Deputy First Minister says public sector overhaul must tackle school funding and pupil behaviour

At a teachers’ fringe session during the SNP conference, Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said the pending public-service reform should address the way Scottish education is funded and help curb disruptive behaviour in classrooms. She described schools as increasingly burdened by poverty-related demands such as clothing and food banks, which divert money from learning. Gilruth urged a post-pandemic audit of school financing and more consistent funding across councils.

Former education secretary Mairi McAllan was absent due to illness, and Gilruth stressed that unions could rally around protecting school budgets. Union representative Mike Corbett of the NASUWT praised the national behaviour plan but lamented its uneven rollout, citing six-year diagnosis waiting lists and inconsistent handling of gender-based violence in schools.