The meeting which took place on January 19, with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioner Rights, Alex Neill MSP and West Dunbartonshire Executive Director for Educational Services Terry Lanagan attending.

At the meeting Councillor McGinty highlighted the council’s ongoing commitment to schools’ regeneration, citing the 7,000 pupils already lifted out of C and D schools with a further 2,000–3,000 to follow, due to a commitment of £35.5m over the next three years. Councillor McGinty also expressed hope that the Scottish Government would continue to provide financial support for West Dunbartonshire Council’s regenerating learning strategy in the next funding round for schools.

Councillor McGinty said: “This was a productive meeting as it gave me an opportunity to highlight the existing partnership the council and the Scottish Government have in place, and the potential for further improvements. Although we disagreed on some issues of process there was a recognition by the Cabinet Secretary that West Dunbartonshire was doing exceptionally well in improving its schools estates and subsequently improving educational outcomes for our young people.” The Deputy First Minister John Swinney issued a letter on February 5, threatening sanctions against councils that failed to maintain both teacher numbers and teacher pupil ratios.

On the issue of teacher numbers Councillor McGinty highlighted that West Dunbartonshire Council has met its obligations in 2014 with regard to teacher numbers and pupil/teacher ratios.

Council Leader Martin Rooney said: “It is therefore unfair that we should face potential financial penalties in 2015, because of factors out with our control; we narrowly fail to maintain numbers and ratios in September 2015, while other councils have already cut hundreds of teacher numbers last year and in previous years, yet they had no sanctions.

It makes no sense to insist that both numbers and ratios are maintained with no allowance being made for mitigating factors out with Councils’ control, eg falling rolls, a shortage of supply teachers, or difficulties in recruiting class teachers or head teachers.” Councillor McGinty added: “We are one of the few councils which has managed to maintain teacher numbers over recent years and has also increased attainment and educational outcomes for our pupils. Despite some differences the Cabinet Secretary shares our ambition to improve educational outcomes. She also recognised that we are driving forward with other Scottish Government priorities such as our Regenerating Learning Strategy to lift pupils from C&D condition schools.” Following the meeting Council Leader Martin Rooney wrote to the Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP, confirming that West Dunbartonshire Council intends to maintain teacher numbers and pupil teacher ratios during 2015/2016.