‘We don’t want your reforms’ teaching union tells Swinney
Teachers have told education secretary John Swinney to ditch his controversial flagship plans to give head teachers more power as he appeared at their 2018 annual conference.
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), told delegates that proposals in the Scottish Government’seducationbillwerenot welcomed by the majority of the public.
The bill would see wideranging reforms including the introduction of a new head teachers’ charter, giving heads more power over the curriculum, recruitment and budgets.
However, teaching unions are against the move.
Mr Searson said: “The creation of a head teachers’ charter is unwanted by many head teachers already struggling to cope with all the demands placed upon them.
“There is no public consensus for this, so minister, don’t proceed.”
He also criticised plans to disband the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) and transfer its functions to a new Education Workforce Council.
Mr Searson added: “The priority must be to make changes that are going to help the teacher in the classroom today. If the proposed Education Bill is not going to help teachers in the classroom today, then don’t do it.
“It does not address the issues important to teachers: pay, workload and pupil behaviour.”
The SSTA said pay has fallen by almost 19 per cent in the past decade when inflation and increased National Insurance and pension contributions are taken into account – meanwhile, the workload has increased. The union called for a national qualifications system “without the workload heavy, bureaucratic and administrative nonsense”.
Earlier, during his speech to delegates, Mr Swinney said he was committed to re-examining the bureaucracy increasing teachers’ workload.
He also said Scottish Government research indicated behaviour was improving.
However, Mr Searson said workload was increasing because of the increasing demand for statistical monitoring. He also said poor behaviour was increasing and many schools were afraid to report it in case they received a poor inspection result.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Our education reforms are focused on giving schools and head teachers more power and money to raise standards and close the attainment gap.
“They are based on international evidence of how highperforming education systems work – delivering extra help for teachers in the classroom, more professional development and a stronger voice for parents and pupils.”
sross@scotsman.com