This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Teachers deal creates 'industrial harmony'
11/05/2006
Ministers today welcomed Audit Scotland's recognition that Scotland's landmark teachers' agreement has resulted in 'a valuable and sustained period of industrial harmony' in contrast to the decades of unrest prior to the agreement.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said that teacher recruitment was buoyant and attracting increasing numbers, often from other professions, as teaching is now seen as a well-rewarded profession.
Audit Scotland's review of A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, also recognised increased opportunities for lesson preparation and professional development with "protected time outwith the classroom".
The report, which examines the cost and implementation of the 2001 agreement which followed the McCrone report into pay and conditions, highlights:
- Improved induction and support arrangements for new teachers through the teacher induction scheme
- A new career structure for classroom teachers thanks to the Chartered Teachers initiative
- 1,573 more teachers employed to reduce teachers' time in class
- 3,125 more administrative and support staff recruited to free-up teachers from routine tasks
Mr Peacock said:
" A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century is improving teaching in Scotland. It allowed us to move on from a period of very poor industrial relations, peppered with strike threats, and to give greater respect and recognition to teachers in our society.
"Teachers and pupils reaped the rewards immediately - with improved industrial relations, major improvements to pay and conditions, time for better lesson preparation and with teachers constantly updating their professional knowledge and teaching skills.
"The resulting stability has allowed us to progress to modernise our schools and classrooms. In 2004, an unprecedented four-year pay deal was signed, giving more stability for teaching and learning and showing just how far we have come since the dark days of the 1980s and 1990s.
"New teachers now benefit from the support and structure offered by the world leading teacher induction scheme. These new arrangements - which offer a supported entry to teaching - have been warmly welcomed, as highlighted by Audit Scotland.
"The chartered teacher scheme rewards classroom teachers who will take extra training and stay in the classroom for their career. From a sound start it's encouraging that the Audit Scotland report shows 75 per cent of younger teachers believe they will join the scheme in future, adding to the 229 already fully qualified and further 2,900 working through their extra qualifications.
"This Audit Scotland report shows a successful implementation of the agreement with virtually all milestones having been met, all the extra Executive cash having been spent in the ways planned and local authorities saving some 6 million pounds per year against original estimates of their share of the costs. Throughout the process Executive officials have closely monitored the measures which form part of the overall agreement - the extra teachers, extra support staff, new probationer teachers and class contact hours worked.
"In short, this agreement has made teaching in Scotland a highly attractive career and that's something which increasing applications to become teachers - from home and abroad - bears out.
"With such a major programme of change you should always expect some teething problems but, overall, as today's report shows, there can be real satisfaction that implementing the agreement is going well.
"I will look at the detailed recommendations Audit Scotland make and I will look to use them to consider how I can build on the success to date in implementation."
HM Inspectorate of Education is undertaking a separate review of the agreement on teaching practises in schools and will report later this year.