When the programme was announced in September 2004, it was unclear whether the new Schools of Ambition would be selective. Some teaching unions opposed the Schools of Ambition programme on these grounds, adding that the new plans would introduce selection "by the back door", a claim that was often used against specialist schools in England. This uncertainty began when, during the announcement, First Minister Jack McConnell said that "there [would] be no elitist selection of pupils", despite having said two weeks earlier that comprehensive schools were "ordinary" and had no place in Scotland, thereby implying that a move to selective education in Scotland was coming.
In September 2004, when the Schools of Ambition program was announced, there was uncertainty about whether it would be selective. Teaching unions opposed this idea, claiming it would introduce selection "by the back door," a tactic often used against specialist schools in England. This uncertainty arose from First Minister Jack McConnell's contradictory statements. He initially stated that the program wouldn't have elitist selection, but two weeks prior he had declared comprehensive schools to be "ordinary" and irrelevant in Scotland.