REFORMING Scotland’s education system must be a post-Covid priority for new Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, teachers’ union NASUWT said today.

The union said that the founding principles of Scotland’s curriculum have been lost through an overemphasis on assessment and bureaucracy.

It fears that teachers are being disempowered by high workloads and aren’t being allowed the flexibility to meet the needs of all pupils.

The union called for the forthcoming independent review of the curriculum to begin the development of a system “in which the needs of all pupils would be recognised and teachers would be supported to make the most of their skills and expertise.”

General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “Such a system must be built on the principle of valuing and empowering teachers to do their best for their pupils.

“We will be pressing the new Education Secretary to recognise the need for a change of direction so we can build a system which is genuinely world-class and which equips all children and young people with the skills, confidence and knowledge to thrive.”