THE Scottish Education Secretary has said that all teachers should feel valued and pointed to a “landmark agreement” designed to tackle critical issues.
John Swinney said he and the Scottish Government would continue to work with the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) in order to identify and address issues those in the profession face.
It came after SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson yesterday urged teachers to take back control.
“All teachers should feel valued – that is why we are already taking a range of actions to put in place additional support to improve recruitment and retention rates, improve pay and tackle workload wherever possible,” said Swinney.
“As part of the teacher pay deal, we have reached a landmark agreement which brings together a partnership between local authorities and professional associations to tackle critical issues.
“We will continue to work with the SSTA to identify where there is action we can take to improve the daily lives of teachers.
“The Scottish Government has always worked closely with all the key partners in Scottish education, including teachers, in the development and implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.”
Searson had earlier urged teachers to “take back the profession from the bureaucrats and bean counters”.
He said public servants dealing with education and stakeholders such as parents and politicians need to “see their place” as supporting teachers.
In his address to the union’s annual congress in Crieff yesterday, he warned the Scottish Government not to bypass teaching unions in education decisions.
“The Government tries to gather about itself those who will not challenge it and then justify the decisions it makes by saying it consulted stakeholders,” he said.
“Teacher unions are partners in education and must be given the proper respect, must be listened to and have their views taken seriously if we want an education service for the future.
“Without the teachers there is no education.
“That is why the teacher voice is essential in shaping and delivering education.
He added: “All the education bureaucrats and stakeholders need to see their place as supporting teachers in the classroom.
“The days of the back seat driver in telling teachers what to do needs to stop.”
“The Government must mean what is says and put pupils at the centre, allow teachers to teach and put appropriate assessment in place for all pupils at all levels across the secondary school.”
The national association of Scottish councils, Cosla, declined to comment on Campbell’s claims.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here