INSIDE TRACK: Distribution of school funding is contentious

SCHOOL education in Scotland and England has always been different and the two systems have been moving further apart since the introduction of academies in 2000. Created to “break the cycle of low expectation” in disadvantaged areas south of the Border, academies were established as self-governing, charitable trusts – outside council control.

In 2010 the Academies Act enabled all council-run schools to convert to academy status as well as allowing new free schools to be set up and run by anyone from religious groups, parents, entrepreneurs or charitable trusts.

In contrast, the vast majority of state schools in Scotland continue to be operated under the democratic control of local authorities.

The only schools outside that arrangement are grant maintained special schools and Jordanhill, which owes its unusual self-governing status to the fact it was once part of a teaching college.

But all that may be about to change. The Scottish Government is currently reviewing three business cases from groups who want to run their own autonomous, self-governed schools.

Each has its own unique set of circumstances which has created the impetus for change.

Parents from St Joseph’s Primary School in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, began their campaign after the council voted to close it and move pupils elsewhere.

The Al-Qalam private Muslim school in Glasgow submitted its proposal after deciding to expand into secondary education – with public funding seen as a way of reducing costs for parents to make the school more inclusive.

And the most recent bid is from a former Steiner school in Glasgow which was forced to shut after its building was destroyed in a fire. It now wants to re-open as a publicly-funded autonomous school in line with similar establishments in other parts of Europe.

With the toxic reputation of academies in Scotland, ministers will be very wary of appearing to pave the way for any similar programme here, even if it does approve these developments.

But even if these groups are denied the opportunity to run their own schools, significant changes are afoot with the SNP’s election manifesto pledging more funding delivered direct to headteachers.

Around £3 billion of education funding is already devolved to schools each year, with some headteachers managing 90 per cent of their budget. Some argue this is not enough, while it varies between different areas and, crucially, does not include money for staff.

Secondary headteachers have already welcomed the plans, supporting moves to establish a national minimum staffing formula with heads given flexibility over any additional money.

But here, too, change may not come quietly. Primary heads have already warned they are not “accountants” while councils say there are negatives to ring-fencing money in the classroom.

That might sound like a good thing, they argue, but it would not be if it meant funding, once weighted towards schools in disadvantaged areas, ended up in the coffers of the most affluent.

‘‘ Around £3 billion of funding is already devolved to schools, with some headteachers managing 90 per cent of their budget