I WISH to comment on your news item and leading article regarding North Lanarkshire Council’s approach to the pupil equity fund (“Council in cash call is accused of ‘emotional blackmail’”, The Herald, March 13) and (“Extra school funds must be protected”, The Herald, March 13).
We absolutely agree with the Scottish Government that head teachers should make decisions about their own schools. That is why – working with head teachers – we have created a new enhanced support post, which will involve increased skills, and we will make these enhanced posts available in September. The council will fund the required training fully. It will be up to head teachers to decide if they wish to take advantage of this resource. Most head teachers support this approach.
Criticism is also levelled at the council by an anonymous source in our offer to create a small resource to deal with recruitment and procurement. This is merely common sense: schools are not employers, head teachers are not recruitment or procurement experts. The legal duty as an employer is for the council and not individual schools, as is the obligation to secure best value.
We have chosen to work with school leaders to develop options and support them fully in closing the attainment gap. That is why we decided to top up the pupil equity fund by a further £622,000 in addition to the money offered by the Scottish Government.
As the EIS, Scotland’s biggest teaching union, affirmed last week, the consistent disregard shown to local democracy by the Scottish Government is wrong. We have been willing to work with the Government to discuss some of the issues raised by the pupil equity fund and have done so in good faith.
However, good faith has to work two ways. Alongside anonymous briefing against the council to your newspaper, we are now in receipt of a letter from the Scottish Government threatening to withhold the entire fund for North Lanarkshire. It is entirely unacceptable, and disproportionate, for the Government to play games with young people’s futures in this way while our discussions are ongoing.
North Lanarkshire Council will continue to deliver public services which enhance the ability of all our children to reach their full potential. That, rather than manufactured political outrage from anonymous sources, should be the Scottish Government’s priority too.
Councillor Jim Logue,
Leader, North Lanarkshire Council, Civic Centre, Motherwell.
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