'Dismay': Teaching union takes Jenny Gilruth to task for 'undermining' pledge on class contact time

EIS representatives expressed “dismay” at a public announcement made by Jenny Gilruth on Thursday that could see teachers offered a four-day teaching week.

The Scottish Government proposals are designed to ward off strike action from teachers pushing for a pledge of 90 minutes less class contact time to be upheld.

However, the cabinet secretary’s plans have provoked ire just 24 hours after their unveiling as EIS bosses said the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) should have had first sight.

In a statement, the EIS said the SNCT met on Friday to discuss the announcement.

It describes Ms Gilruth’s plans as “potentially problematic proposals on the implementation of the Scottish Government’s 2021 manifesto commitment to reduce weekly class contact time, the non-delivery of which is at the crux of an ongoing and escalating workload dispute raised by Scotland’s teachers.”

Adding that the decision to release the details publicly, rather than to the negotiating panel, was of “significant concern”, the EIS also accused Ms Gilruth of “undermining collective bargaining”.

However, a Scottish Government spokesman said the new proposals show a “clear commitment” to both supporting teachers and improving education in Scotland.

He added that the dispute must not stand in the way of progressing plans for changes in the classroom.

Teachers have recently been awarded a 7.5 per cent pay rise but Ms Gilruth is being pushed to honour an SNP manifesto pledge to reduce the time teachers spend with pupils by 90 minutes a week.

She announced plans for reduced contact time with pupils, which could include later start times, longer breaks or restructured school days.

Ms Gilruth laid the groundwork for the announcement in an exclusive interview with The Scotsman’s sister title Scotland on Sunday, in which she said she would consider later school days.

However, the proposals have not appeased teaching unions, which are unhappy at the manner of the announcement and are seeking clarity on the practicalities of any measures.

Earlier this week, EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said the issue of class contact time was a “red line” for teachers.

Ms Bradley had said Ms Gilruth should “commit to resolving the formal” dispute on class contact time and “swiftly and unequivocally addressing the unsustainable workload with which Scotland’s teachers continue to struggle”.

The EIS statement on the government plans adds: “The Teachers’ Panel is disappointed that the Cabinet Secretary has yet again failed to agree on the key issue that unsustainable workload is addressed through ensuring that the full 1.5 hours that would result from reducing weekly class contact time to a maximum of 21 hours per week is allocated to the time that teachers have for preparing and responding to learning, teaching and assessment in support of their learners.”

It adds that Ms Gilruth should “commit to resolving the formal” dispute on class contact time and “swiftly and unequivocally addressing the unsustainable workload with which Scotland’s teachers continue to struggle”.

The Scottish Government spokesman said: “These proposals demonstrate our clear commitment to supporting teachers and improving education in Scotland, by shaping a future where reduced class contact time is not just a logistical change, but a catalyst for deeper professional engagement and better outcomes for every learner.”

The spokesman insisted collective bargaining had not been undermined.

“We remain committed to working constructively with the teacher unions and COSLA, through the SNCT, to reach a consensus on this issue,” he added.

“However, this must not prevent us from progressing implementation planning.”

The EIS and NASUWT unions are currently balloting members on strike action over periods when teachers are directly teaching pupils.

At the last Holyrood election, the SNP promised to cut contact time by 90 minutes a week to allow more time for other activities such as lesson planning and marking.

Teachers have said time is also taken up by filling in increasing numbers of incident report forms due to rising classroom disruption and violence.

The new government plans include agreed national minimum standards for pupil learning hours that would leave a fifth day for "professional learning" activities outside of the classroom

Both teaching unions have emphasised that any non-class contact time should be used as teachers see fit.