{"id":2628,"date":"2026-04-13T10:46:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/?p=2628"},"modified":"2026-04-13T10:46:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:46:54","slug":"election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/election\/","title":{"rendered":"Holyrood election key to education’s future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we highlighted in the previous edition of the SEJ, the EIS recently published its education manifesto for next month\u2019s Scottish Parliament election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the running of schools is devolved to local authority level, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government play a key role in shaping education policy at a national level. With this in mind, the EIS manifesto was designed to highlight our priorities for Scottish education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1847, the EIS was founded to advance the working conditions of teachers and to promote sound learning for students. In 2026, 179 years later, as we approach this Scottish Parliamentary Election, the EIS continues to Stand Up for Quality Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EIS is committed to protecting and advancing quality education in the firm knowledge of its criticality to democracy, social cohesion and peace. We encourage all voters and political parties to join us in the protection and advancement of quality education in Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our manifesto sets out EIS policies debated and agreed by our members. It is designed to inform members of our policies to assist them in deciding which party or parties to vote for, and to support members in scrutinising and interrogating each party\u2019s own policy priorities for Scottish education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manifesto was also shared with political parties to, we hope, influence their manifesto commitments on education and inform the discussions that parliamentary candidates have with EIS members and others during the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EIS is not affiliated with any political party and does not support or endorse any political party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we hear from each of the five main parties currently represented at the Scottish Parliament on their own views and policy ambitions for the future of Scottish education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Scottish Conservatives have worked with and listened to teachers and those in the education sector throughout this parliament and we have ambitious plans to return Scotland\u2019s education system to a safe, orderly, knowledge-based learning system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will do this by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Providing teachers with greater freedom to teach by cutting all red tape in schools to reduce the amount of unnecessary paperwork taken on by teachers, ensuring their time is spent educating rather than on bureaucracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Restoring discipline to our schools by giving teachers the authority to exclude pupils as a disciplinary measure, replacing the current system in which this power is held by local authorities, to support safe, orderly and effective learning environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Championing a national ban on mobile phones will help protect pupils from online harm, as well as returning their focus to their education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Giving pupils access to residential outdoor education creating new partnerships between schools and colleges to allow disengaged pupils to go to college or begin an apprenticeship aged 14 or 15.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Increasing literacy levels by mandating the use of synthetic phonics at primary school level to improve children\u2019s reading skills, and we will introduce literacy and numeracy check-ins for students in Primary 1, Primary 4, and Secondary 1 to monitor progress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Abolishing Education Scotland, which would prevent the issuing of vague guidance and free up resources that would be better deployed to raise school standards. The \u00a320 million budget for this quango would also be redeployed to deliver improved learning outcomes for pupils.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Undertaking a national review of the mainstreaming of ASN pupils within schools, to assess whether this is the best approach for ASN pupils and to ensure that their learning needs are met.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Supporting rural schools, by exploring options to allow communities in rural areas to buy out their local school to ensure that they can remain open if they are under threat of closure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The Scottish Conservatives are offering proposals for change to ensure our children get the best start in life and our teachers the best platform to deliver the best education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Miles Briggs MSP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scottish Green Party<\/h3>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    The single most impactful thing the Scottish Government could do for Scotland\u2019s teachers is just trust you. That is the only way to tackle a workload crisis driven in large part by bureaucratic \u2018quality assurance\u2019 exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Scottish Greens trust you. The education proposals in our manifesto are rooted in that trust – and they build on what we have already delivered through years of close working with the EIS and other unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Green MSPs secured repeated expansions of free school meals to more children, including 8,000 more pupils as of last August. That wouldn\u2019t have been possible without years of campaigning by the EIS, STUC and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And during the pandemic we had your back, demanding that your health and safety was taken seriously, ultimately securing \u00a35 million for ventilation improvements in schools across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That record of delivery goes far beyond our schools. Green MSPs changed college governance rules, requiring every institution to have representatives from lecturing and support staff unions on their board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Earlier this year we won a huge victory for college staff, bringing in rules to cap the salaries of new principals and to make Scotland\u2019s \u2018Fair Work First\u2019 criteria mandatory rather than just advisory for colleges. This means that colleges now must end the use of inappropriate zero-hours contracts, tackle their gender pay gaps and take other measures to improve the working conditions of all staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But we know there is so, so much more still to do, especially to reduce teacher workload. Evening and weekend working should be an exception, not the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We will deliver the many outstanding recommendations from the 2015 CfE Tackling Bureaucracy report.
    We will scrap time-wasting exercises like SNSAs. We will deliver the recommendations of the Hayward Review in full, bringing the exams and qualifications system into the 21st century. And we will make every curriculum and qualifications reform working group identify options for reducing workload in their areas of focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s time to stop adding more in without first taking something else out, especially in primary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To elect MSPs who trust and support you, vote Scottish Greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ross Greer MSP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scottish Labour<\/h3>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    The future of Scotland\u2019s schools and education should be front and centre of the upcoming election campaign. Because despite the hard work and dedication of our teachers, Scotland\u2019s schools and our education system is not where it once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ve slipped down international rankings, commitments to close the attainment gap have not been met, and the promise to deliver a COVID recovery has not been fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And the list of promises made by the SNP in elections past \u2013 on class sizes, on digital devices for young people and many more \u2013 have either been ditched or only delivered in part and at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For too many years teachers, parents and learners have been led up the garden path with no results at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That can\u2019t continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I welcome the publication of the EIS Manifesto for the election and was pleased to be able to contribute to a husting held by the EIS on its launch. As I said then, as Scottish Labour\u2019s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, I am not going to make false promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scotland\u2019s teachers, parents and pupils deserve better than a repetition of those same mistakes.
    What I will lay out, is my priorities were a Scottish Labour government to be elected in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that starts with a focus on tackling behaviour issues and violence in classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Teachers and school staff, like anybody else in any other workplace, deserve to be safe and supported at work. Violence and abuse directed at them is totally unacceptable and must receive consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And beyond that, without restoring order to our classrooms and protecting teachers, we will not have the foundation to deliver on other important priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If we get that part right, it will give teachers the space to do what they do best \u2013 teach and mentor Scotland\u2019s children and equip them with the skills and knowledge they need for their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is going to take significant effort and a range of measures, not least of which is restoring the scaffolding of support that used to sit around teachers and pupils in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But it is an issue that must be tackled, and tackled now, and that\u2019s why it is my day 1 priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Paul O\u2019Kane MSP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scottish Liberal Democrats<\/h3>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    I believe that education is the best investment we can make in our children\u2019s potential and our country\u2019s future. It has been a priority for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in this session of the Scottish Parliament and it will continue to be so in the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This session has delivered some positive change, including the scrapping and replacement of the SQA. As the Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson and member of the education committee I have engaged constructively with legislation and sought to raise teachers\u2019 concerns with ministers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But the last five years have been characterised by drift and uncertainty on the part of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The SNP made big promises – on the attainment gap, on contact time, on teacher numbers – but failed to deliver. Ministers have pursued a piecemeal approach to improvement, for example by rolling out regional improvement collaboratives as a means to strengthen the education system, only later to scrap them. They asked to be judged on education but haven\u2019t treated it as a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I know that teachers don\u2019t want to be on strike. The current dispute has to be seen as the result of the government\u2019s failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This election is an opportunity for a positive debate about the future of Scottish education, about tackling teachers\u2019 workload, additional support needs, the role of knowledge in the curriculum, behaviour and violence, and many other issues. I welcome the EIS manifesto as a positive contribution to that debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I am particularly passionate about parity of esteem between vocational and academic education. By creating more opportunities for vocational training and reforming the way we measure success in schools, I believe that we can provide greater choice to pupils and make a transformational difference to many young people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Scottish Liberal Democrats will publish our full manifesto in due course, but our party\u2019s spring conference endorsed commitments to inflation-proof Pupil Equity Funding, hire more Pupil Support Assistants, ensure teachers are given stable contracts, remove the distraction of mobile phones from the school day and repair the damage which has been done to the college sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Willie Rennie MSP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    SNP<\/h3>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    I share the positive ambition set out by the EIS for the next five years and I believe we\u2019re ending this Parliamentary term in the collaborative spirit in which we\u2019ve worked together since 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I am delighted we have now reached an agreement on class contact time with local government, taking meaningful action to reduce workload and stress, to deliver better outcomes for our pupils \u2013 an outcome which simply could not have been possible without strong joint working between the EIS and the Scottish Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is the approach I am keen to continue, and I believe our joint commitment to make Scotland the best place in the world for children should be at the heart of all that we do. That, of course, starts in early years, and I welcome the EIS\u2019 focus on this issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The SNP has committed, if re-elected, to delivering a substantial increase in wraparound childcare support from 9 months right up to the end of primary school, 52 weeks a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This cost-of-living support not only directly supports children but will build on the significant investments we\u2019ve made in expanding free school meals across the country. Our investment so far has benefitted over 350,000 pupils and saved families around \u00a3450 per child, per year. Like the EIS, we are committed to finishing this work, alongside rolling out free breakfast clubs in every Primary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, ensuring every child feels supported in school goes beyond free school meals. To tackle the poverty-related attainment gap, we must go further, including empowering our Headteachers through Pupil Equity Funding and ensuring no child is left behind because of Additional Support Needs. The SNP is committed to making sure every child, regardless of where they live, gets the right support for ASN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This requires bold thinking, and I share the EIS\u2019 ambition on requisite staffing and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, as we look to the future we should recognise progress: an increase in teacher numbers in 2025, record levels of literacy and numeracy in our schools and Scotland having the lowest pupil-teacher ratio on these islands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We must build on this, and with the SNP our focus will always be on improving outcomes for children and ensuring our New Deal for Teachers really delivers for the teaching profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jenny Gilruth MSP<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As we highlighted in the previous edition of the SEJ, the EIS recently published its education manifesto for next month\u2019s Scottish Parliament election. While the running of schools is devolved to local authority level, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government play a key role in shaping education policy at a national level. With this in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mainfeatures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2628"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2746,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions\/2746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sej.org.uk\/apr2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}