Created on: 11 Dec 2024
The EIS has responded to the statement on Scottish education by Cabinet Secretary for Education Jenny Gilruth.
Ms Gilruth’s statement came on the same day that summary education statistics confirmed that teacher numbers in Scotland have fallen over the past year, while the pupil-teacher ratio in schools has increased slightly.
The number of newly qualified teachers securing employment in Scottish state schools has fallen, while the number of pupils with Additional Support Needs has again increased.
The Scottish Government and COSLA also issued a joint statement today, confirming that an agreement has been reached which will deliver £186.5M to local authorities to support returning teacher numbers to 2023 levels and to protect current learning hours for Scottish pupils. The agreement also commits both parties to make meaningful progress on the manifesto pledge to reduce teachers’ class contact time.
The joint statement confirms that an additional £28M will be provided to local authorities to develop the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) workforce, with an extra £1M for national initiatives to support the recruitment and training of additional ASL teachers.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "This has been a very busy day for education statements, with the publication of the annual Summary Statistics on Scottish Education, the Cabinet Secretary’s statement on the National Improvement Framework, and the announcement of an agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA with significant implications for Scottish education.
"In all of this, there is some good and some less good news – as ever, the devil will be in the detail, and we await confirmation of the true impact of today’s announcements on Scotland’s schools."
Ms Bradley continued, "The EIS welcomes the re-affirming of commitments on teacher numbers, and the commitment to protect the length of the pupil learning week from cost-driven cuts. This must now result in the withdrawal, in all local authority areas, of any and all proposals to reduce teacher numbers and, also, the halting of plans to reduce the length of the learning week for pupils.
"Such damaging proposals would serve only to harm the life chances of thousands of young people across the country, particularly young people who are already facing poverty-related disadvantage."
Ms Bradley added, "We also welcome the, long-overdue, statement of intent to deliver meaningful progress on the reduction in teachers’ class contact time to a maximum of 21 hours per week. Time is running out to deliver this promise within the term of this parliament, so the Scottish Government and local authorities must move swiftly to come up with a concrete plan to make this promise into a reality.
"Patience is wearing very thin on this issue, as workload demands on teachers continue to soar in schools across Scotland. The confirmation of the previously-announced funding boost for ASL provision is welcome, as today’s education statistics have highlighted the challenges created by the combination of declining teacher numbers, the rising number of young people with ASN, and the continuing shortage of teaching posts for newly qualified teachers who are available, willing and able to provide much-needed support in schools."