Stressed-out teachers in Fife are to be offered more support as they struggle to cope with the pressures of implementing the controversial Curriculum for Excellence.
At a special meeting of Fife Council today, which will decide the authority’s £800 million budget for 2014-15, the ruling Labour administration will propose £400,000 to support schools, subject-based departments and teachers as they introduce the new Higher exams this year.
The proposal comes after the council’s leadership ordered a survey of schools after Fife EIS contacted them in November.
Fife Council leader Alex Rowley and Fife Council education portfolio holder Bryan Poole met EIS representatives in December to hear their concerns about the levels of pressure that their members are under and the major difficulties still in place in getting prepared to introduce the new Highers in academic year 2014/15.
Recently-elected MSP Mr Rowley, who will chair today’s meeting before he stands down as council leader next week, said the Labour administration was concerned for teachers’ plight.
He said: “We are committed to Curriculum for Excellence but are concerned at the lack of clarity and support from the Scottish Qualifications Council (SQA) and Scottish Government.
“We are also concerned about the immense pressure our teachers are working under and whilst we will support schools with this additional monies to where possible introduce the Higher in the coming year, we are now clear that the decision on whether to move to the new Higher or remain with the existing one for a further year will be a decision that will be taken school by school and subject department by subject department based on what is in the best interest of the school pupils.”
The budget being proposed by Fife Council’s Labour Group at today’s meeting states: “Issues have been raised by the EIS around the amount of pressure that schools and individual departments are under in preparing for the new Higher through Curriculum for Excellence and an exercise was carried out in January that consulted teachers in secondary schools on a school by school basis to seek their views on where things are at.
“The decision on whether a school offers the current Higher or the new Higher will be made on a school by school basis and subject by subject basis however teachers have come back saying that they need support to develop materials, for cover for attending training and support events and there is a need to purchase text books, equipment, photo copying and course booklets.
“This funding will support teachers at this difficult time to improve the management of change in the new qualifications and recognises the imminence pressure they are working under.”
EIS Fife press officer David Farmer told The Courier if this proposal is approved by councillors it will be welcomed.
Confirming that implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence was taking its toll on Fife teachers, he said: “In the current financial climate £400,000 is quite a large sum of money.
“I think this year, the first year of National 4 and 5, the pressure on staff has been enormous.
“I can’t think of any year in the long period of time that I’ve been a teacher that there has been so much pressure. I can think of the Standard Grades being introduced way back, but I think there was more support.
“I agree that nationally there is a need for more support by the SQA and the Scottish Government.
“More materials are required. In a lot of subjects there have been delays in provision of assessment materials and that has not helped the pressure.
“We’ve had teachers having to come up with their own materials. Although things seem to have got better. The real fear though is going into the new Higher.”
Mr Farmer said it was clear from the Fife Council survey of schools that some departments were ready to go with Curriculum for Excellence but others weren’t. He said it was proving to be a particular challenge for science subjects.
He said there was a feeling amongst teachers that “a year of stability” was required and that the National 4 and 5 had to be “got right” before moving onto the new Higher especially when the same year group was involved.
He said the EIS had asked the Scottish Government for a year’s delay but this had been refused.
However, he acknowledged that against the wider budget pressures facing Fife Council and the Scottish Government, people had to be “grown up” about it.
Today’s Fife Council budget meeting will be told there is an estimated budget gap facing Fife Council of £4.9 million in 2014-15 rising to £43m in 2015-16 and £92m in 2017-18.
For full coverage of Fife’s budget decisions, see Friday’s Courier.