The EIS commissioned a report from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland to analyse the costs and benefits of implementing the EIS policies set out below:
- Reducing class sizes to a maximum of 20 pupils, a policy which internationally has been associated with improved academic performance in class, as well as long term outcomes relating to earnings in later life, social mobility and even health and life expectancy.
- Reversing cuts to children’s access to teachers in early learning settings, establishing a strong foundation for children, preparing them to enter school and helping to identify and mitigate early specific challenges children may experience.
- Reducing the time teachers are required to teach in class (“class contact time”) from its current 22.5 hours per week to 20 hours, freeing up time for crucial activities such as lesson planning, marking and feedback, and improving the wellbeing of teachers by reducing stress and levels of burnout.
- Expanding eligibility for school meals support, making this universal during term time and expanding the holiday-support offer to more children from low-income families. Free school meals help improve children’s health and learning, with documented benefits persisting through to later life.
- Increasing teacher numbers and additional investment in the school estate to accommodate the additional teaching required to deliver the policies above
The costs have been modelled by IPPR over different timeframes for each policy area. The report shows that the full policy package, for delivery in 2030, would cost £860m.
The benefits of the EIS’s education policies for pupils are undisputable, but the analysis shows it is “highly plausible” that the additional expenditure will be repaid in additional economic benefits in the future.
The IPPR Report has been incorporated into the EIS Manifesto for the Scottish Parliament Election (2026).
The IPPR Report may be found here.
The EIS Manifesto may be found here.
