Council in teacher number pledge as strike closes schools

West Dunbartonshire council has defended its proposals to restructure school management under faculty heads as teachers strike in the region, maintaining the reforms will not affect teacher numbers.

The action by teaching union EIS is a response to the introduction of cost-saving plans to reduce the number of specialist principal teachers and replace them with faculty heads which would oversee a number of subjects.

The idea has been implemented in many other local authority areas in Scotland.

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In a letter to parents Terry Lanagan, the council’s executive director of educational services, said the plans had been drawn up in consultation with teachers.

“The structures maintain teacher numbers, reduce the number of Depute Head Teachers in 4 of the 5 schools, will remove the variations that currently exist within secondary schools in West Dunbartonshire and will establish a standard model of curriculum leaders across all 5 schools.

“The structure is similar to what already exists in most Councils across Scotland, although we will retain a higher number of deputes and principal teachers than is the case in many Councils,” he said.

However in a ballot of EIS members in West Dunbartonshire, 88 per cent supported industrial action.

The union’s general secretary Larry Flanagan said the strike was a last resort.

“The move to a so-called Faculty structure would result in a loss of specialist leadership in subject departments, and a diminution of the support available to teachers and pupils alike. This would lead to an increase in the already severe workload of class teachers, and a loss of departmental leadership and support for pupils in areas such as meeting SQA assessment requirements and preparation for external examinations.

“Added to this, the Council’s plans to cut Pastoral care posts would have a disproportionate negative impact on more vulnerable pupils and on those young people who require specialist additional support to make the most of their learning.”