Principal teachers in Dundee high schools are being asked how they would like to “delete” their own jobs, it has been claimed.
Councillors in Dundee approved plans to end the current system of having principal subject teachers in each secondary school earlier this year.
They will be replaced by new faculties where one teacher will be given responsibility for a group of subjects.
Schools have been asked to submit their proposals for how their faculties may look by June 21.
A council document suggesting possible faculties in schools hinted most subjects will be grouped thematically.
But in some schools the local authority has suggested grouping together unrelated subjects like physical education and home economics.
In others, it is suggested PE would form part of an “expressive arts” faculty, alongside drama, music and art.
Dundee EIS secretary David Baxter said: “We are rushing towards starting faculties, with Dundee City Council doing nothing to clear the way.
“We are still in dispute and lack the educational rationale for how faculties will drive up attainment.
“Part of the principal teacher’s job is quality assurance. If you are not a subject specialist how can you provide that quality assurance?”
“The fact is principal teachers have been asked how they would like their jobs deleted.”
Dundee Lochee councillor Michael Marra said: “The SNP cynically avoided the scrutiny of the independent experts on the education committee by railroading through this significant change under the cover of their annual budget cuts.
“We don’t really know how any of this will work and neither do parents or our teachers.
“The bizarre combinations of some subjects is inevitable and has happened wherever this system has been implemented.
“It ends up with, for example, art teachers being led by PE teachers who do not have the first clue about their subjects, curriculum or budgets.
“I have spoken with teachers from across Scotland and I am yet to hear one good thing about faculties.”
But children and families services convener Stewart Hunter said Dundee is the only local authority in Scotland without faculties.
He said: “It is absolutely right that headteachers and schools lead this process using their professional judgement and it is absolutely right that staff are consulted throughout the whole process. I’m sure Mr Baxter would be the first to complain if we imposed a structure on schools without doing so.
“I fully respect that the EIS’ primary concern with the proposal is that it will see the number of management posts in schools decrease and the impact that this will have on principal teachers who are unsuccessful in applying for the faculty posts.
“However, we need to start being honest.
“While we have made significant improvements on secondary school attainment, exam results and positive destinations in the last 10 years, the recent attainment report showed that for the first time in a number of years we had a decrease in those indicators.
“The data from our comparators, all of whom use faculties, shows they are doing better than us.
“Faculties is just part of a series of measures that we are implementing to improve our results in secondary schools.
“The attainment report showed that our investment in the Early Years and Primary is starting to pay off. We need to do the same in our secondary schools.
“Our young people deserve nothing less.”
