Teacher numbers set to rise
£3mfundinginplace
010218mary_27
An initiative to recruit more teachers and school support assistants was due to go before councillors yesterday.
A report outlining the next stage of plans from South Lanarkshire Council’s SNP-led administration to recruit 17 new teachers within secondary schools and 15 new teachers within additional supports needs (ASN) bases – along with 33 new school support assistants – was due to be agreed at a meeting of the education resources committee.
Councillors were set to approve the introduction of the posts.
At a meeting in February of the executive committee, a £3 million funding package over the next two years for the extra teaching staff was given the green light.
The plans were also part of the 2018/19 budget.
The report due to go before councillors states: “Additional teachers will allow the pupilteacher ratio to be maintained, and also support pupils with ASN through more ASN teachers in mainstream schools and more support assistants to reflect growth in the demand for these services.
“Class configuration exercises and placing request exercises [are] ongoing, and this may change the teacher requirement.
“A sum of £1.2m has been set aside in 2018/2019 to cover the part-year costs of the additional teachers and school support assistants from August 2018 to March 2019.
“It is proposed that £1.8m be set aside to cover the full year costs into 2019/2020.
“The total funding of £3m provides some sustainability to meeting the costs of these additional posts and allows time to build permanency into the council’s financial strategy.”