Smith welcomes McColl school plan

Jim McColl, one of Scotland's most successful and well-known entrepreneurs, has announced he plans to open his own school in Glasgow. His aim is for the school to be open by the end of this year.

Liz Smith MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning, said:

"This is a very welcome development that goes to the heart of the debate about school reform. In this particular instance, the increased availability of vocational courses at Mr McColl's proposed school would provide a much-needed alternative for pupils who are maybe less suited to academic subjects and currently have no other options available to them. Scottish Conservatives have called for extra vocational training in our schools for a number of years now.

"An ever-growing number of voices are supporting the devolution of powers to our schools - even the Education Secretary Mike Russell has refused to rule it out.

""Successive Scottish Governments have doubled spending on schools since 1999 and yet standards have flat-lined or, in some cases, declined. That should send a very strong message that the current structure for delivering education in our classrooms isn't working well enough.

"Scottish Conservatives believe we need to end local authority monopoly of educational provision and urgently transform the management of schools. We want schools where headteachers and parents decide what is best for our children."

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