Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Teachers’ union threatens action over new exams

Teachers are threatening action over new Higher exams.
Teachers are threatening action over new Higher exams.

Teachers in Angus, Aberdeenshire and Clackmannanshire could join Dundee colleagues in taking strike action over the implementation of new Higher exams.

The Courier revealed in February Dundee teachers could make the move amid fears the new system is being rushed through.

General secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) Larry Flanagan has demanded individual school department heads are allowed to delay, which has been offered to schools by education minister, Mike Russell.

He said those councils that do not offer that option could face the walk-outs.

In a letter sent to the education committee Mr Flanagan alleges 11 local authorities are taking a “unilateral approach”.

The list includes Angus, Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire and Dundee.

A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “There is no unilateral position, quite the opposite.

“The head teacher, working with staff and parents, is best placed to determine the Higher qualifications that will meet the needs of the young people in each school.”

An Angus Council spokesman said its schools are moving to the new Higher “in almost all cases in 2014-15”.

“Decisions are taken jointly by secondary head teachers and senior officers of the council and are always done while considering the best interests of our young people.”

A spokeswoman for Clackmannanshire Council said: “Any subject areas that have causes for concern will be supported towards a resolution that is in the best interest of our pupils.”

A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “Dundee City Council is committed to offering the new Higher across all our secondary schools in 2014-15.

“The education department is working closely with staff and unions and discussions are ongoing about these changes to the exam system.”

Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith has urged the Scottish Government to intervene in the stand-off between the EIS and councils.

She said: “It is head teachers and departmental heads who are best placed to decide when to implement the new exams.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Decisions can be made to retain the existing Higher for a year where it is in the professional judgment of the teacher to be in the best interests of their pupils, and agreed in consultation with the school, local authority and parents.

“Local authorities have developed robust procedures to ensure that decisions on whether to use the existing or new higher in 2014-15 are being made in the best interests of young people and in consultation with their parents.”