Scotland must resist pressure to introduce English-style academies to the school system, EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan has warned.
Academies are schools in England that are state-funded but free from local authority control.
Speaking at the EIS AGMÂ in Dundee on Friday, Mr Flanagan warned of the dangers of following England’s lead, which he said is the Scottish Conservatives support.
“There is no going down the English route of academies,” he said.
“We may have a new official opposition  but they are the same old Tory party.
“No matter how many photo shoots their leader does, or how personable their spokespeople are, Scottish Conservative education policy is founded on the same approach as UK Tory policy and should be rejected as anathema to the type of public sector, societal good approach we have embraced in Scotland.”
Mr Flanagan also said teachers will have to stand together to resist increased workloads and warned against a return to target-led teaching.
He said the reintroduction of standardised testing should be used to support pupils, not resurrect school league tables.
He said: “Statistics are anonymous – our pupils have names.
“The prime purpose of assessment, in all its forms, should be to support learning.”
