Achi news desk-
Today, another protest is taking place, but instead of fighting rent rises in the city, this one is about opposing cuts to teacher numbers across Glasgow schools.
They have gathered here, in Govan Cross, because it is the constituency of Councilor Richard Bell, the Convener for Financial Inclusion on Glasgow City Council, who recently passed budget proposals which will see up to 450 teaching jobs disappear over the three next years.
As The Herald reported in March, those cuts have already begun with the introduction of a new ‘staffing formula’ as part of an initial loss of 172 teaching posts. According to teachers, this will make it “impossible for schools to support pupils properly” while also increasing the workload of staff.
Today’s protest has been organized and led by the Glasgow City Parents Group, whose convener Leanne McGuire is adamant that the “imminent cuts threaten every corner of Glasgow’s education system.” This, he said, has driven the group to “push back against these decisions with unwavering determination”.
Anticipating their reaction, she tells me that “Glasgow City Council are right when they say we are now engaging with the cross-party political group, however, doubts remain about their real influence, particularly as decisions on for August 2024 have already been installed while the cross. – a party group has just started.”
They are fighting, he said, “for the education of our children”, which is why they must “challenge the powers that be and ensure that our children’s future is not jeopardized.”
Those fears for the future are the key theme running through the speeches and one-on-one conversations happening today.
Susan Quinn, a principal representing the EIS union, speaks passionately about the impact on teachers and young people across the city, and says the new staffing formula “creates real safety issues in schools.” She also warns that children with additional support needs are going to be “hit the worst” because current levels of support cannot be maintained in the face of impending cuts.
There are particular concerns about the schools that will be left with only one member of staff – the headteacher – who is not in the classroom full time. The council says this will be the case for “less than a third” of primary schools, but the teachers here don’t seem to feel that is remotely comforting.
And even in schools where more than one member of staff is available, the reductions in this extra capacity – or the attempts to massage the situation by sending extra probation officers to schools – are going to cause huge problems and reportedly significant security concerns. .
Some of those here have taught in Glasgow schools for decades, and insist that the current situation is as bad as it has ever been. I hear of people who have left other professions to become teachers in the last few years, and have made that transition under unimaginably difficult circumstances, only to be told now that there are no jobs.
“They won’t wait,” says one. And of course it’s right.
But it’s not just teaching jobs that are on the agenda today – there is constant talk about the threats to MCR Pathways and Young Workforce Development coordinators in schools.
Sean O’Neill is one of eleven such employees who have been told, as things stand, that they are losing their job at the end of the school year.
Read more: College support staff to accept revised salary offer
Gaelic and Scots Education needs more support
He describes the council’s proposals as imposing “generational cuts” that will do huge, long-term damage – particularly in working-class communities. Standing in the middle of Gofan, addressing the gathering crowd, he shouts a message to Richard Bell: “Put the city before your career.”
But he also feels strongly that John Swinney “owes us to step in”. O’Neill says that “working class people have long memories” and then mentions the SQA 2020 results scandal, where pupils from the poorest areas faced having their grades reduced for no other reason than previous performance levels at their school. The plan was approved, and defended, by John Swinney – who was forced in due course into a disgraceful U-turn in the face of mounting political pressure and, above all, pupil protests.
And all those concerns, from pupil safety to staff morale to justice for working class children, are echoed by parents who have come here today. One woman tells me she is “extremely aware of the pressure on teachers”, which she believes deserves much more support, and after everything young people have been through in recent years , schools should have “more, not less.” She has one child in primary school and another in nursery, so she is worried about the immediate impact of the cuts and the long-term impact on schools.
Another parent adds that their children’s teachers are “amazing” but laments that “so much has been cut in the last couple of years”. The prospect of further cuts, this time reducing teacher numbers significantly, has left her very concerned about the future of education in Glasgow.
The protests have plenty of support from trade unions and politicians, who told The Herald they ‘stand in solidarity’ with those who oppose the council’s plans for education cuts.
EIS Glasgow is already in dispute with the council over plans to cut hundreds of teachers, and the Herald understands the union is now moving towards the next stage of that battle. Ultimately, that could mean a strike.
Their spokesman pointed out that a reduction of 450 over three years would represent “almost 10% of teachers currently working in Glasgow” and warned that “the impact on education provision in the city will be severe if these cuts are not reversed.”
“We continue to resist these cuts and those our colleagues at DYW and MCR Pathways are facing because this represents a further reduction in the support networks we offer in Glasgow schools. This package of cuts will significantly reduce the resources and support our pupils need, deserve and are entitled to as we lose good teachers who have trained hard and are now facing the uncertainty and hardship that comes with losing jobs.”
Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour’s education spokeswoman, was in parliament during the protest, although the party’s leader, Anas Sarwar, attended instead and delivered a short speech to the crowd that had gathered. Duncan-Glancy told me that Councilor Bell must “engage with all relevant parties” to avoid the cuts and warned that “Glasgow will not easily forgive or forget” failure to do so.
He added that losing so many staff, “would be disastrous for education and efforts to close the attainment gap for many. The collective voice of Glasgow City Parents Group, together with our unions and education colleagues, is clear: any attack on Glasgow’s next generation must be strongly opposed.”
In response to the protest, a Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The Treasurer, the City Convenor for education and early years, and the city convener for Workforce have all met with the GCPG to discuss the budgetary savings for education with a commitment to feedback information after each political oversight group meeting.
“Two representatives also sit on the education, early years and skills committee and can ask questions in this forum which includes the Executive Director of Education.
“Information about the February budget savings of £108million has been public since then and has been reported across several platforms and channels.
“The application of the new staffing formula – which was first discussed a week after the budget – has resulted in less than a third of our primary schools where the headteacher is the only member of the senior management team who is not committed to the class, and this is a changing situation. as we still don’t have around 200 people on trial across the city to deploy.
“Officers will continue to support our headteachers and their schools during this period.
“At every stage we will do everything we can to minimize any impact on schools but in the current financial climate the council must look at all options.
“We know this will be a worrying time for everyone – for many years education spending has been prioritized, compared to other services, in the budget process.
“However, with the education budget now more than half of the service expenditure directed by the council, it is significantly more challenging to protect education when significant savings are required.”
