Targeting Excellence - Modernising Scotland's Schools

Management Structures and Pay

18. Teachers' pay and conditions of service are determined separately from other local government employees through the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff in School Education (SJNC). This is a body established by legislation that brings together representatives of the education authorities, as employers, and the teacher unions. As the SJNC was set up by statute, its settlements also have the force of law, giving them a status which goes further than that of agreements reached by other employers and employees including others in local government. Agreements reached by the SJNC have proved difficult to alter.

Current Terms and Conditions

Teachers have a working year of 195 days (190 for pupils) and a working week, for planning purposes and to prevent the imposition of excessive workloads, of 35 hours.

Teachers must spend 27.5 hours per week at school under the overall direction of the headteacher with a maximum class contact time of 25 hours (23.5 in secondary schools).

In addition, teachers are asked to work up to an additional maximum of 30 hours per year for parents' meetings and up to 50 hours for planned activities related to the wider educational needs of the school, including training and inter-school liaison. Of these 50 hours not less than 40% are to be allocated to meet personal professional development needs.

The maximum size of class that teachers are required to take is also laid down.

19. In recent years, the SJNC has been unable to update teachers' conditions of service as employers would wish or to deliver the salary increases that teachers would like. Negotiations are, however, now underway against the background of the recent report of the joint teacher union and COSLA review Public Education in Scotland in the Millennium. We welcomed that report for its endorsement of a number of key principles which echo the Government's assessment. In particular the report recommends more flexible management structures and local bargaining. We hope that the Millennium Review principles will now be developed into practical proposals for implementation through the SJNC.

20. Local authorities and teachers' leaders must ensure a high quality education service for Scotland which delivers high and improving standards of effective teaching and learning in all schools. Teachers' pay, conditions of service and the staffing structures in schools should all be aimed at achieving that objective. In particular this means that Teachers' pay should be at a level to recruit, retain and motivate high quality staff The management structure in schools should be sufficiently flexible to meet the particular needs of the school concerned Teachers should not be employed on tasks that could more appropriately be undertaken by others There should be opportunities for career advancement for teachers, especially teachers of acknowledged excellence, who wish to continue to deploy their skills in the classroom The structure of pay and conditions of service should be designed to promote and reward effectiveness in teaching and school management Additional pay for teachers should be linked to modernisation and the quest for higher standards.

21. The SJNC has accepted these principles, and negotiations are currently under way to see if agreement can be found to put them into practice. The Government believe that change in pay, promotion structures, and terms and conditions is needed if teachers, the most expensive and important resource available in education, are to continue to make a fully professional contribution to meeting the learning needs of pupils in individual schools, taking full account of local circumstances.

22. While there are some flexibilities in the existing system, they are neither clearly recognised, nor widely used. In too many cases, the best teachers are having to leave the classroom to achieve promotion and higher pay. A new system should relate pay better to the job people actually do, and encourage a commitment to the raising of standards.

23. There has been much debate about the future role of the SJNC and whether it can deliver a system of pay and conditions which will be able to cope with the challenges facing a profession at the heart of a modern society. In particular, matters which bear on the effective and professional delivery of a first class school education should be discussed at the level where they are most relevant.

24. Pay arrangements and management structures should allow success to be rewarded and encourage the introduction of flexible measures where they are needed, for example in allowing innovative approaches to under-performance in particular schools. There is a case for saying that local authorities should be able to design innovative new posts with appropriate pay levels to attract the best teachers to work in under-performing schools without undermining national pay agreements; and it should be possible to identify and reward those teams of teachers in schools where a particular effort has been made to improve quality and attainment.

25. We wish to see discussion as to whether there is scope for increased decision taking on management issues at school level. Ideally, each school should be able to determine the right management arrangements for its circumstances, within a financial and policy framework set by the local authority as the employer. Local arrangements should reflect local circumstances and, in particular, the needs of pupils. There has always been theoretical flexibility within the SJNC terms and conditions for local variation: we would like that to become a real flexibility with real discretion accorded to the headteacher in line with his management and leadership responsibilities.

26. One of the issues which any pay negotiating machinery must consider is how best to identify and reward excellence.

27. There are important issues about how 'excellence' might be defined and assessed within the teaching profession, how to recognise and reward it, how equality of opportunity and fair treatment are ensured, and how to balance and spread financial and non-financial rewards. Any scheme under which pay varies in relation to achievement must also be integrated within an overall pay system which is able to attract, retain and motivate a high quality teaching profession. That is the challenge for the SJNC.

28. The Government therefore intend to Consult on the machinery for determining teachers pay and conditions of service with a view to ensuring that it is the most effective possible. It is important to ensure of course that any arrangements are able to take account of the interests of all the stakeholders in the system. The consultation will address the future role of the SJNC and possible alternatives; and it will of course be informed by the progress of the current negotiations Consult urgently on the modernisation of the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 which governs promoted posts in schools and other school management issues. This would involve removing any parts which are no longer relevant, which detract from schools' attempts to raise attainment, or which inhibit schools or education authorities in their pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency. We have no intention of allowing outdated central regulation to stand in the way of more flexible and relevant working practices.

Making the Best Use of Teachers' Skills

29. The Government's aim is to encourage excellent teachers to remain in the classroom. This is likely to mean offering teachers financial rewards for excellent performance and providing opportunities to take on a higher level and perhaps extended range of tasks in support of the planning and delivery of teaching - but without them having to move into a management grade.

30. There are already Senior Teacher posts in Scottish schools. These were established following the Main Review in order to provide classroom teachers with a promotion avenue which would allow them to continue to use their skills in the classroom. This approach is widely considered to have failed, not through any fault of the teachers concerned, but because of a failure to address other management and administrative pressures on schools which has led to Senior Teachers often being used in a management rather than a teaching capacity. Any new proposals need to be more soundly based. The Millennium Review suggested a number of possible approaches to recognising high quality teaching skills through the pay and promotion structure and we look forward to a positive outcome from the negotiations.

31. In the short term, we intend to consult on the design and development of the standards which would denote an excellent teacher and how these standards should relate to the proposed new framework for training and development.

32. We have also Invited education authorities to pilot, in 1999/2000, alternative approaches to retaining good teachers in the classroom: these pilots would inform Scottish Ministers of the introduction of a general model in 2000 Made available funds within the Excellence Fund and within the totals agreed in last year's Comprehensive Spending Review for the national implementation of new arrangements from 2000/2001 onwards.

Meeting Professional Standards

33. The vast majority of Scottish teachers are highly committed and professional in their approach, but as in every walk of life there are some who, for a variety of reasons, fall short of the necessary standard. All professions need firm but fair mechanisms to address this issue in ways which will command public support and enhance the status of the profession. Following consultation with the profession and education authorities, we have identified the need to develop a better system for acting in circumstances where a teacher does not meet the necessary standard. An improved system should look to best practice elsewhere.

34. We have already referred to the need to modernise teachers terms and conditions for the benefit of the profession as well as school education. It is not in the interests of the profession to retain in employment teachers who are not capable of meeting professional standards. Current arrangements which require dismissal by the education committee of a local authority are cumbersome, unpredictable and can be unfair. There are no similar arrangements for other local authority workers and teachers have no right of appeal to any body within the local authority.

35. It seems quite evident that a less cumbersome - but still fair - method of dismissal should be devised. In the Government's view the responsibility should lie clearly with the Director of Education as the chief official responsible for the education service but that there should be a right of appeal to a small committee of senior elected members and officials. Clearly new procedures will have to take into account the existing contractual and legal background and the Government hope that they can be introduced with the support of both teachers and employers.

36. The Government will therefore Set out in more detail proposals for improved procedures in a consultation paper to be issued shortly Initiate a wide ranging study by HM Inspectors (together with COSLA/Accounts Commission) of the application of existing disciplinary procedures, how and when they are used and to what effect Suggest that the Scottish Parliament consider legislation to give the GTC the power to de-register dismissed teachers where the case had been referred to the Council by the education authority because it raised sufficiently serious concerns about the individual's fitness to be a teacher.

Role of the General Teaching Council

37. The General Teaching Council for Scotland was established in 1965 to improve the professionalism of Scottish teachers by setting standards for entry to the profession and ensuring that courses of initial teacher education led to the attainment of these standards. The decision to establish it was a far sighted one and the GTC has come to command considerable support within the profession. The Council's success in achieving the aims set for it is widely recognised and the Government wishes to ensure that it can adjust to the changing circumstances of Scottish teaching in the years to come. The GTC has a role as the Government's advisory body on education and training for teachers and the regulator of entry to the profession. Specific new tasks for the GTC have been described elsewhere in this White Paper, namely Drawing up a standard for the completion of probation Consideration of de-registration of teachers dismissed for incompetence.

38. The GTC has long held the view that its remit should be extended beyond probation, into the area of teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD). We have said that we will consider this and respondents to the consultation on a framework for CPD supported a role for the GTC in this area. We will be considering a number of possible options, including A role in advising the Scottish Ministers on a framework of standards and how they should be implemented and monitored; provision of guidance to education authorities and schools and dissemination of best practice Accreditation of in-service training courses and awarding work-based qualifications Keeping a central record of teachers' CPD as part of registration data.

39. We wish to take an in-depth look at the issues raised by a possible extension of the GTC's role. We therefore announced on 7 December that a review of the GTC's functions and organisation will be carried out by consultants. Any changes which require legislation will need to be decided upon in time for inclusion in early legislation in the Scottish Parliament. The reviewers have therefore been asked to report by the end of April.

The Teacher of the Future

40. In this chapter, we have set out our intentions on a wide and diverse range of issues related to the support and modernisation of the teaching profession. We wish to build on the work which we and others have begun, supporting the work of teachers towards our shared target of consistently excellent teaching in all our classrooms.

41. In the Scotland of the 21st century just as throughout this century the teacher will be central to the health of our society. Teachers are role models for children and young people at all stages of development and in all walks of life. The position and status of the Scottish teacher should be improved and enhanced: they should be, as in the past, members of the local community whose values, attitudes and views are sought and respected. Their central role will remain the development of knowledge, skills and values in children and young people. The profession must be modernised without losing the traditional values of the Scottish teacher so that it can meet the need for teachers who Are the products of high quality professional and academic initial teacher education Have proven themselves through a structured, demanding and worthwhile period of probation Take responsibility for assessing their own performance and take the initiative in pursuing opportunities to improve their performance and advance their careers through training and development Are dedicated to continuing professional development in order to maintain and enhance their expertise in teaching skills and their knowledge of their subject(s) Manage and develop themselves, their colleagues, classroom assistants, other non-teaching staff and volunteers as well as pupils in their care Make good use of Information and Communication Technology and the broad range of other teaching aids Communicate effectively and work in partnership with parents Work in a network of the wider community, professionals from other areas of education, and other sources of professional and specialist support to enhance children's learning, development and welfare.

42. The Scottish teacher will be a professional working alongside other professionals and supported by classroom assistants, other non-teaching staff and volunteers. Pay should be commensurate with teachers' training, experience and professionalism. More teachers should be enabled to stay in the classroom more of the time without this reducing their opportunities to progress into higher paid posts. Management structures in schools should be incorporating, where appropriate, non-teaching professionals who can bring recognised knowledge and experience into schools. The Government's vision for modernisation is of a teaching profession founded on the strengths of the past and present, and adapted to meet the challenges of the future. This is a vision which we hope the whole profession can share.

Summary/Conclusion

Targeting Excellence in Teaching

Action Underway

Improving initial teacher education Developing standards for full registration with the General Teaching Council Investment of £3m over three years for the training and development of probationer teachers All teachers will receive a performance review by June 1999 Preparing for the launch of the Scottish Qualification for Headship this year A study of the application of existing disciplinary procedures for teachers Review of the General Teaching Council and its functions

Next Steps

New arrangements for a coherent induction programme for probationer teachers Establishing a framework for continuing professional development for teachers Making the Scottish Qualification for Headship mandatory for aspiring heads Consulting on the machinery for determining teachers' pay and conditions of service Modernising the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 Implementing proposals to keep excellent teachers in the classroom Consulting on new arrangements for dismissal of teachers Giving the GTC the power to de-register teachers who have been dismissed by local authorities and cannot meet professional standards