Tag: teaching staff

Scottish Government publishes education recovery strategy

‘Missed opportunity’, says EIS

Plans to help Scotland’s education system continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic have been published by the Scottish Government – but Scotland’s biggest teaching union the EIS has dismissed the plans as a ‘missed opportunity’ and say Scotland must show more ambition.

Created with input from across the sector, including young people, the Education Recovery strategy outlines how almost £500 million has been used to support learners and staff across the country.

The publication also sets out how the Scottish Government will continue to provide ongoing support to the sector.

This includes:

  • further support for learners who are sitting exams in 2022
  • access to in-school mental health and wellbeing support that young people need, including counselling services
  • recruiting 3,500 additional teachers and 500 support staff over this parliamentary term
  • expanding funded early learning and childcare for children aged 1 and 2, starting with low-income households
  • committing £1 billion to tackle the poverty related attainment gap and support education recovery

Speaking after visiting the site of the new £47.2 million Wallyford Secondary Learning Facility, Ms Somerville said: “Our collaborative and ambitious programme of support to aid recovery right across our education sector has been underway for many months.

“Schools are still dealing with the pandemic and we will continue to support them through these challenging time. However, as a Government we must also be focused on recovery. Supporting children and young people remains our top priority, and almost £500 million of additional funding has already been committed during 2020/21 and 2021/22 as part of education recovery. Of this, £240m is to recruit extra staff to ensure resilience and to provide additional support for learners and teachers.

“Other initiatives will play a crucial role, such as the provision of free school breakfasts and lunches all year round for all children in P1-7, digital devices for every child, abolition of fees for instrumental music tuition, removal of core curriculum charges, and our extended early learning and childcare offer.

“Pupils sitting exams in spring 2022 will be offered a package of support, which will include online revision classes and targeted help for those who need it most. At the heart of all of this is our children and young people, who we will ensure have the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential in school and beyond.”

Read Education Recovery: Key Actions and Next Steps.

Commenting following the publication of the plan, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: “Clearly, there are significant elements within the plan to be welcomed – not least the commitment to increasing teacher numbers, the creation of more permanent posts to tackle the scandal of 10% of current teaching posts being temporary, and the reduction in class contact time to 21 hours.

“Overall, however, the plan largely restates existing workstreams and fails to promote a single big initiative such as a reduction in class sizes, which would catalyse an education recovery programme and bring immediate benefits to Scotland’s children and young people.

“Smaller class sizes, even on a limited basis as a starting point, such as P2 and P3 or S1 and S2, would mean more teacher time per pupil and assist with targeted interventions where the pandemic has impacted disproportionately on children’s lives. As a country, we need to be bolder in our ambitions for our youth.”

Responding to the Education Recovery Plan, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition commented: “While we welcome the commitment to help Scotland’s education system continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic through this plan, greater action is needed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of our young people.

“Even prior to the pandemic cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support. At the end June 2021, 1,686 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), double that of the previous year.

“Increased funding to deliver new and enhanced community-based services, including counselling services, as outlined in the plan is welcomed. This however comes on the back of funding restrictions to these services. We must look to greatly increased investment in an expanded range of mental health services as part of a national crusade to address the impacts of the pandemic.

“We have for some time raised concerns over a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is more important than ever that children can access the support they need, when they need it, irrespective of where they live.

“This is a crisis we can overcome, but it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for COVID-19 if we are to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.”

Edinburgh to recruit more than one hundred new teaching staff

The city council is to launch a recruitment drive to boost the Capital’s schools with scores of new permanent teaching and pupil support roles available.

Adverts will go live in the coming weeks offering permanent positions for around 70 teachers and approximately 30 pupil support assistants to work in schools across Edinburgh as the city continues to recover from the pandemic.

The recruitment exercise comes after Edinburgh was allocated a share of £3m from £50m in targeted funding announced this week by the Scottish Government to hire 1,000 new teachers and 500 pupil support assistants across Scotland in the coming academic year.  

Councillor Ian Perry, Education Convener, said: “We know all teaching staff have been under enormous pressure during the pandemic and this extra funding is extremely welcome.

“I’m really pleased to say that we can push forward and use this much needed funding now so anyone interested should look out for our adverts to recruit for around 70 additional teachers and approximately 30 pupil support assistants in permanent roles in the coming weeks.

Councillor Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener, said: “There’s no greater opportunity than helping to make a direct difference to the lives of our children and young people, and our teachers and pupil support assistants do that every day. 

“After what has been the most stressful of times, this is a chance for us to employ more staff to work with our amazing and resilient pupils across Edinburgh, and to support the very best of educational and life outcomes for them.”

The jobs will be advertised through myjobcotland and the Council looks forward to welcoming the new recruits to their new school communities during the 2021/22 academic year.

Teaching union welcomes school re-opening plans

Following the announcement from the First Minister on the reopening of Scotland’s schools, EIS Assistant Secretary David Belsey said: “The EIS welcomes the Scottish Government plans for schools to reopen with broadly the same mitigations in place as when they closed earlier this year.

“We agree the continued wearing of facemasks, physical distancing measures, effective ventilation of classrooms and good hygiene regimes need to remain in full force.

“The Scottish Government’s acknowledgement of the importance of  strengthening the guidance around ventilation and the additional funding to close any gaps in this provision is extremely welcome and a significant improvement to the current mitigations.

“The completion of vaccination programmes for all school staff is vital and the EIS believes that voluntary vaccination of 12 – 17 year-olds would be sensible and may go some way towards making schools safer places and help to address the anxieties of some young people.

“The six week period of no changes to mitigations will provide a degree of reassurance to school staff and some certainty as to what to expect when returning to classrooms.

“This will also allow for meaningful consultation between Scottish Government, Local Authorities and teachers’ unions before any further changes. The EIS will study the new guidance and seek to address any emerging issues with the Scottish Government and employers.”

Protecting education staff: COVID antibody survey launched

A nationwide voluntary survey of education staff in schools or Early Learning & Childcare settings will help identify whether those tested are likely to have had coronavirus (COVID-19).

The COVID-19 Antibody Survey in education Staff (CASS), launched on Friday, will help identify the proportion of people working in an education setting in Scotland who have had coronavirus by testing for antibodies in their blood.

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on life in Scotland and understanding how many people have had the virus, particularly those working in an education setting doing a variety of roles, and how this changes over time will inform the measures taken to limit risk and strengthen the ongoing pandemic response.

Following the return to school, protecting the health of all staff working in and around schools is crucial to ensure their safety and wellbeing as well as minimising the disruption of children’s education – a vital component to their own health and wellbeing.

This survey will use home testing kits provided through the UK Government antibody testing programme, which commenced in September 2020. The timing of this study allows for monitoring and the ability to track changes over the school year while staff are in their normal work environment. As the test looks at past infection, it will identify whether those tested are likely to have had the virus in the school year to date.

From the test, we aim to learn whether someone has been infected in the past, and understand how this relates to their occupation, and the setting in which they work. All of which will be important to inform future decision-making for the protection of Scotland’s education staff, and pupils as a result.

The tests, however, will not influence the activities of individuals who take part. This is because an antibody test provides information about whether someone is likely to have had the coronavirus before, but it does not provide information about an individual’s immunity, or whether they can or cannot spread the virus to other people.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This new survey, part of the schools surveillance led by Public Health Scotland, is an exciting opportunity to monitor COVID-19 antibodies in the education workforce.

“This will help us understand more about the virus within educational settings as well as understanding more about antibodies and any protection they may give. I would encourage teaching staff to sign up once they are invited to take part over the coming weeks. There is no need to do anything before you are contacted.”

Dr Diane Stockton, COVID-19 Social and System Recovery Lead said: “Scotland’s education staff are working tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of children so they can continue their education in the traditional school setting, spend time with their peers and get back to something more like normal.

“We recognise the impact the return to school has had on staff and the CASS study is intended to provide a more detailed look at this particular work setting and provide important surveillance for staff in the long-term.

“Any adult working in a school or Early Learning & Childcare setting in Scotland is eligible to sign up for the CASS study. What we learn from participants’ test results will support and strengthen Scotland’s response to COVID-19 and ensure school settings are as safe as they possibly can be for all.”

Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Spokesperson for Resources said: “The Scottish Local Government workforce has and continues to play a vital role the response to COVID-19.

“Ensuring essential services can continue to be delivered safely is a critical part of supporting the health and wellbeing of everyone in our communities. The return to school has been a vital step in not only ensuring the education of children and young people is maintained, but also in strengthening their mental health and wellbeing.

“Doing so has been a whole workforce effort and it is therefore key that all employees who work in and around schools are encouraged to take part in the CASS survey.

“Whether you are a teacher, a pupil support assistant, a cleaner, janitor, caterer or any other of the many roles that keep our schools running, we need you to take part. Doing so will help ensure we know as much as possible about COVID-19 and that we can continue to protect you and everyone in our communities.”

The CASS study is part of a larger programme of enhanced surveillance in schools. People working in education and Early Learning Centres can expect to see communications from their employers and places of work with further information about participating in this study over the coming weeks.

Teacher concerns on eve of schools re-opening

TWO surveys by Scotland’s biggest teaching unions have highlighted teachers’ concerns as children return to school this week:

A major study conducted by the EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union, has confirmed that the majority of teachers retain serious concerns about COVID-19 safety measures ahead of the return of pupils to schools from today.

A total of 29,867 teachers took part in the survey. The clear message from the results is that, while teachers support the decision to reopen schools, they remain unconvinced that sufficient measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of pupils, staff and the wider school community.

Key data from the final survey results includes:

  • A total of 29,867 teachers completed the survey from its launch on Tuesday 4 August to the morning of Monday 10 August – the largest survey return we have ever had – with 60% expressing support for the decision to reopen schools but a similar figure, 66%, expressing anxiety and a lack of confidence that sufficient mitigations would be in place.
  • Only 1 in 5 expressed confidence that schools are currently safe – indicating that much more needs to be done to reassure staff that schools are safe to work in.
  • 53% expressed a lack of confidence that an established capacity to test, trace and isolate is in place to support a safe return, with only 28% of teachers being ‘confident or very confident’ of this.
  • 72% of teachers indicated support for the testing for asymptomatic members of staff to help supress the spread of COVID.
  • 63% expressed support for the mandatory wearing of face coverings by senior pupils in classrooms.
  • 65% indicated that enhanced cleaning regimes would make them feel safer in schools.

Commenting on the findings, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said yesterday: “These findings issue a stark warning to local authorities and the Scottish Government ahead of pupils returning to schools from tomorrow.”

“Our survey findings confirm that, even as they return to schools across the country today, Scotland’s teachers are extremely concerned about the risks associated with potential COVID-19 infection in schools.

“This worry will be particularly acute for the significant percentage of teachers identified as being in an ‘at risk’ category (16% of respondents), as well as those living with a family member who is in a high-risk group.

“There is significant concern amongst all teachers on issues such as the large number of pupils in each class, inability to maintain social distancing, and the need for the wearing of face coverings to ensure safety in some circumstances. These concerns grow more acute based on the age of pupils being taught, with secondary teachers expressing a particularly high level of concern over the potential risks of teaching young adults for long periods of time in an enclosed classroom environment.”

Mr Flanagan continued: “The EIS has consistently said that we support the principle of re-opening schools so that teachers can, once again, offer their full support in a classroom setting for pupils. But we have also been consistent in the demand that schools can only re-open to pupils if this is managed in a way that can assure the safety of those pupils, staff and the wider community.

“The very clear message from these findings is that teachers are far from convinced that all necessary steps have been put in place by the Scottish Government and local authorities to make schools safe. This must be addressed now, with pupils returning this week.”

Mr Flanagan concluded, “The EIS will be sharing the results of our survey with local authorities and the Scottish Government, and continuing talks at national and local level to seek resolutions to the concerns raised by our members.

“It is in everyone’s interests for solutions to be found, to ensure that our schools can operate safely as pupils return to the classroom this week.”

Click here to access a copy of the EIS Survey Report.

TEACHERS NOT TOLD OF CORONAVIRUS SAFETY MEASURES

A majority of teachers are returning to schools this week without knowing what safety measures their schools are taking to deal with Coronavirus, an NASUWT survey of Scottish teachers has found.

Teachers have been given little or no time to prepare for the return of their pupils and have in many cases not been given basic information about what measures will be in place to ensure the health and safety of staff and pupils.

The majority (67%) of teachers responding to the NASUWT survey do not feel prepared to return to their school/college and the vast majority (87%) feel anxious about returning to their school when it is reopened to all pupils.

The NASUWT survey found teachers in Scotland have not been given assurances on social distancing or the provision of PPE. The survey also highlighted major concerns around the lack of consultation with teachers, especially staff who are at greatest risk from contracting Coronavirus.

A majority of teachers (57%) had not been informed of new arrangements for their school for Monday/Tuesday and the majority (60%) were not consulted on any arrangements for opening and also a majority (65%) were not consulted on risk assessments. 

For those who were in extremely vulnerable groups or had characteristics for whom coronavirus would have a disproportionate effect, (69%) had not had any contact from their employer regarding their individual risk assessment.

NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “Teachers need to be given the same level of protection as employees in any other workplaces.

“Our survey has highlighted that teachers have not been given assurances that even basic hygiene measures to help supress the virus, such as paper towels and soap and hot water, will be made available to them. This is deeply concerning and must be addressed immediately.

“We have also heard from many cases teachers who have not been told about the safety measures that will be  in place to help prevent virus spread.

“The Scottish Government and school employers have a duty to listen to and address teachers safety concerns and take urgent action to ensure  that schools reopen safely this term.” 

Jane Peckham, NASUWT National Official Scotland, said: “The fact that almost half of teachers have told us they don’t feel their school will be a safe environment for pupils to return to should be a major cause for concern.

“The majority of teachers tell us they are anxious about returning but assurances about routine testing in schools and rigorous monitoring systems for Coronavirus will help provide reassurance that everything that can be done to keep schools safe is being done.

“School leaders and staff have been working phenomenally hard in very difficult and uncertain circumstances to ensure that they can safely reopen and many pupils and staff are looking forward to returning to school and college.

“But ministers and school employers must do more to reassure parents and the schools workforce that everything is being done to minimise transmission of the virus and that rigourous safety measures and procedures are in place should any outbreaks occur.”

COSLA PRAISES HEROIC EFFORT AS SCHOOLS PREPARE TO REOPEN

COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson, Councillor Stephen McCabe, and Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: “As schools across Scotland prepare to welcome pupils back this week, we would like to pay tribute to our school staff teams – cleaners, janitors, catering staff, teachers, support staff and youth workers – their response during the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of heroic.

“They have continued to work quickly and effectively in unprecedented circumstances to support and guide children through home learning, whilst striving to ensure pupils could return to their classrooms in safe and timely manner.

“This has been no easy task, and we thank them for their unwavering efforts and dedication during the most challenging of times over the past five months.

“We’d also like to take this opportunity to recognise the support and patience from parents and carers as we all navigated uncertain times following the closure of schools back in March.

“And lastly, to our children and young people – we have continued to be impressed by your resilience and we are sure your teachers are incredibly proud of your attitude and efforts through this pandemic.

“We hope you enjoy returning to your classrooms with your friends and settle back into the routine quickly.”

Edinburgh’s children begin the return to school tomorrow with a phased return to begin on Wednesday 12 August, with all pupils back full-time from Monday 17 August. There are in-service days on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th (today).