This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter.

If you’ve been reading The Herald over the last couple of weeks, you will probably be aware that Glasgow City Council is facing heavy criticism over its decision to pursue a former volunteer leader for tens of thousands of pounds.

The sum relates to legal expenses accrued when the Glasgow City Parents Group (GCPG) tried to take the council to court over plans to cut hundreds of teachers from the city’s schools.

At the time, various organisations warned that the sharp reduction in teacher numbers would have devastating consequences for pupils and families, especially those from the most deprived communities, but attention was also drawn to the obvious lack of transparency from the council.

In the papers released for that year’s budget vote, no specific mention of teacher cuts was made, and a damning email exchange between the then directors of finance and education – reported on at the time by The Herald – raised further concerns as it showed a senior official discussing the apparent need to “soften the wording” being used in order to avoid talking about “pure teacher reductions”. The SNP education convener even defended all the secrecy in an interview with me at the time.

Although the GCPG legal action was unsuccessful, the council ultimately abandoned its plan to slash teacher numbers in the face of increasingly resolute opposition that included the threat of widespread school strikes. There remains a belief that the work of GCPG, which also led a large protest march through the streets of Glasgow, played a part in forcing the council to back down.

But........

© Herald Scotland