HEADTEACHERS are to be given more control over “learning and teaching” as part of a “package of sweeping new powers” changing how Scotland’s schools are run, Education Secretary John Swinney announced yesterday.

In return for having more power to choose staff and management structures, more choice on the curriculum and more control of funding, the heads will become responsible for raising attainment and closing the gap between the poorest and richest pupils in their schools.

Swinney told MSPs the reforms were all based on “a simple plan”.

“We will free our teachers to teach. We will put new powers in the hands of our headteachers. We will ensure that parents, families and communities play a bigger role in school life and in their children’s learning.”

Though welcoming parts of the proposals, both Labour and the Greens said the government needed to do more to recruit and keep teachers.

The Deputy First Minister’s reforms were the result of a review launched last September.

Changes will be included in a new Education Governance Bill, to be introduced next year.

Swinney said the revamping of how schools were run would “put the power to directly change lives into the hands of those with the expertise and insight to target resources at the greatest need”.

He added: “The evidence is clear that the strength and quality of leadership in our schools is crucial to delivering improvement.

“We know that 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.”

Perhaps the biggest change will be money from central government bypassing councils and going straight to headteachers.

Swinney said he had already ruled out a “fixed national funding formula” to work out what schools should get.

Instead, a consultation on “fair funding” has been launched to consider how to distribute the cash.

There would also be more parental involvement in the running of schools, with this being underpinned by legislation. Pupil participation would also be made “more effective and consistent”.

One direct lift from the London Challenge scheme, which saw a huge turnaround in the results of secondary schools in the capital, will include new “regional improvement collaboratives” where teachers moving from one school in an area to another as heads share best practice and “pool and strengthen resources”.

Swinney told MSPs: “Improving the education and life chances of our children and young people is the defining mission of this government. While there are many strengths in Scottish education, recent Pisa and literacy scores underline that we can, and we must, achieve more.”

Other measures contained in the reforms include new routes into the profession, and changes to teacher training courses.

Proposals to establish an Education Workforce Council for Scotland, bringing the General Teaching Council for Scotland together with other training bodies, have also been put forward.

However, the minister rejected a bid by a group of parents who want to see St Joseph’s Catholic primary school in Glasgow removed completely from the control of the local authority.

“The reforms I am setting out today will significantly increase the autonomy of our schools, the role of parents in school life and ensure our schools are rooted in their communities,” he said.

“Crucially, however, the reforms deliver this within a clear national and local framework of policy and support.

“I therefore cannot agree to pursue the specific proposals from parents at St Joseph’s and elsewhere as they would remove schools from that crucial support structure.”

Conservative education spokesman Liz Smith welcomed greater devolution of power to teachers but said more radical reform is needed.

She said: “We do not believe these reforms go far enough, particularly when it comes to extending choice and allowing schools to opt out of local authority rule if that’s what parents and teachers want.”

Labour’s Iain Gray welcomed the proposals but said Swinney needed to put more money towards teaching.

“Consultation responses to the governance review from teachers, from parents, from educationalists and from councils all said the same thing — that the first reform we need is more teachers, properly paid, properly supported and properly resourced.”

Ross Greer agreed, saying the reforms would not”resolve the key issue in Scottish education” of staff shortages.