Revealed the 22 Dundee Schools Which Will Lose their Early Years Practitioners in Proposed Budget Cuts

The Head of Primary Education in Dundee has confirmed that the following 22 Primary Schools in Dundee will lose their Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) as proposed by the SNP administration of the Council. These staff will be removed from every one of of these schools in the proposed budget cuts for the year April 2014-March 2015.

These twenty two schools were previously chosen for these appointments on the basis of the challenge that many of their pupils experience in their learning. I think parents and carers whose children have a reading or maths group taken by an EYP will want to know how that work will be covered once their valued knowledge and skills are removed. 

Despite claims to the contrary by members of the Council Administration, these cuts will clearly reduce front line services in each of these schools:

1. Ardler
2. Craigowl
3. Sidlaw View
4. St Andrew's
5. St Fergus
6. Ballumbie
7. Fintry
8. Longhaugh
9. St Luke's and St Matthew's
10. Rowantree
11. Claypotts Castle
12. St Vincent’s
13. Camperdown
    
14. Gowriehill
15. St Clement’s
16. St Mary’s
17. Ancrum
18. Dens Road
    
19. Rosebank
20. St Peter and St Paul
21. Clepington
22. Our Lady’s

Commenting on the Proposed Loss of Early Years Practitioners from 22 Primary Schools in Dundee

On Monday Councillors received a copy of a letter sent by the Early Years Practitioners who work in 22 of our Primary Schools in Dundee. They are very concerned that as a budget saving their jobs in Primary Schools will disappear from June this year. 

In the SNP's budget proposals their jobs they will be cut from the primary schools and they will transferred to work in the nurseries to support more nursery hours for 3-5 year olds. This seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I think the Early Years Practitioners are right to be concerned on our behalf about a significant reduction in front line staff who work directly with children in our Primary Schools. The Early Learning Practitioners, many of whom are educated to degree level, work with reading groups and support children who otherwise might fall behind with their learning. On my recent visits to Primary Schools, I have seen at first hand the positive contribution they make supporting the teacher and the learning in our primary classrooms. For example; taking P1 reading groups involved in the new Read Write Inc reading programme. Some of these posts were established under the Raising Early Attainment in Dundee as long ago as 1997.  

This proposed cut will make it much harder to believe that the Council is committed to its Fairness Agenda and getting it right for every child.

Unfortunately, the SNP administration have a poor record on Primary Education. In their recent council budgets year after year they have removed teachers and staff concerned with children's learning in our Primary Schools.

I hope the letter from the Early Years Practitioners prompts the SNP administration of the Council to think again and find a way to withdraw this damaging 'saving' from their budget proposals.

Commenting on the SNP's Proposed Further Cuts in Dundee Primary Schools

Once again the SNP Administration have not spared our primary schools from their cuts announced late on Wednesday afternoon. 

At a time when the Primary School rolls are rising with 300 additional pupils expected across the the city in August this year, Primary Schools will have to make nearly half a million pounds of further savings on staff.

In addition, robbing many Primary Schools of their Early Years Practitioner so that they can be redeployed in Nursery Schools to help provide the extra nursery hours is robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

When I have visited Primary School recently Head Teachers have told me about the challenging agenda for change  they are leading in their schools including the Curriculum for Excellence and the new Read Write Inc programme and initiatives for numeracy as well. Along side this they will now be also expected to reduce their school's energy consumption by 5% in 2014/15 and a further 5% in 2015/16. While reducing waste seems like an obvious target for savings, many schools lack adequate controls on site for the school's heating system. It's difficult to be held responsible for expenditure over which you have limited practical control. Presumably a school that doesn't achieve its projected energy savings will have to reduce expenditure elsewhere in order to pay for the gas and electricity.

Many of these short term cuts will inevitably inflict long term damage in our schools. Dundee deserves better!

Time to Hear About Proposed Cuts in Dundee Schools

At the end of October, Councillor Ken Guild, the Leader of the Administration of the Council  publicly warned that: there were 'Unpleasant decisions' on the way as the Council finds £17 million of saving over the next two financial years.

More than two months later, we are no further forward learning what cuts Councillor Guild's SNP administration are bringing forward. Judging by the budget options Angus Council put out for public consultation in a survey in October, some of the options being considered in secret by SNP Councillors in Dundee may indeed be unpleasant and unpalatable. 

I understand that the Education Convener Councillor Stewart Hunter has arranged to meet the Chairs of Parent Council's about his proposed cuts on Thursday this week.

I think parents and carers in the city, teachers and support staff, along with opposition councillors like me also deserve proper advance warning of what is being contemplated so that we can scrutinise these and decide whether there are less damaging choices that should be considered. 

Councillor Hunter should also bring his Education budget cuts to the Education Committee where there are a number of external members including a senior pupil together with religious, trade union and parent representatives.