Scottish Labour said today that parents and pupils will be disappointed with the Scottish Government’s lack of ambition on education.

A leaked letter from Finance Secretary John Swinney to COSLA has confirmed that teacher numbers in Scotland are falling, and he does not plan to plug the gap.

In his letter to COSLA the Finance Secretary says he wants to maintain the “pupil-teacher ratio” at 2014/15 levels for the coming financial years.

However 2014/15 saw teacher numbers fall and the teacher-pupil ratio increase.

Scottish Labour said that families across Scotland will disappointed in the Scottish Government’s lack of ambition for Scottish education.

Scottish Labour Finance Spokesperson Jackie Baillie said:

“This will be hugely disappointing news to pupils and parents across Scotland. The SNP have broken their promise to families to make education a priority.

“Scottish Labour are ambitious for our children and the future of education in Scotland.  We want to raise educational attainment across the country but also with a specific focus on Scotland’s poorest areas and the schools.  

“John Swinney has signalled this week that, rather than raise attainment to aim higher in Scottish education, he is content for standards to fall. Scotland deserves better than that.”