Meeting of the Parliament 15 May 2019
I do not accept Oliver Mundell’s point. The Education and Skills Committee has already carried out an inquiry into the issue, so I am not sure why he thinks that it has not been on the Government’s agenda.
I turn to teacher retention. On previous occasions in the chamber, I have highlighted my own frustrations about the lack of power that I had, as a faculty head, to appoint staff because I had to take someone on as “surplus”. Even when a permanent appointment could be made, I was not able to interview candidates. That is why teacher empowerment is so important.
In Scotland, we are now moving from a top-down system—from the local authority level—to a collegiate one that focuses on teacher agency. That is exactly what the Education and Skills Committee heard in the evidence that was given at its meeting this morning. Part of that shift will be supported by regional improvement collaboratives, but the rest must come from the profession. Opportunities for continuing professional development will be vital in that respect, and local authorities must also play their part. For example, in 2011, I undertook a qualification through the University of Dundee to obtain credits in history and so become qualified to teach two subjects. My then employer, the City of Edinburgh Council, part-funded that qualification as an investment in me as an aspiring faculty head, and that meant that I was retained, because my opportunities to develop were not curtailed.
On the other hand, we also need to look at the practicalities of timetabling CPD opportunities. I well recall that, at about this time eight years ago, at the same time as I had lead responsibility for organising our school’s annual S3 trip to London, I was knee deep in marking for Scottish Qualifications Authority exams and had to complete a history assignment. Creating opportunities that allow staff to flourish, particularly in secondary teaching, depends largely on timetabling those opportunities appropriately. As my fellow secondary teachers will know, teaching staff have always regarded the month of May as an excellent time in the school calendar. Pupils are on study leave, so May means that staff have a chance to catch up and plan for the year ahead—that they have time.
We must also discuss progression pathways for teachers. Last week, the Education and Skills Committee heard evidence about the faculty structure narrowing promotional opportunities for classroom teachers. Although pay is undoubtedly important, if we want to retain talent, we must give folk somewhere to go. We have pupil pathways, so what about having pathways for teachers?
Time is short, so I will conclude by quoting Professor Andy Hargreaves, who, earlier this year, told the Education and Skills Committee about the importance of stability of government when committing to deliver educational reform. He said:
“Singapore does not have a democracy as we would understand it and so has complete stability of government ... we can get such stability through cross-party agreement and consensus that education is above political infighting—that is pretty much what there is in Finland. In that respect, I urge you not to be like Singapore but perhaps to be a little more like Finland.”—[Official Report, Education and Skills Committee, 30 January 2019; c 16.]
Perhaps today’s debate is an opportunity to do just that and to put the pedagogy above the politics. We can but hope.
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