Scotland’s largest local authority is initially planning to cut 172 teaching posts across its primary and secondary schools as part of a bid to save £27.8 million over three years.
Tes Scotland understands that Glasgow City Council - which is facing a £107 million budget black hole over the next three years - plans to carry out an “education service reform” that will result in fewer teachers in its primaries and secondaries, as well as fewer promoted posts.
As of August, the formulas used to dictate the number of teachers that schools are entitled to are set to change for the worse, meaning headteachers in the city’s primary and secondary schools will have fewer staff.
Tes Scotland understands this will be followed by a review of the management structure in schools - in particular, the council is looking to reduce principal teacher posts.
Teaching union representatives were informed of the plans today; headteachers are to be told of the plans next week.
James How, who attended this morning’s meeting and is the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association district secretary for Glasgow, said the plans would hit the poorest pupils hardest and widen the attainment gap, as well as increasing teacher workload.
He said: “School rolls in the secondary sector are still rising as we speak. Reduced staffing will increase workloads and will be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of staff. It will probably lead to increased sick leave and have a direct impact on attainment, leaving pupils in Glasgow with a widening attainment gap to overcome.
“Pupils deserve to have the best educational opportunities we can provide. This budget does nothing to improve their educational outcomes.”
‘Crisis point’ in schools
Jane Gow, Glasgow secretary for the EIS teaching union, said: “Glasgow schools simply can’t take any more cuts in teacher numbers. Staffing is stretched to the limit as it is, with some secondary schools reporting a current long-term shortage in subject specialists.
“Teacher numbers fell over the past two years and with the projected loss of over 170 more, we are facing crisis point.”
Ms Gow added: “This will hit our disadvantaged pupils the hardest, as schools struggle to close the attainment gap with decreasing budgets and inadequate resources to support our most vulnerable young people across all the sectors.”
She said the EIS Stand Up for Quality Education campaign, launched in June 2023, is “trying to redress years of erosion to staffing and resourcing and to address the unsustainable workload teachers face”.
Last week councils declared a “dispute” with the Scottish government over funding.
In part the fallout was sparked by first minister Humza Yousaf’s promise at the SNP conference last year that council tax would be frozen. Councils say the freeze has not been adequately funded.
However, councils are also angry about education secretary Jenny Gilruth’s attempts to force them to protect teacher numbers. They say they need more funding, not more restrictions on their budgets, and this will lead to cuts elsewhere.
Ms Gilruth, meanwhile, argues that shared goals, such as closing the attainment gap, cannot be realised if teacher numbers fall.
Dialogue on teacher numbers
Today it emerged that the finance secretary, Shona Robison, had offered an extra £62.7 million to councils. It remains to be seen whether this will break the deadlock.
Ms Robison also gave the green light for the creation of an Education Assurance Board so there can be dialogue on teacher numbers.
Last year and in 2022 teacher numbers in Scotland fell despite the £145.5 million of funding the government said it had made available to councils to maintain them. One of the most significant drops was in Glasgow.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson told Tes Scotland that for many years the education budget had been protected but that this was no longer sustainable, given that it amounted to “more than half of service expenditure directed by the council” and also given “the level of savings required”.
They said officers were looking at “several education service reform options as part of a budget that was required to find £107 million worth of savings from council services over the next three years”.
The spokesperson added: “Meetings have taken place today with teacher trade unions to discuss the challenges and make them aware of the savings needed.
“Discussion will also take place with headteachers next week, which will include a review of staffing formulas from the August term.
“Officers will do everything they can to minimise the impact, but in the current financial climate we have to look at every option.”
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