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Support for teacher employment
25/11/2009
Up to 500 more teachers will be able to take early retirement to enable the recruitment of new teachers with permanent jobs, under a Scottish Government scheme announced today.
As part of a package to support teacher employment, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said she will provide councils with a £10 million borrowing facility to support the costs of early retirement and the recruitment of new teachers in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
In addition, a new on-line resource to help teachers who are seeking work maintain and develop their skills will be launched early next year.
This will be backed up by fresh guidance for local authorities on the need to provide Continuing Professional Development (CDP) for supply teachers.
Ms Hyslop said:
"I am determined to make sure this Government does everything it can to support our teachers and help as many new teachers as possible into jobs. This package of measures is designed to do exactly that.
"We are allowing councils to access money to support the up front costs of early retirement for 500 teachers to enable them to recruit 500 new teachers.
"Importantly, this work is being progressed extremely quickly and I fully expect to see new teachers being employed this financial year as a result of today's announcement.
"We also need to make sure that those teachers who are seeking work or are working on supply get the help and support they need to improve and update their skills.
"Our new online resource will provide an innovative way for unemployed teachers to do this, while the refreshed guidance will make sure that supply teachers get the Continuing Professional Development they need.
"Only last week I announced that Graham Donaldson, soon to retire as Senior Chief Inspector at Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, will undertake a wide-ranging and comprehensive review of teacher education.
"This will help make sure teachers receive the right education - from when they first decide to become a teacher and throughout their career.
"I am confident that this package of developments will help make sure we are doing everything we can to support the teachers of today and teachers of tomorrow."
Councils may borrow up to £5 million in this financial year and up to £5 million in the next financial year to support early retirement. This means that councils will be able to borrow money to pay for the up front costs of early retirement and create a saving by replacing teachers at the top of the pay scale with those at the bottom. Therefore meaning the borrowing can be cost neutral to the taxpayer. Part of the conditions attached to the scheme will be that councils must replace a retiring teacher with a new teacher who is seeking employment.