Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) has been accused of trying to implement “sweeping changes” in its secondary schools without consulting staff, parents or students.
One possible move outlined by the council would see an adult - but not necessarily a teacher - being present while classes are taught online.
The EIS teaching union has accused the council of “minimising the role of the professional, registered teacher” and said it “may seek to ballot members for industrial action if necessary”.
The EIS has highlighted a 28 March letter sent to parents and carers of students in secondary schools, signed by Willie Macdonald, the council’s director of education, skills and children’s services.
The letter, seen by Tes Scotland, explains that S4-6 students will receive a subject option form that “gives pupils the opportunity to study a wider range of subjects”, as subject choices and timetables will be the same in all four Western Isles secondary schools.
Mr Macdonald talks up ”a move towards greater harmonisation of timetables and sharing of the teaching resource across establishments” as “an attempt to maximise choice available to learners in all of our secondary schools”.
The letter states that ”running classes year after year with very small numbers is financially unsustainable and cannot continue indefinitely” and that “pupils will benefit from digital and hybrid models of learning”.
A set of frequently asked questions - and answers - that accompanies the letter, also seen by Tes Scotland, says that “an adult”, but not necessarily a teacher, would be present in the room while “junior, or large classes” are taught online. The council has, however, committed to a teacher being ”present to lead or supervise experiments or practical tasks”.
The EIS said: “This is entirely contrary to the position that the EIS believed had been agreed with remote learning platform provider e-Sgoil locally.”
The council’s FAQs state: ”Given that many senior-phase pupils are old enough to get married, vote, drive etc, being able to engage in remote learning within the safe confines of a school is a skill and discipline that should not be beyond them.”
The council document adds: “It may take a little time to instil this discipline, but e-Sgoil staff have only encountered challenges with regard to behaviour in three schools over the past six years. Issues were largely due to inadequate teaching spaces and equipment.”
The FAQs state that “e-Sgoil has been the most scrutinised educational establishment in Scotland over the past six years” and make the following claim: “The data demonstrates clearly that learners perform as well, and in some cases better, when involved in remote learning than they do in traditional schools.”
EIS Western Isles secretary Karen Graham said: “Year on year we are told that our schools are ‘overstaffed’, which is why we have so many fixed-term staff regardless of their years of service. We are told voluntary redundancy is always open to teachers.
“Now we are being told there is not the appropriate breadth of subjects on offer. Our members want to ensure there is an equitable choice on offer for all of our pupils. That doesn’t mean their option should be digital learning, being left in a room without a registered teacher.”
Ms Graham also said: “Locally we have not been consulted on these proposals at all, despite the fact they seek to alter our members’ terms and conditions including workplace location. We have serious health and safety and child-protection concerns about these proposals. The Comhairle claims that parent council chairs are supportive of the proposals but we understand parent council chairs haven’t even been presented with the full proposals.
“The lack of consultation is disgraceful.”
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “This letter and FAQ shows a lack of understanding of the role of teachers, appropriate pedagogy, and the education authority’s statutory duties and responsibilities to pupils and seems to have missed the key learning point from the pandemic about the critical relationship between teacher and students. The proposals run counter to the ‘empowered schools’ agenda by removing autonomy from smaller secondary schools.”
Mr Flanagan said he was “gravely concerned” that the council did not speak to the local EIS association about these proposals, which had been “slipped out in a pre-election period” - a reference to May’s local elections.
He added: “The EIS represents the overwhelming majority of teaching staff across the Western Isles. Did the authority think we wouldn’t notice them diverting funds to remote learning and minimising the role of the professional, registered teacher?”
A Comhairle nan Eilean Siar spokesperson told Tes Scotland: ”The comhairle notes the comments from the EIS and will be considering them, and responding, in due course.”
