The number of Scottish schools sharing a headteacher has tripled under the SNP, according to shocking new figures.
Stats provided by education secretary Jenny Gilruth – in response to a written question from her Scottish Conservative opposite number – reveal that while 134 schools shared a head with at least one other school in 2007, that number had soared to 469 by 2023.
Shadow education secretary Miles Briggs said the “dramatic and alarming rise” compromised the ability of headteachers to provide the individual leadership schools required.
He added that parents would be concerned this could impact the standard of schooling their children received and said it was the latest evidence of the SNP’s “chronic mismanagement” of Scotland’s education system.
Shadow cabinet secretary for education and skills Miles Briggs said: “The dramatic and alarming rise in the number of schools sharing a headteacher since the SNP came to power will naturally worry parents.
“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.”
Notes
The Scottish government response to Miles Briggs’ written question is attached.
Under the SNP, Scotland has seen a net loss of over 250 schools. Between the start of the SNP government and 31 October 2024, 384 schools have closed, 59 have been mothballed, while 174 have opened (with 1 later closing) and 2 have split—resulting in a net reduction of 268 schools. (School Contract List, 31 October 2024, link).