CLASS SIZES: GREENS SAY TEACHER SUPPORT VITAL
Isla O'Reilly, the Scottish Greens' spokesperson on Education, Children and Young People, today highlighted figures showing class sizes are the largest they've been since 2007.
Pupil-teacher ratios have not changed in the past year and again remain at the highest level since 2007.
The Finance Secretary has previously warned councils that money available to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio will be clawed back if they fail to deliver.
The statistics come as concern grows about the Scottish Government's plans to bring in national testing.
Isla O'Reilly, Education spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP candidate for the Highlands and Islands, said:
"What these figures show is the need for the Scottish Government to invest in training to provide more teachers to fill vacancies. Threatening to claw back funds from local authorities is not a constructive approach.
"Investing in small classes is more important than national testing if we're serious about equality of opportunity for our children. More teachers and more time for existing overworked teachers would create more time for teaching and time to get to know pupils and their circumstances.
"We also need to see more support for pupils with Additional Support Needs, as this disproportionally affects lower income families."
Summary statistics for schools in Scotland