A failure by East Lothian's SNP/Liberal Democrat administration to meet its goal to reduce class sizes to 18 in P1/2/3 has been seized upon by an opposition Labour councillor at a full meeting of the council.

The issue was raised by Councillor Norman Hampshire during a discussion about the ruling group's joint manifesto, 'Contract with the People,' adopted when the new look local authority was formed after the election two years ago.

A progress report was given on the objectives, most of which were "achieved" or "on target."

Councillor Stuart Currie, depute council leader, said: "I am proud of a coalition administration that is delivering that progress and will continue to do so for the next three years."

Provided

But Councillor Hampshire commented: "On things you haven't achieved — reducing class sizes to 18. The reason behind it was funding was not provided by the Scottish Government to allow us to do that.

"In parliament, Fiona Hyslop (education secretary), in an answer to an MSP, said that the funding to allow the council to reduce class sizes was provided within the block grant and councils should be able to deliver that policy."

Councillor Peter MacKenzie, education spokesman, said: "We are very conscious in East Lothian that we are one of the highest growing areas in Scotland — and there is no other authority which is growing at the rate we are.

Expenditure

"The cost across our authority of implementing the size class 18 would be in the region of £20 million capital expenditure because we don't have the classrooms we require.

"So the capital expenditure is huge, not to mention the revenue expenditure on new teachers.

"We are using our probationary teachers imaginatively to reduce the pupil/teacher ratio.

"We are planning to use £100,000 this year for extra help into our most deprived schools to assist in a literacy initiative, and are employing two extra teachers."

Full report in East Lothian News and Musselburgh News, July 3, 2009