Teachers tell Swinney they are ‘on their knees’ and working double their hours

Scotland’s teachers are “on their knees” with some being forced to work double their contracted hours every week to avoid letting down pupils, the Education Secretary has been told.

John Swinney was criticised over teachers’ workload during a fringe meeting at the SNP conference in Glasgow, hosted by Scotland’s largest teaching union the EIS.

National president Nicola Fisher said the problem was not as obvious as other issues with Scotland’s education system, as many teachers simply worked harder for the sake of their pupils.

Other speakers at the event also highlighted issues with the SNP’S school and exam reforms creating extra work for teachers, amid evidence that many are thinking of leaving the profession.

Ms Fisher urged Mr Swinney to do more to tackle the issue of overwork, claiming it was “the iceberg of the education system”.

“People think they understand the scale of the problem because they can see the tip, but unless you’re experiencing it day in, day out, you cannot hope to grasp the full horror of what lurks beneath the surface,” she said.

“Teachers are working far in excess of their contractual hours, and surveys regularly tell us that teachers are working 50 or 60 hour weeks onaverage. Thatmeanssome people are working more. The contractual hours for teachers are 35 hours per week, so we know there are teachers in this country working double the number of hours for which they are paid.

“Even then, all the work isn’t done. Even if you are knocking

0 John Swinney was criticised over teachers’ workload during a fringe meeting at the SNP conference in Glasgow en years following absences caused by work-related stress.

Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government had taken steps to protect teacher numbers and had increased the intakes of training courses over the past seven years.“the challenge we’ve got is that there are not enough available teachers to fulfil those protected numbers,” he added.

On the opening day of the conference, Mr Swinney announced that cash payments of £20,000 will be offered to people who leave their careers to become teachers in key subjects.

Scottish Labour’s education spokesman Iain Gray said: “This is a humiliating dose of reality for John Swinney. “The SNP has taken teachers for granted for a decade. Teachers’ salaries have fallen to some of the lowest in the developed world, while workload has soared. Teachers are up to £6,000 worse off than they would be if their pay had just risen in line with inflation.” A Scottish Government minister hit out at Conservatives over their support for unconventional gas telling Tories to “frack off ”.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Transport Minister, said the failure to outlaw fracking south of the Border would put the countryside and communities at risk.

The SNP government announced last week the controversial practice will be banned in Scotland, with a moratorium that was already in place extended indefinitely.

The Tories are the only party in the Scottish Parliament who support hydraulic fracturing for gas, with the SNP, Labour, Greens and the Liberal Democrats all against.

Mr Yousaf, speaking at the SNP conference in Glasgow, said: “For those particularly in the Tory party who say that by being so environmental we’re going to harm Scotland’s economy I have two words for you – frack off.”

He added: “Where the UK government is prepared to put at risk their communities and countryside from fracking the Scottish Government, your Scottish Government will allow no such thing.

“Let me make it abundantly clear – under the SNP’S watch there will be no fracking in Scotland.”