Based on figures supplied by the City Council Education Department:
There were 157 requests to the Council for supply cover from Dundee secondary schools since the school year began in August 2011.
I am very disappointed to learn that just under one in four of these requests were not filled (43 out of 157).
I am very disappointed to learn that just under one in four of these requests were not filled (43 out of 157).
Is this the unfortunate result of a money saving ploy, to reduce the wages of short term supply teachers, which has now backfired?
The requests for a supply teacher are made when a teacher is unavailable chiefly because of illness, and for other reasons such as bereavement, professional appointments , maternity leave and attending staff development sessions.
From August 2011, short-term supply teachers have been paid at £70 per day for the first five days of any deployment, and for a maximum of 25 hours (comprising 22.5 hours’ class-contact and 2.5 hours set aside for preparation and correction, pro-rata for those who work less than a full week). In the past, supply teachers were treated on a par with permanent teachers, and paid according to their length of service.
With the approach of important national exams, it is crucial that pupils are taught by the appropriate specialist subject teachers at all times. I would like to know if this is indeed the case when supply cover has been 'successfully' requested.
Parents and carers will be concerned that their children’s education will be suffering, especially if examination classes are affected running up to the SQA examinations in May.
The requests for a supply teacher are made when a teacher is unavailable chiefly because of illness, and for other reasons such as bereavement, professional appointments , maternity leave and attending staff development sessions.
From August 2011, short-term supply teachers have been paid at £70 per day for the first five days of any deployment, and for a maximum of 25 hours (comprising 22.5 hours’ class-contact and 2.5 hours set aside for preparation and correction, pro-rata for those who work less than a full week). In the past, supply teachers were treated on a par with permanent teachers, and paid according to their length of service.
With the approach of important national exams, it is crucial that pupils are taught by the appropriate specialist subject teachers at all times. I would like to know if this is indeed the case when supply cover has been 'successfully' requested.
Parents and carers will be concerned that their children’s education will be suffering, especially if examination classes are affected running up to the SQA examinations in May.
I am calling on the Education Convener to let parents and carers know whether she will:
- prioritise reducing the number of unfilled gaps in supply cover to an absolute minimum;
- urgently explore alternative and more effective ways of providing supply cover in our schools and
- avoid using the non filling of requests for supply as a way of making more savings.
Supply teachers provide a very valuable and important service to schools. It is clear that supply teachers need to be properly treated if we are to attract enough qualified teachers to cover for absent members of the permanent teaching staff in our schools.
