Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont MSP Expresses Concern that Council is Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

© Dundee Courier Tuesday 4 March 2014

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Yesterday, I accompanied Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont MSP and Jenny Marra MSP to two meetings about the plight of the Early Years Practitioners that currently work in twenty two Primary Schools in Dundee. In the Council's budget meeting last month, SNP Councillors bulldozed through proposals to move these staff from working in P1-3 classes so that they could make up the numbers of staff required in nursery schools. This was despite Dundee Labour Councillors proposing a budget amendment which would have kept the Early Years Practitioners in their Primary School posts.

The first meeting was at St Andrew's RC Primary School where Johann met Michael Wood, Director of Education; David Dorward, Chief Executive, Lina Waghorn, Head of Primary Education and Avril Barnett the Acting Head Teacher at St Andrew's. Following that meeting, Johann's response to the Courier is detailed in the article above. 

In the early evening, Johann Lamont, Jenny Marra and I attended a meeting with the Early Years Practitioners at a meeting convened by UNISON. What struck me was how highly motivated and dedicated these Early Years Practitioners are. Unlike many disputes, this group of trade unionists are not campaigning for their jobs, rather they are campaigning for the continuation of their roles in Primary School classrooms. While they have been promised continuing employment working in nursery classes from August this year, their concern is for the children with whom they currently work who will miss out when they are withdrawn from their primary schools at the end of June. Their removal will represent a cut in the front line staff working directly with children in primary school classrooms. 

I am sure that pupils, parents and carers and class teachers will notice the difference when their Early Years Practitioner is withdrawn. Link to the list of twenty two Primary Schools that will lose their Early Years Practitioner in June 2014. The last word should go to Johann, "I don't think this kind of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' is the way to address our education provision."

Ardler Primary School and Nursery Class - Inspection Report 19 March 2013

On Wednesday, Her Majesty's Inspectors of Education (HMIe) published their report of their inspection visit to Ardler Primary School and Nursery Class.

The report identified that the school and nursery class had many strengths and areas where they have been making significant progress.

It also identified three key areas for improvement:

• Improve arrangements for meeting children’s needs at the primary stages;
• Improve primary-aged children’s attainment in reading and writing and
• Use self-evaluation in a focused way to secure further improvements in learning, teaching and curriculum development.

The report concluded that:
'.... the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements. Our Area Lead Officer along with the local authority will discuss the most appropriate support in order to build capacity for improvement, and will maintain contact to monitor progress. We will return to evaluate aspects of provision and the progress in improving provision within twelve months of publication of this letter. We will then issue another letter to parents on the extent to which the school has improved.'

Parents and Carers with children at Ardler Primary School will want to be reassured that the Council will now provide the 'additional support' required and explain how the areas for improvement. will be progressed.

In October 2012, the Inspection Report on St Andrew's RC Primary School was published and that report also indicated that the school required 'additional support' from the Council.

I think it is significant that both Ardler Primary School and St Andrew's RC Primary School lost a Depute Head Teacher in the SNP's budget cuts introduced in April 2011. Now we are seeing the effect of this and other cutbacks in our schools. When these budget savings were announced, I warned that these short term cuts would cause long term damage.

Link to Ardler Primary School and Nursery Class HMI Report