Surge in shared headteachers is sign of SNP ‘mismanagement’, Tories claim
A surge in shared headteachers across Scotland is a sign of Scottish Government “mismanagement” of education, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed.
Figures provided to the party by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth in a written Holyrood question show 134 schools shared a headteacher with another school in 2007, but this rose to 469 by 2023 – a three-and-a-half times increase.
Scottish Tory education spokesman Miles Briggs hit out at the Scottish Government over the rise.
“The dramatic and alarming rise in the number of schools sharing a headteacher since the SNP came to power will naturally worry parents,” he said.
“It stands to reason that heads responsible for more than one school cannot give both the same level of attention and strategic leadership they would if they were in charge of only one.
“Yes, there will be some situations where a shared headteacher make sense, but in most cases it is detrimental to schools and pupils.
“This is just the latest evidence of the SNP’s chronic mismanagement of Scottish education.
“There’s been a net reduction of more than 250 in the number of schools in Scotland under the nationalists.
“They promised to increase teacher numbers by 3,500 by 2026, but instead they have fallen for three years in a row.
“SNP ministers have let down pupils, parents and teachers by failing to provide the resources necessary.
“As a result, Scotland has tumbled down international league tables, the poverty-related attainment gap has widened, and classroom violence has spiralled out of control.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of teachers and headteachers, which meets local needs and circumstances.
“Ministers expect councils to consult with the local community before undertaking changes to school staff approaches, such as shared headships, to ensure that they are providing the very best outcomes for young people.
“The Scottish Government is increasing funding to local authorities to £186.5 million this year as part of an agreement with Cosla to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels, as well as freezing learning hours and making meaningful progress on reducing class contact time.”
