We are selling our youngsters short with these cries of doom
THE article by Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS, on the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) was a much-needed breath of fresh air (“Education in crisis? No. We need to stay calm and keep on learning”, Agenda, The Herald, December 19). My son was one of the students assessed in the 2015 Pisa round, being in S4 when the assessments were done.
We discussed the outcomes when they were published. He only has a dim recollection of the assessments and no interest at all in the results. At that time he and his yeargroup were studying for their Nat 4 and 5 exams and the Pisa assessments were, as far as they were concerned, an unnecessary distraction. The Nat courses had descended into an assessment-fest and they didn’t have either the time or inclination to devote much effort to anything else. If that was the view of the S4 yeargroup in one typical secondary school, given the pressures being exerted by N4 and N5atthattime,Iwouldn’tbe surprised if it was pretty near universal.
It’s interesting to note, as Mr Flanagan points out, that this same yeargroup went on to deliver the second-highest level in attainment at Higher level in May 2016. I can vouch first hand that this is an extremely bright group of young people, and I suspect they were bright enough in early 2015 to accurately assign their efforts to their personal priorities. J Walker, 73 McLachlan Street, Stenhousemuir, Falkirk. YOUR article on a call for devolving more powers to headteachers in Scottish schools will doubtless draw support from many parents across Scotland (“Headteachers want power to appoint their own staff”, The Herald, December 19). Indeed, as stakeholders, parents might wish to share such involvement.
As your leader comment on the issue rightly concludes (“Headteachers must have say on staff”, The Herald, December 19) the aim is “ensuring that the right teachers are chosen for the right schools”. However I expect that existing staff in our schools may not be quite so enthusiastic if such powers were found to potentially compromise their own job security.
I feel we should be mindful of all the ramifications of any proposal for a development where headteachers are expected to act more directly as an employer. With such an enhanced power must come a fresh analysis of their responsibilities to teaching and support staff. Additionally, headteachers must accept that a closer focus will inevitably emerge on their accountability for the performance of their school if such powers are granted.
When considered in the overall context of changing expectations and role of headteachers, I wonder if their title would remain appropriate. Given that they are managers and seldom classroom teachers, perhaps coincident with a devolution of this remit from the local authority it would be more accurate to consider their new role mandated as a School Based Education Officer (SBEO).
This change in designation would clarify their new status within an education authority and their position being answerable to elected members of their local council. Bill Brown, 46 Breadie Drive, Milngavie. I AM following the education debate in your Letters Pages with great interest. Coming from a business background, it seems bizarre to me that there does not appear to a sufficiently reliable and effective means to deal with incompetence in the teaching profession and its hierarchy. I widen the range of incompetence because I’m sure that an imperfect headteacher has it within their power to inflict greater damage to children’s educational development. To extend more powers to headteachers without convincing safeguards and evidence as to their competence or otherwise doesn’t really bear thinking about. I would be interested to learn what checks and balances exist over these key leadership appointments.
Notwithstanding the multiplicity of proposed options for future inspection of schools, I don’t see how sufficient care is taken, particularly perhaps after a new head appointment. I’m sure they are all very conversant and convincing with what the interview panel wants to hear, but this does not always translate into the effective leader so much needed in every one of our schools. Is there a challenging probation period before a headteacher appointment is formally confirmed? If not, why not? James Devine, 6 Birch Knowe, Bishopbriggs. IN 2007 the SNP made a manifesto commitment to cut class sizes between primary 1-3 to 18 or less. This increase in the number of classes and the employment opportunities this would generate encouraged those suitably qualified to enter the fouryear primary teaching Bachelor of Education degree course.
Fast forward to graduation day in 2011 when the SNP now had a majority government and rather than a reduction in class sizes there had been a year-on-year increase in class sizes. Local authorities whose budgets had been cut were reluctant to fill what had been permanent posts as these incurred additional costs such as pensions, holidays, sick pay and personal development courses. We then had a situation where qualified teachers who registered for daily supply work sat by the phone effectively on call in the hope of a day’s pay. This call may be at 8am when the teacher is expected to travel at their own expense to anywhere in the authority’s area where they are paid for five hours’ work. Ever wondered where the idea of zero hour contracts came from?
Having an excess of suitably qualified people in any profession or trade always results in a drop in pay and in 2012 Michael Russell, then Scottish Education Secretary, with the agreement of the local authorities and incredibly the teaching unions, decided to cut the daily allowance paid to supply teachers from the regular £145 to £80 for the first five days of any placement. A placement of five days or less became the norm.
By 2014 more than 46,000 primary 1-3 children were in classes of more than 26 pupils while only 22,000 were in classes of 18 or less.
It’s an ill wind that doesn’t benefit someone and graduates with a non-related teaching qualification (think marketing or media studies) took the opportunity to enter the teaching profession via the post graduate diploma. This is a course running for eight months from September to May, which on completion allows the participant to teach primary classes.
I am sure there are poor quality teachers with a B.Ed, degree but can a teacher really be suitably competent after eight months of training? Robert Aitken, Kilpatrick Gardens, Glasgow. YOUR correspondence on our failing education system is interesting. The bad Pisa results have resulted in some soul searching. According to your letter writers today (December 19), It is the fault of the government for interfering too much (Naomi Dickson), incompetent teachers (Ian McNair) and a generational problem (Iain AD Mann).
One interesting statistic is that children of Chinese origin do much better than native Scots. In 2014/15, 88 per cent of Chinese/Asian school leavers had at least one qualification at SCQF level 6 or better compared to 60 per cent of White-Scottish. That suggests that it is not the schools that are the main problem – although there are undoubtedly bad teachers and an over-intrusive government. The problem must lie with the parents
Mr Mann asks how the £120m set aside to close the attainment gap should be spent. I suggest hiring out-ofwork actors to go and read books to children aged three to five living in deprived areas, perhaps in the local library. Parents may be grateful for having their children entertained for an hour a day and hearing an enthusiastic reader would encourage a love of books in their children. Michael Boulton-Jones, 5 Glassford Street, Milngavie.