A TEACHERS' union has branded proposed classroom cuts as "Dickensian".

Fife's EIS revealed this week that savings being considered for next year's budget include removing school clothing grants, cutting instrumental music services and reducing the number of early years teachers.

However, council education chief Carrie Lindsay stressed that no decisions had been made yet.

EIS Fife publicity officer, David Farmer, said the cuts would be a "direct attack" on the poorest and most vulnerable who they were supposed to be protecting.

"We wonder how the proposal to remove the school clothing grant accords with Section 23 of the Education Act (Scotland) 2016?" he said.

"We wonder just how the proposal to cut the Instrumental Music Services recognises the great work done by that service over many years. What about those children whose lives have been positively changed by music instruction?

"We wonder just how the national innovations in Early Years can be effectively served by further reducing the number of Early Years teachers?

"We also wonder how the proposals to make major changes to pupil support services can continue to support those young people effectively when the cumulative savings run into millions?

"For the poor, for the most vulnerable, the potential for even harder times are writ large."

Carrie Lindsay, the council's executive director of education and children's services, said the information which the EIS was referring to was an internal working document being used to open up discussions with services, staff and unions.

"There will be ongoing discussion as these plans develop over the next year," she said. "We have been using these draft plans for months now in our conversations with all the trade unions and will continue to do so.

“The document referred to is a first draft of what will become a longer-term plan for service redesign. It is a working document that will be significantly developed over the coming months to reflect the ambitions of the new partnership Plan for Fife, and the case for a programme of change that is being set out in the Changing to Deliver report going to committee in November 2017.

“This version of the plan has been prepared early to help inform the budget process for 2018-19 following many years of difficult and challenging decisions.

"The ideas contained within it have been prepared by officers and no decisions have been taken by members. Some ideas will not go forward at all.

"Any decisions on specific changes that will be made in the next year will be made during the budget setting process which concludes in February 2018. We're confident our staff will work with us for the best outcomes possible.”