Liberal Democrat Conference 2010: A fair start for all children

Speech by George Lyon MEP on Fri 5th Mar 2010

Education is everything.

That is why I welcome this debate, an opportunity for Liberal Democrats to make clear our commitment to a fairer future for our children.

Conference, it will not have gone unnoticed to the more perceptive among you that a general election is on the horizon.

But in all the election hysteria, can I sound a word of caution. Although I applaud the target to restore teacher numbers to 53,000 by the next parliamentary session - targets for education are notoriously unreliable.

The SNP's 2007 pledge to reduce class sizes may have appeared a vote winner, but it was ultimately a failure.

Labour's three priorities a decade earlier of education, education, education was more spin than it was substance.

Let us not fall into the trap of thinking that numbers, that tests and targets are enough to make Scottish education fit for century to come.

Look around the schools of Scotland today - you can see the progress in the buildings, in the equipment and in the infrastructure.

And don't forget, despite the claims of Hyslop, Russell or whoever Salmond's next Education Minister may be, the SNP have failed to lay one brick, never mind build one school.

Ever school that Salmond has been swanning around opening were conceived, financed and delivered by Liberals in Government.

But we must go further, we need new thinking.

I remember from my days in Argyll and Bute that the difference between the best schools and the worst schools wasn't the state of the buildings, or the size of the classes

It was about the leadership and the ethos within the school.

That's what determined their success or failure.

Liberal Democrats have invested in the bricks and mortar, but now we must put more effort into changing the ethos in our schools.

In doing so, we can learn a lot from the approach taken by our European neighbours.

In Sweden for instance, Teacher/Pupil ratios are similar to those we face in Scotland with 12 pupils to every teacher in primary schools compared to 13 in Scotland. Yet Sweden has educational attainment rate 10% higher than in Scottish schools.

While teacher/pupil rations may be similar, that is where the similarities ends. The Swedish education system is designed and suited for the 21st century, the Scottish education system appears to be stuck in a time warp.

In Sweden it is bottom up, not top down. Power is taken from the centre and handed to local communities.

Pupils have more influence, parents have more influence and communities have more influence on the education system that is right for them.

We must learn from them. Our children are the greatest natural resource we have and we as Liberal Democrats want to ensure that they have the best possible start in life.

That is why I have arranged for our leader Tavish Scott to meet with the Education Minister of Sweden this month so that we can learn from their experiences.

In doing so Liberal Democrats can continue to lead the debate on the future of education in Scotland, a future that is fair for all pupils.