There is no timeline yet for when a promised reduction in teachers’ class-contact time will be implemented, Scotland’s education secretary said today.

The plan to reduce contact time by an hour and a half a week was one of the most eye-catching education promises in the SNP manifesto for May’s parliamentary elections.

Teachers’ class-contact time is a major concern for teaching and school leadership bodies, with international analysis by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showing that it is disproportionately high in Scotland.

But education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said today that implementing the plan was “challenging” and that she “can’t give a definite time scale”, although she promised that it would still happen.

Background: Teaching time higher than average in Scotland - even with cut in class contact

OECD: Cut teachers’ class-contact time to realise curriculum goals

Opinion: Four ways to transform Scottish education, including slashing class-contact time

Also this week: Are Scottish students the world’s ‘most over-examined’?

Ms Somerville had addressed the School Leaders Scotland (SLS) annual conference, which is being held online this year.

Teacher workload: Cut in class-contact time ‘as soon as possible’

In questions afterwards, she was asked how the promised reduction in class-contact time would happen, and when it would happen.

In response, the education secretary said: “Contact time is currently being discussed by the [Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers - the SNCT] to make sure that we’re understanding the implications of that...for example, how does that impact on a large school compared to a small primary school?

“So those discussions are ongoing. I would hope we would be able to move reasonably quickly along with those discussions, so we can actually start with implementation.”

Ms Somerville added: “But the timetable doesn’t sit solely with government on this, which makes it a bit challenging. But certainly, from my point of view, I am keen that we move forward with this because there’s a lot of planning that’s involved before we actually see the implementation of this.

“So the quicker we get the planning out of the way, we can move forward to the implementation of that.

“So I’m afraid I can’t give a definite time scale for that at the moment, but I am keen to move past that planning and get to this implementation as soon as we can.”