AS a retired teacher, I totally agree with your editorial comment (“Career paths are needed to protect teacher recruitment”, The Herald, May 19). The faculty system has been a disaster not just for teachers and pupils but for the local authorities as well. There is, for example a massive shortage of secondary teachers in all parts of Scotland, but especially in the north; and the introduction of faculties has significantly contributed to these shortages.
When in 1991 I became adviser in social subjects in Grampian education department (now Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray) I was impressed that every secondary school had a principal teacher for each of the three social subjects, regardless of size. This especially benefited the small rural schools. Coming from the central belt, I met many colleagues from my area who were attracted by the promotion prospects in Grampian. In total in the 36 schools, there were 108 promoted teachers of the three social subjects. With school closures that number today of promoted posts is only 34 – less than 30 per cent of what once existed. Multiply these figures across all subjects and all authorities and the number of lost posts is staggering. There is now no real career promotion path for secondary teachers.
It's not as if the salary offered to unpromoted teachers reflects the academic qualifications of the teaching staff. The maximum annual salary is £35,763, with no overtime or bonus payments. In April 2010 the maximum salary was £34,200 and as such as a consequence of wage freezes and miserly wage rises, salaries have only increased by about 4.5 per cent – a massive reduction in real terms income.
Yet since 2010 teachers have witnessed the end of Standard Grades, Intermediates, Higher and Advanced Higher and have had to develop new courses in the new CfE exam and assessment structures – a massive workload burden with limited resources available. Yet even now there is no let-up for teachers – all the new National exam courses are being revised and new edicts are being announced.
This decimation of secondary middle management promoted posts has reduced the pool of teachers to move into senior management. Recently Glasgow City stated that one of its headteachers would also become head of another secondary school as it had not made an appointment - there was not a suitable candidate.
So local authorities are reaping the folly of their short-sighted policy to save money. The present crisis in recruitment and in retention can be placed at the hands of our local councillors and education departments No wonder morale in teaching is at rock-bottom.
Frank Cooney,
29 St Annes Wynd,
Erskine.
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