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Introduction and remit
1. The Class Sizes, Staffing and Resources Working Group was established by the Minister for Education and Young People in the summer of 2005, to examine how the Scottish Executive could sustain improvement in schools, particularly focussing on classroom teachers (including the benefits improved pupil: teacher ratios and class sizes might bring), and support staff who directly contribute to the delivery of education. Ministers were also keen for the working group to examine how resourcing in schools could contribute towards improving achievement and attainment, while also addressing inequalities and improving behaviour.
2. The Class Sizes, Staffing and Resources Working Group comprised a number of stakeholders, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( CoSLA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education ( HMIE), the General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTCS), Education Authorities through the Association of Directors of Education for Scotland ( ADES), the Scottish Parent Teacher Council ( SPTC) and teacher unions - the Educational Institute of Scotland ( EIS), the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association ( SSTA), the Association of Headteachers and Depute Headteachers in Scotland ( AHDS), and the Headteachers' Association of Scotland ( HAS). Members of the working group are listed in Annex 1.
3. The working group's remit was to:
- Benchmark Scotland against relevant national and international comparisons, in relation to investment in education, staffing levels (including teaching and non-teaching staff), and educational outcomes.
- Review academic research literature on how differently targeted increases in funding and resources have been used in other educational systems ( e.g. to increase teacher numbers, reduce class sizes or pupil: teacher ratios, or improve other aspects of educational provision), and with what results.
- Commission research, both to address any gaps in the wider research evidence and/or to ensure research findings relevant to Scotland's circumstances are available.
- Make recommendations on how future resources should best be applied to maximise educational improvements.
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