Guidance teachers have written to senior figures in the Scottish government warning them that their job “is impossible” and “cannot be done within the working week”.
The pastoral care staff - who have written to the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and education secretary John Swinney and shared their letter exclusively with Tes Scotland - say they are told early intervention is key. However, when they spend hours filling out paperwork trying to get support for their pupils, they find, inevitably, that none is available.
They are urging the government to take immediate action, including investing in more mental health and social work support for pupils, and overhauling SEEMIS, the system for managing pupil records, which they say is “wholly unfit for purpose”.
The teachers, who are members of the Scottish Guidance Association (SGA), have written to Mr Swinney previously and say they appreciate the government’s willingness to hear their concerns and involve them in discussions, but now “decisive action” is needed to stop them being “overwhelmed” by ever-increasing responsibilities, and diminishing support for pupils.
The letter follows the news last month that some guidance teachers have “astronomical” caseloads of up to 280 pupils - a figure which has prompted Education Scotland to call for a review of the role of pastoral staff to ensure “an appropriate balance of responsibilities”.
Guidance teachers ‘lack support’
The letter also comes in the wake of the creation of a whistle-blowing website for teachers.
The Dear Madam President blog that went live last week was created by Fife science teacher Mark Wilson. He accuses the Scottish government of “brushing aside” concerns raised in open letters from teachers about the pressures facing schools, and the new site offers “a forum, a place to speak out about the challenges, the concerns and the obstacles they face and have in their daily workplace”.
In its letter, the SGA says: “We would like to acknowledge your willingness to hear our concerns and to involve us in discussions, including those surrounding GIRFEC [Getting it Right for Every Child] and PSE [personal and social education]. However, it is essential that you understand the widespread concern [expressed] by members of our profession, and the urgency with which we need to see decisive action from the government. Teachers who are carrying out the role, whether it be principal teacher guidance, PT pastoral support or similar, are overwhelmed with the increasing responsibilities of GIRFEC, and the diminishing support available for our pupils.
“We are looking for more than a listening ear: we are calling for urgent action to support the profession.
“The job, as it stands, is impossible. It cannot be done within the working week, and with the high caseloads which have been widely reported. We have vague and varied remits, which means there is no control over the new duties that we are expected to take on board. We are constantly told that GIRFEC is about early intervention, and yet our members report carrying out hours of work filling in paperwork, which proves to be futile when the feedback is that the case does not meet criteria or thresholds.
“The current dispute over pay only serves to make teachers feel undervalued. In at least some areas of the country, net monthly salaries are actually less than they were, for the same post, eight years ago.”
Responding to the SGA letter the education secretary, John Swinney, said he recognised the pressures and challenges facing teachers, such as those they highlighted. However, he added that the government had invested to increase teacher numbers, taken action to reduce teacher workload and removed unnecessary bureaucracy.
He continued: “We are also ensuring that practitioners who undertake the role of the named person have the capability and capacity to meet their responsibilities.
“We are working closely with local government and headteacher and teacher organisations to empower teachers to improve learning outcomes across our schools and early learning centres.”
