Teacher shortage and sick leave bill hits £80m a year
SCOTLAND’S bill for supply teachers rocketed to more than £80million last year as schools struggled with an ongoing recruitment crisis and soaring stressrelated absence rates.
Councils are being forced to pay more than £220,000 a day to fill positions in classrooms and to cover sick leave.
Local authorities spent £81.5million on supply teachers in 2016/17, raising fears that the education of thousands has been put at risk with a lack of ‘consistency in the classroom’.
The figures come just a day after the Scottish Daily Mail revealed nearly 7,000 teachers were forced to take time off last year because of stress-related illnesses including depression, anxiety and exhaustion.
They show there were nearly 800 vacant posts when pupils returned after the summer holidays.
Details from 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, obtained through Freedom of Information legislation, showed they had spent £81.5million last year, compared to £66.1million spent by 27 councils in 2015/16.
Glasgow City Council had the highest bill at £16.6million in 2016/17, followed by North Lanarkshire Council, which spent £11.5million. Council chiefs in Aberdeenshire were forced to pay out £7.3million on cover for classrooms, while the bill was £6.3million in Renfrewshire and £4.3million in East Dunbartonshire.
Shetland Islands Council had the smallest supply teacher cost of those responding at £312,861, while West Lothian Council and North Ayrshire Council did not provide figures.
Yesterday, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Tavish Scott launched an attack on Nicola Sturgeon, insisting she was failing to put education first. Mr Scott said: ‘Local authorities are spending more than £220,000 a day on supply teachers. This money could be better invested in ensuring schools have enough permanent staff in the first place.
‘There are many quality, hardworking supply teachers who do a great job filling classroom gaps. Children’s education is better when they have consistency in the classroom.
‘The lack of a permanent teacher over a prolonged period can be a hindrance to their education. Continuity helps learning.’
Mr Scott called on the First Minister to launch an independent review in a bid to encourage people into the classroom – and end the recruitment crisis.
He said: ‘Despite the First Minister’s declaration that she will make education the priority, her government is failing to turn around a decade of decline under the SNP.
‘A new wide-ranging independent review needs to look at teachers’ pay, conditions, numbers and support and pave the way for meaningful changes.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said that ministers were working to improve teacher pay and conditions, adding: ‘Although teacher recruitment is a matter for local authorities, education is this government’s number one priority, which is why we are investing heavily to help recruit and retain teachers.
‘We now have 51,513 teachers – 543 more than last year and more than at any time since 2011.
‘We are also improving teachers’ pay and conditions and will, alongside employers and unions, take part in a strategic review of pay and reward.’
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