'Failure to plan': Mairi McAllan says primary teachers will be helped to retrain
Mairi McAllan set out her vision for education in the coming parliamentary term but opposition MSPs said the plans lack substance
Ministers have been accused of “failure to plan” for the workforce as primary teachers will be supported into other roles.
In a statement to parliament on Tuesday, Mairi McAllan set out her vision for education in the coming term.
The education secretary said council will receive up to £2.8 million to write off school meal debt while a new £1m pilot fund will support teachers to relocate to rural areas.
Ms McAllan also said plans will be announced to help primary teachers gain additional registration.
This will mean they may transition to additional support needs or specialise in a secondary school subject.
Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Katherine Sangster said: “The SNP, in power for nearly 20 years, has so badly failed to plan for the teaching workforce that they are going to tell primary school teachers that there is no place for them in primary schools or in teaching.
“This is shocking.
“No detail on a plan to tackle violence and poor behaviour, no resources for ASN, no jobs for teachers.
“Is this really the best the SNP can do for education?”
Work is currently ongoing to introduce a a teacher job guarantee for a minimum of three years for newly-qualified teachers, and reduce class contact time.
The plan has raised concerns about a knock-on effect on experienced teachers on temporary contracts who are already struggling to find full time posts.
Ms McAllan also set out plans the government claims will improve attainment, attendance, behaviour and curriculum.
Ms McAllan said: “We must seize the opportunity of Public Service Reform to truly achieve this, by addressing the variability in education outcomes across the country, improving data collection, enhancing performance and accountability and empowering schools to invest and take the decisions they need to support pupils.
“As a Government we must also continue our work to cut the costs of the school day for families – that means more breakfast clubs, expanding free school meals and clearing school meal debt.”
The government said public service reform will help tackle inconsistencies in how national education policy is applied by each local authority.
Teachers will be given an extra 90 minutes a week out of class to prepare lessons while Ms McAllan said persistently high absence rates will be tackled by “bespoke resources and support for councils, families and schools, improved data and a national media campaign”.
She also reiterated her commitment to “ending the presence of mobile phones in the learning environment for good”.
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However, Ms Sangster called the education offering in the Programme for Government “shockingly sparse”.
She said: “Tuesday’s Programme for Government was shockingly sparse on education with no new ideas, no ambition, and no details.
“With this, the lack of debate on education, and the brevity of this statement, the SNP has failed to show its working.
“You would hope that having a former Education Secretary as First Minister would have resulted in a renewed focus on the issues facing our schools, but this plan offers no real solutions.”
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