analysis

ALWAYS expect the worst and you will never be disappointed, was a phrase that came to mind with the publication of the McCormac Review.

Surely only Cassandra on a hallucinogenic trip could possibly have foreseen that a review membership group stuffed with education management figures (two headteachers, a university vice-chancellor, a former chief inspector of HMIE, a journo and an ex-Tory lawyer who appears in Bollywood-type soaps) would produce a report that worsens the terms of employment of classroom teachers?

Headteachers will be popping the Cava now that chalkies must remain on site during the pupils’ school day, even if they do not have a class to teach. Under the McCrone Agreement, a teacher could take work home and do it at a time of their choosing. Clearly, according to McCormac, teachers cannot be trusted to carry out their duties unless they are sitting at a school desk. Sadly, I fear this petty move will lead to a clockwatching mentality and a loss of goodwill that presently sees classroom staff giving up lunch hours and staying behind (unpaid) to help SQA candidates.

Scrapping the chartered teacher programme is a blow to those who wished to board that particular gravy train but many in the profession will shed no tears for its passing. If a classroom teacher were to raise an equal pay action, a chartered teacher would have difficulty explaining to a tribunal why, with no extra responsibilities, he was worth an extra £8k.

The review calls for teachers to show greater flexibility. Already bending backwards by accepting a two-year wage freeze, teachers are being asked to work alongside “external experts”. To a certain extent, this situation currently exists. Children’s authors regularly visit schools and cool yoof workers often lead sex education and drug awareness programmes. However, there are scenarios where bringing in non-teaching staff could be a simple cost-cutting measure. The timetable of a graduate PE teacher earning £34k could be taken over by a £17k fitness instructor who augments her income by running Curves classes in the local church hall.

Demoralised dominies are being asked to do more work for the community and more cross-curricular development but the report does not say how this can be achieved within the notional 35 hour week. Clearly another opportunity for teachers to exhibit flexibility.

McCormac displays a fig leaf in a vain attempt to hide his stark attack on teachers. Having discovered that Scottish schoolteachers spend more hours in the classroom than most of their OECD counterparts, he does not recommend an increase in class contact time.

In my opinion, if McCormac is fully implemented, industrial action is inevitable.