Teacher Number Commitment

An agreement to maintain teacher numbers must be extended, that's according to Scotland's largest teaching union.

The EIS says it would mean lower class sizes and ensure a quality learning experience for pupils.

Plans have been floated by Fife Council in recent years to consider cutting the school week to lower the staff bill.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: 

"The agreement on maintaining teacher numbers was one of the few positives to arise out of the last Agreement on teachers' terms and conditions. In an environment of deep cuts to education funding, teachers made significant sacrifices on issues such as pay in order to protect teaching jobs and ensure that sufficient numbers of teachers were available to deliver a high-quality education for pupils. The protection on teacher numbers has been a significant success in opening up job opportunities for new entrants to the teaching profession and in delivering a sound learning experience for young people. It is essential that this commitment on maintaining, or enhancing, teacher numbers is renewed.
 
Mr Flanagan continued:

"The Cabinet Secretary, Mike Russell, recently stated that he would like to see teacher numbers continue to be maintained or, preferably, expanded. This was a very welcome statement, but we now need to see a firm commitment from both the Scottish Government and from the local authorities who employ teachers to ensure that this aspiration is met. There have been some worrying statements coming from COSLA on teacher numbers in recent months, including in their written evidence to today's Education Committee meeting. Their assertion that they would like to 'remove constraints' around staffing is a clear indicator that COSLA has an agenda to cut teacher numbers which would be extremely damaging for Scottish education. Over 4000 teacher posts have been lost across Scotland since 2011, heaping additional pressure on already over-burdened teachers and with worrying implications for education provision in the classroom.
 
Mr Flanagan added:

"The EIS is concerned about suggestions that some kind of 'new deal' on teacher numbers has already been struck between the Scottish Government and COSLA. Any new agreement would require the involvement and approval of teaching unions, and this has not occurred. The COSLA submission indicates a worrying cost-cutting agenda, including threats to teacher numbers and to the length of the primary school week, and these elements will be fiercely resisted by Scotland’s teachers through the EIS. Education is an investment in our children’s future, and the more you put in the more you can expect to receive back out. The agreement on teacher numbers, which was hard-won and which teachers entered into in good faith, simply must be renewed. The EIS will continue to push for the delivery of a new agreement to protect or expand teacher numbers."