Any plans by a local authority to cut teacher numbers will be blocked by the Scottish government, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said this afternoon.
The issue hit the headlines last week with news of a proposal by Glasgow City Council to remove hundreds of teachers.
Local councils in Scotland are considering an array of drastic cuts as they struggle with budget pressures. They will set their annual spending plans in the coming weeks.
At First Minister’s Questions this afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said: “The government will act to protect teacher numbers. This government has a commitment to increase teacher numbers, and indeed councils are being given additional funding specifically to deliver that.
“So it would not be acceptable to me or to the Scottish government to see teacher numbers fall.
“I can confirm, therefore, the government does intend to take steps to ensure that funding we are providing to councils to maintain increased numbers of teachers actually delivers that outcome, and the education secretary [Shirley-Anne Somerville] will set out more details to Parliament in the coming days.”
Protection of teacher jobs welcomed
The EIS teaching union welcomed the news, as it emerged earlier today, that the government would seek to prevent cuts to teacher numbers and the length of the pupil week. But it warned that the government must increase education funding.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “While this suggested intervention by the Scottish government is welcome, it is the persistent under-funding and under-resourcing of Scottish education that has led to this situation in the first place. The Scottish government needs to fund local authorities better, including a return to ring-fenced budgets for the delivery of education.”
Ms Bradley added: “Any cuts to teacher numbers and the pupil week are untenable, and would have a serious detrimental impact on young people’s education. Cuts to teacher numbers pile additional workload on to already severely overburdened teaching staff, while also having profoundly damaging consequences for pupils’ learning.
“The notion that we can raise attainment and close the poverty-related attainment gap by reducing the number of pupil hours per week by 10 per cent is ludicrous.”
Ms Bradley also said: “Despite claims to the contrary by some politicians and commentators, public sector pay deals are not the cause of the budgetary problems facing the Scottish government...It is the Scottish Government’s unwillingness to use the full range of its revenue-raising powers and poor planning that have led to the current predicament.”
The SNP promised in its 2021 election manifesto to increase teacher numbers by at least 3,500 by the end of the five-year parliamentary session.
However, Glasgow City Council has proposed cutting 800 teaching positions and 100 support staff roles, partly through the early closure of primary schools on Fridays, as a way to help address a £68 million funding shortfall.
Ms Somerville said earlier today: “We have very clear commitments to improve Scottish education.
“Ministers are firm in their views that Scottish education would not be improved by having fewer teachers or less time in school.”
Responding to the Glasgow proposals during First Minister’s Questions last week, Ms Sturgeon emphasised the autonomy of councils in making decisions about education, but said: “As my record shows. and indeed as government’s funding to councils demonstrates, I am in favour of more teachers, not fewer teachers.”
At First Minister’s Questions today, education budget cuts also came up when Ms Sturgeon was quizzed about plans in Falkirk to close school swimming pools.
Local authorities’ body Cosla has repeatedly called for more funding from government to avoid cuts to public services, saying a £550 million cash increase in next year’s budget could, in reality, give them as little as £71 million to spend freely when ring-fenced government plans are accounted for.
A Cosla spokesperson said it was “aware of the proposed [government] intervention” and would consider a response when leaders meet tomorrow.
