A national shake-up in Scotland’s classrooms should make Dundee City Council reconsider plans to introduce faculties in its schools, it has been claimed.
EIS branch secretary David Baxter said the new career pathways for teachers that will come into force from 2021 will supersede controversial plans to scrap principal teacher roles in favour of the new system.
Dundee City Council approved the high school faculties plans in February.
Under the proposals, schools would have eight faculty leaders rather than the 17 principal subject teachers they currently employ.
Principal teachers who do not get one of the newly created promoted roles would continue to receive their higher salary for three years.
However, this week an independent panel has recommended new “lead teacher” roles are created in schools.
These would be focused on areas such as curriculum and support for pupils with additional support needs.
The national advisory panel was asked to find ways to improve career progression for teachers.
Education secretary and deputy first minister John Swinney said: “Teaching is an attractive and rewarding profession, with more teachers in Scottish schools since 2010 and the student teacher intake increasing for three years in a row.
“We want to provide ways to nurture the tremendous amount of talent that exists in our schools and to do so we must continue to empower current teachers by increasing their options for progression, enabling them to carve their own career pathway.
“This report provides additional pathways for teachers to take at all stages of their careers.
“Opportunities for development alongside teaching responsibilities will allow valued current teachers to flourish and increase their skills in new directions, for greater job satisfaction and to enhance the learning experience for pupils.”
Mr Baxter said the proposal is for lead teachers to perform many of the same function as principal teachers so Dundee City Council should abandon its plans to scrap those roles.
He said the move was an acknowledgement that the introduction of faculties elsewhere in Scotland had been detrimental to teachers’ careers.
Mr Baxter said: “We saw an early draft of this report and it is talking about leaders of curriculum, which is just principal teachers to you and me.
“If there is going to be a paradigm shift in Scottish education then it seems like the worst possible moment for Dundee City Council to get rid of principal teachers.”
Mr Baxter also queried how much it will cost to introduce curriculum leaders while still paying principal teacher salaries.
“It’s a lot of money. Cuts will have to come somewhere and it is the pupils who will miss out,” he said.
