Commenting on Continuing Teacher Shortages in Dundee

According to the latest figures, Dundee Schools have begun the new school year with vacant teaching posts. While it is positive that, the figure is apparently less than this time last year, these shortages will undoubtedly put additional demands on our teachers as they provide cover. 

While the Director of Children and Families' Services and his staff should be congratulated for their efforts over the summer, it is clear that the supply of newly qualified teachers is currently insufficient to meet the demands in Dundee and throughout Scotland. 

The responsibility for this mess rests principally with the Cabinet Secretary for Education, in the Scottish Government, Angela Constance MSP. She will point to her recently increasing the intakes to teacher training courses, but she and her predecessors acted too slowly. As a result our teachers and pupils in our schools are paying the price.

Our pupils and teachers deserve better.

Better Budget Management by SNP Government Ministers Could Have Avoided Cuts in Schools Last Year

Click on image to enlarge

SNP Ministers at Holyrood underspent by almost half a billion pounds in 2013-14, according to a final out-turn report lodged at the Scottish Parliament the day after MSPs left for their Christmas holidays.

The government had £444 million left over from its £34.5bn budget last year, or 1.3 per cent of the total. This was the first time that an underspend had exceeded £350 million since the SNP came to power in 2007.

The underspend is usually less than one per cent. To get this into perspective, the projected underspend in the 20014/15 accounts for Dundee City Council is £45,000 (Dundee City Council, Policy and Resources Committee, 12 January 2014 - Revenue Monitoring Report). According to the Director of Corporate Services this represents 0.01% of the Council's net Revenue Budget for 2014/15. At a national level, the underspend by SNP ministers was proportionately 130 times larger. 

What a pity that these government ministers could not be as vigilant in deploying the cash that is available? 

Although the £444m will still be available for use this financial year, it means public services missed out unnecessarily on better funding in the last financial year.

The table above shows that, £165 million of the £444 million underspend by the Scottish Government in financial year 2013/14 was within the education budget. These were resources that could have poured into schools.

Across Scotland there are 4,000 fewer teachers in Scotland since the Nationalists took over and, in breach of their promise, primary school class sizes are bigger now not smaller. 

That £165m underspend on education was enough to employ 4,459 teachers, so they could have cancelled out their education cuts.

Worrying Claims Higher Maths Exam Was Dumbed Down

Earlier today a former senior examiner at the SQA has claimed that this year’s Higher Maths exam was ‘dumbed down’.

These are serious allegations and they come on the back of the departure of the senior Higher Maths examination team at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Concerns were previously expressed that the marking regime would be altered to ensure that pass rates didn’t fall and now we have an experienced examiner saying that standards have been significantly lower and the exam questions have been dumbed down. 

Pupils, parents and carers, employers and universities need to know that standards are being maintained and quality is not being compromised. This is the latest in a series of worrying reports about the Higher Maths exam. Mike Russell, the Education Secretary in the Scottish Government needs to explain just exactly what is going on and give an assurance that there is no 'grade inflation' going on behind the scenes. 

Scottish Labour also believes that the Education Committee of the Scottish Parliament should conduct an inquiry into this when the Parliament resumes in September. We can't afford to be complacent about maintaining the gold standard of our Scottish Higher examinations. 

More Cuts to Bus Services on Their Way

Earlier today The Herald reported that commuters face more cuts to local bus services following the Scottish Government’s under funding of the concessionary travel scheme.

It will be the Scottish Government’s fault that bus passengers face paying higher fares, but getting less of a service in return in 2013.

Buses are a real lifeline for many communities and residents in our city, particularly for those on low incomes and those people who do not have access to their own transport. For many elderly folk, their bus pass and access to a regular bus service is the difference between being cooped up at home or getting out.

If the SNP led Holyrood Government require bus operators to provide the same concessionary travel scheme with less money, on top of the cut to the bus operators' grant, then the consequences are clear - more fare hikes, more service cuts and more job losses.

It seems the Edinburgh government's intention is to make these cuts and to try to blame the bus companies, while at the same time refusing to support greater regulation of the bus industry. This approach means bus workers and those who rely most on bus services, usually those on lower incomes, will unfortunately pay the price.

Welcome for Funding Commitment for Rebuilding Baldragon Academy

I welcome the announcement made yesterday, by the Scottish Government, that the rebuilding of Baldragon Academy has been approved as part of the Schools for the Future programme. I know this will be welcomed by the Baldragon staff, pupils and  parents.

The current Baldragon Academy buildings are over 50 years old and pupils in the North West of the city deserve a Secondary School that is fit for the 21st Century. The original proposal by the Council included the replacement of Sidlaw View Primary School on the same campus and I hope that is part of what has been approved as well.

This really is a school for the future announcement as the government's letter makes it clear that Baldragon will not be among those schools with an accelerated start over the next 18 months. That might have been possible as the rebuilding of the school will be on another part of the Baldragon site. Unlike Harris Academy, there will be no need to decant pupils during the building of the replacement Baldragon Academy.

Ward Councillor Kevin Keenan said:

"As a local Councillor, I am very pleased that a new build Baldragon Academy received the approval of the Education Minister yesterday as part of the Government's Schools for The Future programme.

"I am, however, a little disappointed this Project is not within the first phase of funding, which would have seen a construction start within 12 to 18 months - delivering much needed jobs for Dundee's construction workers.

"It remains great news for the pupils, staff and parents along with the wider community as this new build will deliver a much improved learning environment and is therefore very welcome."

Gordon Wilson Agrees with my Criticism of SNP Government's Rail Strategy

I agree with Gordon.

In the Courier yesterday I noticed a prominent article drawing attention to the “embarrassing failure” of the Scottish Government’s Rail 2016 Strategy currently out for consultation. These withering words were from our former MP for Dundee East, the SNP's own Gordon Wilson.

I am pleased he has followed my lead in pointing out the disadvantages of this strategy for Dundee rail travellers. Read my concerns published on 23^rd November 2011.

More specifically, he says in his formal response to the Scottish Government's consultation, that the immediate priority is ensuring that East Coast trains from London continue through Fife, Dundee and Angus to Aberdeen. It is proposed that the services could terminate in Edinburgh with ScotRail taking over the rest of the journey north.
''This will leave Aberdeen and intermediate station passengers, laden with luggage for long-distance journeys, forced to travel in ScotRail's inadequate rolling stock and having to change trains and platforms in Edinburgh,''
''This will be a nightmare for families with young children, the elderly and disabled. It also downgrades the status of Aberdeen and Dundee within the transport network.”
''One would have thought that Transport Scotland would have been alive to the difficulties likely to be faced by travellers from Aberdeen, Dundee and Fife — all heavily populated areas — and would have argued the case for retention of the service.” "Instead, the contrary is true. The paper opens the gate to loss of the direct London service.”
"The service from Aberdeen gathers passengers at intermediate points like Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee and Fife. They are entitled to have their travelling interests considered by Scotland's transport agency when it formulates policy.'
Hear hear!
If like me and Gordon you think we should "hang on to what we've got" send in your response to the consultation - the closing date for responses is 20 February 2012. More information is available from the Scottish Government.