Worried parents from the Rosneath Peninsula met Education Secretary Angela Constance yesterday to discuss plans to cut teacher numbers.
The meeting was organised by Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie, whose investigation showed that Argyll and Bute Council was bringing in a net reduction of almost five full-time primary teachers in the Helensburgh and Lomond area compared to last year.
The peninsula is worst hit – despite their school rolls rising, Rosneath, Garelochhead and Kilcreggan are losing almost four full-time teachers – but Luss and St Joseph’s are also affected.
Parents are worried that their children’s education will be affected by the cuts, with some composite classes including three year groups.
Earlier this year First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a deal had been brokered all of Scotland’s local authorities to maintain teacher numbers this year, but in Argyll and Bute numbers will drop in Helensburgh and Lomond’s schools while remaining stable across the wider region.
Jackie accused the council of breaking the spirit of the agreement and asked the Education Secretary to intervene to maintain teacher numbers locally
The Cabinet Secretary said the decision was ultimately a matter for local authorities but welcomed the opportunity to listen to parents’ concerns – she also agreed to instruct research into the effects of multi-composite classes on pupil attainment.
After the meeting Jackie said: “I welcome the dialogue with the Cabinet Secretary and it was clear that she shared some of our concerns regarding the council’s lack of consultation with local parents.
“While she said that she would not be able to personally intervene to reverse the decision, she did provide some assurance to the parents in attendance that her officials would continue to liaise with Argyll and Bute Council.
“I already made my opposition clear to the council’s plans during a meeting I held with parents and council officials earlier in the summer.
“I hope that after hearing the concerns of local parents the Scottish Government will take a more pro-active approach to ensuring that its flagship teacher numbers policy is implemented evenly by local authorities.
“It is completely unfair that Helensburgh and Lomond will see a net loss of almost five teachers, despite the growth in the school roll, while numbers of teachers in other areas of Argyll and Bute are increasing.”
Veronica Ferguson from Kilcreggan Primary School’s Parent Council said:
“Although the Scottish Government has set aside £41m to maintain teacher numbers, this is across individual local authorities so in Argyll and Bute their decision means that some schools will gain whilst others lose out.
“It is clear that the peninsula has lost out. Whilst Argyll and Bute has not broken the agreement they signed with the Scottish Government, as the overall number of teaching posts will remain the same, it is difficult to accept and understand that they can allow this to happen.
“We hope to see some research into how multi composite classes affect learning and also anticipate the new Assessment Toolkit for the Curriculum for Excellence being implemented.
“Our MSP Jackie Bailie was as supportive as any constituent could wish for and shared our frustrations and concerns for our semi-rural schools.”
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