Some 300 recently qualified teachers have sent a letter to education secretary John Swinney today, in which they say “you have turned your back on us”.

They tell him that while the recent decision to guarantee a year of employment to newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) was “fantastic” for that cohort, “it is also incredibly divisive, cruel and discriminating to the rest of the teaching sector and, in particular, supply teachers”.

The teachers write: “You have turned your back on us. We, the hundreds of temporary teachers who have worked tirelessly, before and during the Covid-19 crisis, to support the education of the Scottish nation’s schoolchildren and the policies of the Scottish government through these difficult times.

“We ask that you take cognizance of our situation as a matter of urgency before we are left without posts and income due to your recent decision to provide full-time contracted employment to NQTs.”

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The letter states: “Working through this pandemic has been an ordeal for everyone involved and, as teachers, we have come together to ensure our pupils’ wellbeing has been placed at the forefront of all our endeavours. However, despite our commitment and personal sacrifice in support of the sector and the government’s policies, our own wellbeing has been ignored and has thus suffered immensely.”

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It adds: “On the very last week of this extremely trying term, Mr Swinney, you made an announcement which essentially rendered us jobless. Whilst providing NQTs with a year of employment is fantastic for the enthusiastic cohort who have made it through their most difficult year, it is also incredibly divisive, cruel and discriminating to the rest of the teaching sector and, in particular, supply teachers.”

300 Scottish RQTs have penned an open letter to the DFM -
Mr Swinney, if you need ALL teachers to support and nurture our children following the impact of lockdown, please explain why that does not include us?#theyneedustoohttps://t.co/xAPSqkS63o@JohnSwinney @NicolaSturgeon pic.twitter.com/JZ3d8XahLP

- Miss Gemma Munro ✿ (@MissGemmaMunro) July 2, 2020

The letter also states: “There are currently hundreds of us who have struggled to secure permanent employment in the sector since qualifying.

“In March 2019, many of us were delighted when we passed our interviews for a permanent teaching post, only to be advised as late as July to apply for supply work as there were no permanent posts available.”

It adds: “This is not the first time that the lack of permanent teaching vacancies has been raised. Your decision on the last week of term to guarantee NQTs a year of full-time employment has effectively rendered the existing supply teachers as second-class citizens with very limited opportunity for employment. To be clear, this is a situation that existed well before Covid-19 and will be an issue every year until change occurs. Permanent jobs are rarely advertised, as councils favour temporary contracts, which they cut short by as little as two weeks to avoid having to offer permanency (no rewards for loyalty here!).”

The letter concludes: “We are asking to be placed on an equal footing with our teaching colleagues with whom we share an equal commitment and passion for a role we have trained many years for.

“We implore you to review the recruitment process for Scottish teachers. We have made a personal commitment to this profession and the pupils that we educate and nurture. We should not be cast aside as a cost-cutting measure.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Teachers are working incredibly hard to support pupils through these extraordinary times. We value, and thank, all teachers for their professional contribution.

“We want schools to return to normality as soon as it is safe to do so. We will need all possible teaching resources at our disposal over the next year to compensate for any loss of learning suffered during lockdown, as well as to bring much needed resilience to the education system at this challenging time. We are working with local authorities to establish what additional staff are needed. Once we know that, we will take steps to meet that demand.”