Address pay and workload to curb teacher shortage, says Holyrood Committee

Tackling challenges such as pay rates and workload facing teachers is “fundamental'' to combating shortages, a Holyrood committee has said.

The Scottish Parliament's Education and Skills Committee is making more than 30 recommendations to help deal with teacher shortfalls, in a report on workforce planning in schools.

These include calling on the Scottish Government to review its practice of raising trainee places to improve teacher recruitment levels as it fails to address issues which deter people from becoming teachers, such as pay.

The committee also recommends offering financial incentives for teachers from elsewhere in the UK to move to deal with areas of “acute shortages'', reintroducing a programme such as the chartered teacher scheme to give a boost in pay and status to experienced classroom teachers, and increasing localisation of workforce planning.

After hearing from more than 650 teachers and trainees, the committee's report calls for Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority to go “back to the classroom'' and undergo short placements in schools shadowing teachers to gain experience in the reality of teaching in Scotland's schools.

Following concerns raised by trainees about the quality of literacy and numeracy training on some courses, the committee wants the government to investigate the extent of the issue and develop a baseline standard.

The committee also recommends the government ensure its planned education reforms, which give new powers to headteachers in a bid to close the attainment gap between the richest and poorest pupils, do not increase workload.

Committee convener James Dornan said: “When we asked teachers for their thoughts on the profession, what was clear from the start was the dedication and passion of those who had chosen teaching as a career.

“But what was also clear was for many hard working teachers there are concerns about the profession they love.

“Addressing the challenges facing existing teachers is fundamental to increasing the number of people who want to become a teacher.

“We are recommending reducing the 'box ticking' elements of their roles; providing financial reward and status for classroom teachers; providing more promotion opportunities; and setting manageable workloads for headteachers.''

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Tavish Scott claimed Education Scotland should not be given more powers in the education reforms.

He said: “Teachers say Education Scotland do not recognise the workload challenges in the classroom that are putting able people off the profession.

“Therefore, it is extraordinary that the Scottish Government have rewarded this quango with more powers and influence over teachers in the governance review.''

Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: “This report is right to highlight the problems around teacher pay and workload. Previous Labour analysis revealed a teacher is £6,000 worse off thanks to the pay cap.

“Teachers are seeing their pay squeezed more and more as earnings rise slower than the cost of living, while workloads continue to increase.

“That's why Labour wants to see an independent review of teachers' pay, conditions and career structure to re-establish the profession as world leading, and attract new teachers into classrooms.''

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I will study carefully the recommendations in this report, and I welcome its endorsement of the action this government is already taking to make a career in teaching more attractive and create innovative routes into the profession.

“Investment by this government has directly resulted in 253 more teachers last year and this week I announced the expansion of our teacher recruitment campaign, the first phase of which has already led to thousands more undergraduate students seriously considering teaching as a career at some point in the future.

“I have already taken action to ensure teachers are free to do what they do best - teach. Our education governance reforms will put even more power into the hands of teachers and school leaders, and I will look closely at the committee's recommendations in this regard.''

EIS teaching union general secretary Larry Flanagan accused the committee of a “trivial'' response to some concerns.

He said: “In places the report echoes current demands from the teacher unions - the need for better salaries and for enhanced careers pathways, but in other areas it seems disconnected from what is actually happening on schools.''

“For example, the notion of practical placements in schools for SQA and Education Scotland staff may appear to have a superficial attraction but it is a shallow, and somewhat trivial, response to concerns about teacher workload and certainly no substitute for ensuring that teachers are able to exercise professional control over their working environment.'