The Scottish Conservatives say they would introduce more ”competitive salaries” in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects so that schools could attract new teaching staff who might otherwise take on industry roles.
The party’s “New Deal for Teachers”, set out at its conference in Glasgow today, also proposes a “community teacher programme” that would bring “inspirational and talented individuals” into schools, as well as a reduction in teacher class-contact time that would go further than the Scottish government’s target.
Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education Stephen Kerr MSP said such measures were needed because ”education standards have slipped, classroom violence has spiralled out of control and we have seen an alarming number of stress-related absences among school staff”.
One of the most eye-catching of eight statements by the Scottish Conservatives today promises to ”introduce competitive salaries for teachers in specialist subjects”.
It adds: “In order to create a contemporary workforce, fit for the technical revolution, we must ensure that computing science and other Stem subjects are treated as equally important as English and other languages.
“The Scottish Conservatives will therefore offer competitive salaries to attract more industry professionals into teaching core subjects, such as computing science and Stem.”
The party’s “community contributors programme” is based on the following premise: “Local communities contain some of the most inspirational and talented individuals who can inspire young people.”
It says that “this local talent should be harnessed within our local schools”, so the programme would “bring these community leaders into school and share their expertise and knowledge”.
The Conservatives also say they would reduce class-contact hours for teachers from 22.5 hours to 18.5 hours a week, which goes beyond the Scottish government’s aim to reduce it to 21 hours, adding: “This will give teachers the ability to prepare high-quality classes for their pupils and ensure they can devote more time to providing high-quality education.”
Other Conservative proposals set out today include:
- A plan to pay teachers an unspecified amount “for holding extracurricular activities and lunchtime classes”.
- A promise to “cut all red tape in schools to reduce the amount of paperwork and administration that teachers have to do”, although what qualifies as red tape is not specified.
- The introduction of new sabbaticals for teachers’ CPD, to keep up to date with the latest innovations and best practice in areas such as industry, software and teaching practices. (Teacher sabbaticals have also been talked up recently by national bodies, such as Education Scotland).
- A new campaign to “attract the best people into teaching” and “more people...who would not normally consider teaching as a career path”, with the party adding: ”The teaching workforce in Scotland needs to be more diverse and encourage teachers to come from different career paths and not just through the education system.”
- A review of Scotland’s “broken” teaching career structure, with a view to “radically” change it, as “it cannot be right that after five years, a teacher reaches their top earning potential unless they want to leave the classroom and enter management”.
Mr Kerr said: “Teachers are the backbone of the Scottish education system - and both have been neglected by the SNP.
“As education standards have slipped, classroom violence has spiralled out of control and we have seen an alarming number of stress-related absences among school staff on the SNP’s watch. Teachers in Scotland are under huge strain and the recent strike action - the first in nearly 40 years - was a stark reminder that they are scunnered with this SNP government.”
He added: “The Scottish Conservatives recognise it’s imperative we do all we can to recruit and retain the very best people.”
A spokesperson for the EIS teaching union said: “Although the EIS does not comment on the detail of party-political statements, we do welcome the acknowledgement of politicians that teacher workload is unsustainable at its current levels; that there needs to be political commitment to pay restoration; and that overall issues relating to the recruitment and retention of teachers require to be addressed through proper resourcing.”
