Retired Dundee supply teachers called 'selfish'
A current teacher has claimed "selfish" recently retired teachers in Dundee are restricting the job prospects of newly-qualified teachers by going back to do supply work.
- By Graeme Strachan
- Published in the Courier : 08.09.10
- Published online : 08.09.10 @ 03.42pm
New graduate teachers have been frustrated at the limited amount of work available to them because retired teachers on pension continue to head the classroom.
Last year 46 retired teachers were on Dundee City Council's supply list, and 45 were used.
Ninety Dundee teachers bade farewell in July after taking "enhanced early retirement" as part of the local authority's efforts to cut £1m from the city's education budget. Some are now back in the classroom at the same school.
One teacher, who asked not to be named, said, "I think it's pretty selfish of a retired teacher with a good pension to take up these supply roles for extra pocket money when they know how hard it is for a newly-qualified teacher to get full-time work or even work as a supply teacher."
Nearly 1000 retired teachers were used for supply work in Scotland in the last year, including 45 of the 46 retired teachers on the supply list in Dundee.
Labour group spokesman on education Laurie Bidwell said he now wants to know how many people who left in July are "now coming back with substantial supply work."
"I have heard complaints that in some schools senior members of staff have taken the early retirement package, gone on privileged terms, and are back now doing supply.
"People are saying that seems to be unfair, although it has to be said that people with experience, particularly in their own school, can probably slot in very easily.
"If you are someone who has been a head of department or a depute you can come in and you know the school and you can perhaps turn your hand to quite a number of things which would be more of a challenge to someone who has just finished a newly qualified (probationer) teacher year."
Mr Bidwell believes there is an equity issue about how the council is dealing with supply in some cases.
He said there's still a backlog of appointments to senior posts following the retirals, which means quite a number of schools have got teachers standing in while a proper appointment is made.
"That's something the council needs to address because the rationale for paying staff in enhanced early retirement was that this would be good for the council's budget.
'Promising teachers'
"The danger is we will have a lost generation of promising new teachers."
A freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrats revealed that at least 933 retired teachers were brought back to the classroom in Scotland during the last academic year.
It has also revealed that councils across Scotland have at least 2472 retired teachers on file who have registered their willingness to carry out supply work.
Dundee City Council has one of the best records in Scotland this summer for employing probationer teachers — but it has still been able to find permanent posts for less than two-fifths of them.
There were 64 probationers in city schools last term-29 in primary and 35 in secondary. Permanent posts were offered to 20 of the primary teachers and 10 of those in secondary.
One of the probationers was offered a temporary contract and a further 12 are on the supply list.
09.37pm - 08.09.2010 Cas Wright - Grangemouth, Scotland Report This
It's happening all over Scotland. Falkirk and Stirling Council retire Teachers on a Friday and start them on "supply" on a Monday! Young teachers don;t get a look in.
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