How 172 teacher job cuts will leave SNP's school staff workload pledge in tatters

Scottish ministers have been urged by Labour to “come clean” about their stalled promise to ease the workload of school staff, amid fears teacher cuts in areas like Glasgow will make the pledge impossible to deliver.

The SNP manifesto in 2021 promised not only to increase the number of teachers and classroom assistants by 3,500 during this Parliament, but to reduce teachers’ daily contact time with classes by 90 minutes per week. The party said the pledge would give teachers “the time they need to lift standards”.

However, neither commitment is on track to being delivered by the next Holyrood election in 2026.

Teacher numbers have fallen by 250 across Scotland since 2021, and significant further reductions are expected this year in areas such as Glasgow, where 172 posts are being axed by the SNP-run local authority. It is feared these cuts will make it even harder to deliver the promised reduction in class contact time.

A recent study by WPI Economics, commissioned by the Scottish Government, found class contact time could only be reduced by 90 minutes by 2026 if teacher numbers increased. It also said the commitment could be delivered by 2028, two years late, “if the size of the teacher workforce held steady over time”, but even that looks unlikely.

Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy recently tabled questions in Holyrood asking Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth what action was being taken to reduce teacher workload.

The SNP minister responded: “We recognise the concerns around teacher workload, which is why we remain committed to reducing class contact time by 90 minutes giving teachers more time out of the classroom.

“To help inform this discussion, the WPI report, which was commissioned by the Scottish Government and published on 7 May, contains a number of high-level future scenarios and assesses their broad compatibility with any changes to teachers’ contracted class-contact time.

“These scenarios will help to facilitate our discussions with SNCT [Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers] partners on how we can best deliver this commitment and ensure effective and evidence-informed workforce planning we have commissioned an external modelling and research exercise.” Ms Duncan-Glancy said: “This dreadful response from the Cabinet secretary goes to show just how far this SNP Government is from meeting its promises to teachers. 

“We know that promises on non-contact time and other issues cannot be solved without maintaining teacher numbers - but the SNP plan to slash well over 100 teaching posts in Glasgow alone. Teachers deserve better than ‘jam tomorrow’ from the SNP - it’s time the Cabinet secretary came clean with teachers about be failures of the SNP Government.”

The Scottish Government has offered local authorities £145.5 million to commit to maintaining teacher numbers, but no deal has yet been reached.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is determined to protect teacher numbers, to help support improved outcomes for young people. That is why we are offering local authorities £145.5m for this purpose.

“We are also working with the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) on progressing the commitment to reducing class contact time and ministers are determined that planning for this is based on robust evidence.

“The new UK government has committed to recruit 6,500 additional teachers, which should provide consequential funding, which would allow the Scottish Government to further support Scotland’s teaching workforce. We would appreciate clarity on that funding from the UK government swiftly.”