Budget to support ambitions of a new generation
A £34.5 million package to support thousands of additional employment, training and college places was announced yesterday as part of next year’s Scottish Budget.
Despite a £1.3 billion cut imposed on Scotland by the UK Government, the Budget will deliver a total of 46,500 training opportunities, invest an extra £15 million in college bursaries and boost college places by a further 1,200.
The Scottish Government will protect frontline services and:
- Invest a further £11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places – a record high for Scotland
- Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – 2,000 more than originally planned in the draft Budget
- Protect the total number of core university places and invest £8 million for an extra 1,200 college places
- Invest an additional £15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding for college bursaries
- Maintain the educational grants for pupils and college students most in need (Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs)) which were cut south of the border
- Guarantee a probation place for every newly-qualified teacher and provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12
- Maintain pupil teacher ratios in P1 to P3
- Create a new Early Years and Early Intervention Fund, with start-up funding of £5 million
Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
“This budget ensures all young Scots will get access to the education and training they need to find lasting, sustainable employment. Economic conditions are tough. Our budget was slashed by 1.3 billion pounds. Yet, this Budget does not allow our young people to become another lost generation. It drives investment to create opportunities which unleash the potential and support the ambitions of Scotland’s young people.”
“We remain committed to giving every child the best start in life, raising standards in teaching and learning, providing strong and better learning opportunities for school leavers, protecting access to education on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay, and supporting skills development that benefits current and future workforces.”
Read the full news release here.
12 comments
I have enquired previously about the ‘provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12′ issue.
I was under the impression from the reply I recieved from the cabinet secretary’s office that there would be enough places for post-probationers to compete for.
There is a clear difference between providing jobs and providing enough jobs for competition. Competition would only need 1 potential job.
Could this once again be clarified for me please?
Furthermore…
I would be willing to enter discourse with anyone from the Scottish Government over the issue I discussed in my previous post.
As both a young, enthusiastic, hard working probationer teacher and a young father I would like clear and present clarification on the realities of providing ‘enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12′ issue’.
Once again logic chopping of the first order from the Scottish Government- MR/COSLA can make all the promises they want but the value of these promises rings ever more hollow. They have failed to explain HOW they will provide sufficient places for ALL post-probationers and the NATURE of those jobs – 0.1 supply posts for all? The real shame is that come election this lot may get booted out (witness increased parent agitation about CfE, NEETS replacing class room assisstants etc) but it will only mean some other bunch of politicians will gallop in to politicise education.
Thank you for your comments.
I am pleased that since the budget detail was announced back in November, all of Scotland’s councils have now indicated that they are likely to take up the terms of the 2010 Spending Review agreement with COSLA. Councils have until 28 February to formally accept the terms of the agreement and if they do so they will ensure sufficient employment opportunities for all of the current 2800 probationer teachers leaving education training this year to compete for in the 2011-12 school year. Over and above this, councils will also be committed to providing additional posts to enable a reduction in longer-term teacher unemployment.
As you will no doubt be aware, teaching vacancies arise throughout the year in all of Scotland’s local authorities and recruitment to these vacancies will be in accordance with each council’s locally agreed procedures.
Michael Russell Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning
*This would be the Cabinet Secretary NOT answering the legitimate questions ONCE AGAIN!
*This would be the terms of the 2010 Spending Review that do NOT make clear the nature of ’sufficient employment opportunities for all the current 2008 probationers’?
*This would be the 2010 Spending Review that teachings have repeatedly asked for clarification on at SNCT meetings to NO avail from MRCOSLA?
*This would be the terms ‘competition’ and ‘reduction’ that will allow rapid back covering when many probationers are still unemployed by the end of 2011?
* This would be the ‘locally agreed policies’ that once again allow the Scottish Government to abrogate responsibility when things go wrong and blame councils, teachers, the wrong sort of snow, accidental misuse of email facilities etc?
*ULTIMATELY, this would be more FLANNEL, as substantial as a will o’ the wisp, and what timing – Scotland’s education system continues to financially crippled, professionally insulted and philosophically adulterated just when the Royal Society praised the pre CfE system!! Another own goal?
Thank your reply Mr Russell.
I would like to point out two quotes:
1) From the initial press release: ‘Guarantee a probation place for every newly-qualified teacher and provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12′
2) From your reply to my post: ‘… sufficient employment opportunities for all of the current 2800 probationer teachers leaving education training this year to compete for in the 2011-12 school year.’
I understand that it is up to councils to accept the COSLA deal. I also appreciate the efforts of the Scottish Government on the behalf of probationer teachers.
However, these two quotes are in stark contrast. Competition is different to a guarantee. This is an ‘either or’ scenario as the two points are incompatable. Could this be clarified? I will move forward regardless of which of these 2 scenarios comes to fruition. Although I would much prefer to know which of the two it is so I can apply my energies appropriately and best serve the young people of Scotland.
sbrown87
Thank you for your further comment and I am glad that you appreciate our efforts on behalf of probationer teachers.
I would like to assure you that the position is consistent.
The guarantee part of the commitment relates to places for all probationers, who require a place under the induction scheme in August 2011.
For all current probationers who successfully complete their probation in summer 2011, there will be at least 2,800 posts available for them to apply for.
This is a huge step forward and will mean we continue to make progress with reducing teacher unemployment
Michael Russell
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
Thank you for replying again Mr Russell.
I am glad to see that the commitment to the teacher induction scheme remains, it is both valuable and essential in the development of new teachers, as well as part of a national agreement framework.
The 2,800 posts are positive on paper. My hope is that in reality they are constructive vacancies, balanced across both the secondary and primary sectors and spread between the subjects in secondary. I also hope that they are evenly spread across all local authorities. Many probationers are settled, some (like myself) may have young children. For many, relocation is an unattractive option.
Those who are presently working so hard to meet the full standard for registration deserve the opportunity to apply their skills, enthusiasm and attributes in the classroom. Their inclusion in the work force can only benefit the pupils of Scotland. We are a at a crossroads for Scottish Education where positive long-term decisions must be taken for the right reasons and fully carried through.
Dear Mr Russell,
How do you reconcile the current economic climate and the fierce competition for ANY teaching post, i.e. a BBC article late last year that stated:
In total, 75,579 applications were made for 4,520 vacancies in 2009-10 – an average of about 17 for each position.
with providing the opportunity to compete for jobs.
Many schools are reducing the number of teachers that they have (usually by not replacing members who have retired or moved on) and doling out part-time temporary contracts, as we all wait for the probationer lottery to see what we can offer long term.
Surely its time for a rethink?
Dear Mr Russell,
While it is good that more opportunities to succeed are becoming available, what about the regulation of teachers after they are qualified.
I am a sixth year pupil of [name of] High School and I, amongst perhaps all of my fellow pupils, have had a share of teachers who can’t do what their paid to: teach.
For me this is perhaps the single greatest flaw of the education system: Some people succeed in getting a permanent position in a school, but lack the skills and qualities demanded by the position.
Because there is no regulation of the quality of teachers, many of these people fill jobs which would be better filled by newcomers to teaching who have the necessary attributes required of a teacher.
Ultimately, my question is, will there be (and if so, when) any implementation of a regulatory system of the quality of teachers?
P.S. I am aware that there are regular HMIe inspections, but the last inspection of [our] school focused largely on the behaviour of pupils, rather than the quality of teaching.
Edited by Community Manager (on community request)
There are a number regulatory systems in place for teachers : the school classroom observation system, line managers, the rector of the school, the local authority, the GTCS. if there is a perceived problem with the ability of a member of staff then this is the route to take.
PS. HMIe inspections are required to focus on the quality of the teaching as much (if not a lot more) than the behaviour of pupils.
rwhwebster
Thank you for your observations and your question relating to the quality of teaching in our schools.
I am on record as having said that I believe that here in Scotland we have hundreds of thousands of great pupils being taught by tens of thousands of great teachers in thousands of great schools – I stand by that statement.
However, I also accept that there are exceptions to this generality and that it is crucial that action is taken to address them.
As AnActualTeacher points out, primarily this is a matter for schools and local authorities to address. As in any walk of life it is for an employer to ensure that his or her employees are up to the job, and to take appropriate action if they are not.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) also has an important role here. They maintain a register of teachers and have powers relating to teacher competence under which they can investigate cases referred to them by employers. The Scottish Parliament is also currently considering new duties for the GTCS and these should be complete before the Parliament is dissolved later this month. One of the new provisions is a duty on the GTCS to make and publish a ‘re accreditation scheme’. This will have the effect of ensuring that all teachers are required to continue to develop their skills and knowledge and demonstrate that they maintain the relevant teaching standard throughout their careers. The GTCS are already working on the details of this.
Michael Russell
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning