to the Devolved School Management Review, the debate around the management of Scotland’s schools continues to gather steam. Conducted by David Cameron, former President ADES, the review calls for schools to have more freedom to direct teaching and learning and to have more say on how budgets are spent.

A plethora of potential new approaches to school management exist but for many it’s the model of creating federations or clusters of schools that carries most clout. With funding devolved to the cluster as a cash sum rather than being ring-fenced by the council, the decision on how to allocate funds would be made by the school leader with the assistance of a business manager.

Curriculum for Excellence is designed to boost the quality of education in Scotland by giving teachers more freedom to innovate and experiment but many question whether its ambitions are achievable unless the structure of schools is altered to facilitate it.

Any changes to school management will have significant implications for school staff, local authorities and young people. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Managing Schools in Scotland conference, this event will explore the potential gains of rethinking the role of local authorities as education provider and ask what role the headteacher should play. It will also look specifically at the benefits and risks of more school autonomy and examine whether devolving school management would improve attainment.

Why attend?

Attendees will find answers to key questions surrounding the debate on school management:

What are the benefits and risks of more school autonomy?
How can we better define the role of the headteacher – should they focus on leadership or pedagogy?
What approaches to local authority school management currently exist in Scotland and further afield?
What evidence is there that more autonomy will improve educational outcomes and drive efficiencies?

Who should attend?

Headteachers, teachers
School managers
Local authority directors of education and education officers
Councillors
NDPBs and government agencies - Education Scotland, SQA, SDS
Bodies representing schools leaders, teachers, parents and communities
Policy makers/influencers interested in education delivery

The SNP 2011 manifesto:

“The delivery of modern education and the realities of the more flexible curriculum demand a modern approach, based on the strong Scottish tradition of local accountability. We have already reviewed how budgets are managed, giving more power to schools. We will take this further, building on clusters of schools and reviewing the balance of power between government, local authorities and on-the-ground delivery. We will devolve further funding and ensure greater autonomy for learning communities.”

If you have any queries or require further information on attending this event please do not hesitate to contact carla@holyrood.com or telephone 0131 272 3108.

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