Scottish class size reduction

organic_wanabe

My husband teaches in an Edinburgh Secondary that is about to be replaced by a new-build PPP school which is currently being built on the playing fields. They have been told that the move will take place in the February week even although the staff have warned that the Standard Grade & Higher exams could suffer due to the upheaval. The authority have said that rent is payable as soon as the new school as finished and so the move has to take place even although time is limited. However, they have been told not to worry - the old school will be demolished quietly!

Prudent

mikki2d wrote: »

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In my area, the Network Support teachers who come in as additional support for pupils who need it (dyslexic, hearing impaired etc) are being disbanded and put back into class with teachers being expected to support these children within class time. Many are not adequately trained to do this but almost all do not have the time and while they are teaching these children they are neglecting the rest. A No Win situation for everyone.
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This will really impact on children who need specialist support. A class teacher does not have the time or the specialist training of a network support teacher.

MrsSambora

You are obviously very passionate aboute this - why dont you submit a petition to the scottish parliament? Start an e-petition online and shout as loudly as you can to everyone who will listen to get them to sign it online. And shout louder at those who wont listen. It's got to be worth a try? I for one would sign it!

This is an extract from pdf document at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/documents/Howtosubmitapublicpetition.pdf

The e-petition system enables you to promote your
petition on the internet from where you can attract
a wider audience and gather names in support
before formally submitting it to the PPC.

http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/

E-petitions are hosted on the website for an agreed
period, usually between four and six weeks.
Each e-petition has its own discussion forum,
where visitors and supporters can discuss and
debate the petition and related issues. Petitioners
should provide some initial comments to stimulate
online discussion.
When the period for hosting the e-petition is over, it
is formally submitted to the PPC for consideration
in the normal way.

young

p4girl wrote: »

This week, I've read that there's to be a ballot on strike action (had to ask my EIS rep why... and she hadn't heard a thing!) and that government say funding has acually been increased...

If Wednesdays Unison strike closes a lot of schools, the public sympathy may soon be lost.

Striking in this day and age (and credit crunch climate) does not seem a sensible move.

p4girl

Hey, hey. Just to be clear. The EIS are nothing to do with tomorrow's strike!!!! I'm in, I'm working - and doing a hell of a job! :T

But the EIS were discussing action in June - over budget cuts, as I understand it. Haven't heard another thing about it.

Without coming over as very political, I would say that for me, and many of my colleagues, budget cuts are something which come down to the ballot box. Not something we should, as a union, be striking about. I won't be.

Yeehaa! to the council tax being frozen for this year... but where did people think the money was going to come from? Education, education, education...

Smaller class sizes sound great - but IT'S A CON!!!

My class this year, is 31 big, and full of gorgeously smiley children! But - 10 of these adorable primary 4s have still to achieve Level A... I have 8 very capable and clever kids at the top. And 4 groups in between.

And in my school, thanks to our two P1 and two 2 classes being capped at 25 it means we lost the services of one and a half teachers.

I have, at the moment, two half hour slots per week, from a Learning Support teacher, for the two poorest children. The rest? I'm on my own.

I'm good. But I can't be everywhere at the same time!

I'm not a fan of the pupil/staff ratio as it stands. It needs changed.

PEOPLE!!! WRITE TO THE DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION! TO THE MINISTER FOR SCHOOLS!

Their sums just don't add up.

p4girl

I heard yesterday that as of next session (August 09) primary 3 classes are also due to be capped at 25 children, as p1 and p2 are at the moment.

This just means that we'll have no available spaces for children of p1 - 3 age moving into our area. But looking at the numbers...

Next session - 50 in p1, 50 in p2, 50 in p3 = 150 children, 6 classes, 6 teachers.

But because the pupil/teacher ratio has never been adjusted. our local authority will look at our numbers and count these 6 classes as 198 children, (each teacher counts as 33 children). So we'll lose again on our staffing.

And people are still wondering why new teachers can't get jobs?! Plus we've had three teachers leave over the last few years - none of them were replaced with a permanent member of staff. The HT was simply told we'd have to take three probationers every year. It's been the same every year since.

We're a big school, they get lots of support, and some are very good, but if you have a new stage partner every year, it's tiring. And then their year's worth of experience in your school vanishes, to be replaced by another new face.

Meanwhile there's still no extra staff to support my children with learning difficulties. Some days, Asda's checkout looks really inviting... and I'd maybe get 10% off my groceries!

End of rant. Back to work!

Angua2

Thank you all for the great stuff on the real impact of class sizes. I've a lot to raise at our next PTA (I'm a parent member & also on the After School Club committee).

PS: Along with an ePetition, think about writing directly to your MSP and asking to meet with him/her. Or write Iain Gray himself. I've a "correspondence" going with him and have met him, too, as well as being a guest of Rosie Kane's at the Parliament. They are keen to meet real people with real concerns. I've been treated very well and will continue to lobby for my pet concern (domestic abuse & its impact on children).

loadsacash

My son went into P4 in August. He has 33 other children in his class but as there is always somebody away it is ok.

In his class there are 3 children who have just come over from Poland - They are nice kids but their English is very limited.

There are several schools in our area - in fact one is closing at Christmas as there are not enough children to justify it staying open

nesssie1702

I know of qualified teachers who have come back to the UK after teaching abroad, having trained and done their probation in Scotland who have been unable to secure teaching posts. They know that they're not alone, as a number of newly trained folk are in exactly the same position. I don't envy them.....

p4girl

It's all starting to unravel today, isn't it?! Our two p1 classes for next year are full, meaning that any child moving into the area over the summer would be refused or result in us having to composite ( one class being 22 p2s and 3 p1s...)

I guess now that the legal loophole has been 'outed', parents can fight to have their child at our school.

Anyone got a school where the 18 minimum has been implemented? We're 25 in each p1 and 2 (p3 being capped in August) but we're still at 30 - 33 children in p4 - 7. And there's 10 primary schools in my town. We just seem to be popular!

I'll watch East Renfrewshire's case with interest. Because of class size reduction, and budget cuts, we've lost more staffing for next year. The cuts are swingeing, don't believe the powers that be when they say there's extra money for cutting class sizes.

They said that funds for McCrone cover would be provided too... but cover has had to come out of the school budget, meaning that a lot more management have to teach, because we can't afford anyone in to do it. Management should have time to manage, not be given TWO jobs.

I hear from secondary school pals that guidance teachers are being put back in classes to save money. Of course, they still have to do their guidey stuff . In their spare time...

It'll all end in tears.

And no, I wouldn't be voting to strike over class sizes after the EIS conference!