Created on: 16 Dec 2024
The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee (SNCT) has met in response to the Cabinet Secretary for Education’s parliamentary statement of Tuesday 10th December and the joint COSLA/Scottish Government statement issued on the same date.
The Teachers’ Panel notes that both the Scottish Government and COSLA have committed to present to the SNCT a joint proposal on the commitment to reduce class contact time to 21 hours per week. Whilst the Cabinet Secretary has stated that she wishes progress to be made ‘at pace’, no timescale has been indicated as to when this joint proposal will be made.
Reducing class contact time to 21 hours by 2026 was one of the manifesto commitments that saw the current Scottish Government elected to office in 2021. This commitment was made in recognition of the workload pressures that Scotland’s teachers faced then- a pressure that they continue to face and now to an even greater extent.
In the years since the manifesto commitment was made, despite constant effort on the part of the Teachers’ Panel, absolutely no real progress whatsoever has been made towards ensuring that this commitment to the electorate will be honoured. Statements made last week regarding the reduction of class contact time by the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the Scottish Government, and by COSLA, only reflect a commitment to progress; not progress in and of itself.
Teachers at all career levels in Scotland continue to work an intolerable number of hours beyond their contractual maximum in order to deliver for the country’s young people. This volume of unpaid work is unacceptable and impacts significantly on the wellbeing of teachers, including school leaders. Such a situation is neither sustainable, nor in line with the Scottish Government’s aspiration of Scotland becoming a ‘Fair Work’ nation by 2025- only a matter of days away.
It is imperative that there is no further delay to the implementation of the manifesto commitment to reduce class contact time and it is of equal importance that any proposal that comes forward through the SNCT stipulates that the additional time is fully allocated to the preparation and correction component of Teachers’ Working Time. Only this will begin to address the unfair and unacceptable workload pressures. Further, it is imperative that implementation is fully staffed and funded such that it does not add to the workload of school leaders
Within this context, the Teachers’ Panel has unanimously agreed that in the event that no proposal on the reduction of class contact time is tabled by 12 noon on Monday 3rd February, then a formal dispute will be declared. Furthermore, if any proposal made does not make clear the full reduction in class contact time is used to increase time for preparation and correction, the Teachers’ Panel has agreed, by an overwhelming majority, that a formal dispute will also be declared in such circumstances.
The Teachers’ Panel therefore urges the Scottish Government and COSLA to work together ‘at pace’ in order that the promised progress can finally be made.
Des Morris, Chair of the Teachers’ Side of the SNCT, said: “The Scottish Government and COSLA now have to get moving on delivering this commitment to Scottish education. Teachers have been extremely patient, but this is now a final warning that we expect this promise to be kept. If no concrete proposal on delivery of the class contact commitment is forthcoming by the 3rd of February, and if any proposal does not include a way forward to begin to relieve intolerable levels of workload through increasing time for the preparation and marking of learning, Scotland’s teachers will be in dispute with the Scottish Government and COSLA on this issue.”
Issued on behalf of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel