A RADICAL shake-up of the way Scottish schools are run has been met with a mixed response from teachers, headteachers and councils, a new report has concluded.

Analysis of responses to a Scottish Government consultation on the proposals found general support for some of the principles, but no clear majority in favour of legislation.

Under the plans the SNP intends to create a Headteachers Charter which would give new powers over funding, the curriculum and the recruitment of staff to school leaders.

The planned Education (Scotland) Bill also seeks to establish in law regional structures which have been set up in different parts of the country to support school improvement.

The Scottish Government argues the changes will ensure better decisions are taken at school level with more consistent support in different parts of the country.

However, an independent analysis of responses to the consultation states: "Throughout the responses, a wide range of differing opinions were cited, with no clear consensus on many of the proposals presented in the consultation paper.

"In general, there was support for the principles behind the Education (Scotland) Bill although there was less support for legislation to enshrine these principles.

"Small proportions of respondents either acknowledged support for, or the importance of, various elements of the Bill, although similar proportions also noted their opposition to different elements of the Bill."

The report found some respondents highlighted the fact various elements of the Bill already take place and queried the need for new legislation - including pupil participation, parental engagement and headteachers making decisions on funding.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour's education spokesman, said the analysis showed the Scottish Government had failed to create a consensus for school reforms.

He said: “Support is at best lukewarm and divided, and there is much scepticism of the need for legislation. Everyone in the education sector knows that what our schools need is more teachers and more resources."

Tavish Scott, education spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, added: "Teachers do not need yet more structural tinkering from the Scottish Government.

"The government is not seen as valuing teachers and the workload and bureaucracy they face shows no sign of letting up."

Liz Smith, education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservative Party, said the plans would produce more bureaucracy.

She said: "We believe the new Bill will need to have different priorities from those so far set out by the SNP.

“Specifically, there needs to be a wholesale move away from central control of education towards schools themselves."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Our education reforms are focused on giving schools and headteachers more power and money to raise standards and close the attainment gap.

"They are based on international evidence of how high-performing education systems work - delivering extra help for teachers in the classroom, more professional development and a stronger voice for parents and pupils.

“The majority of respondents to the consultation support the principles behind our education reforms. We are giving careful consideration to the feedback on the Education (Scotland) Bill and will set out our next steps in due course."