Chatroom

28th May 2010, 1:00am

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Chatroom

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/chatroom-17

Councils not appointing permanent staff

Posted by Freddie92

Is it true councils are so broke they are not appointing permanent staff? I’ve heard quite a few local authorities are being told not to appoint permanent staff; to make every new post temporary. Plus, there are rumours that the two Dunbartonshire councils are in cost-cutting merger talks. You’d think the two Lanarkshires would follow . then Renfrewshires and the three Ayrshires! Are we going back to the 70s, like Life on Mars?

Posted by mathsguy

Things look bleak in Aberdeen with merger of secondary schools.

Posted by catmother

I was going to post that it’s probably true of my LA but mathsguy beat me to it. It’s grim up north! As far as I can gather, the principle of no redundancies for teachers is also in jeopardy.

Posted by CanuckGrrrl

I suppose hiring only temporary workers solves some problems automatically when it comes to reducing the workforce - contracts are not renewed. As for councils getting together, about time. The administrative duplication and waste in this country at authority level are jaw-dropping.

Posted by jonowen

In Highland, permanent contracts have not been around for a long time. I’ve heard of full-time teachers retiring (early) and being replaced by part-timers, and fewer subjects on offer as a result. I agree about the waste, but I won’t rant!

Posted by bigjimmy

Yes, it is a bit Gene Hunt.

Posted by catmother

If I remember rightly, it was under Tory rules that the LAs were split up in the mid-90s.

Posted by news2me

I know a headteacher who has had her knuckles rapped as she had the gall to appoint a new principal teacher for a post that has been vacant for six months . what was she to do? My daughter works in a local authority that has had several schools merge and it is looking at a joint campus for three more. All the staff know the schools will not remain and it is only a matter of time before they merge them. By doing this they will be able to ditch at least eight full-time teaching jobs - but will having fuller classes with fewer teachers and more contact time help our learners? Roll on Curriculum for Excellence.

www.tes.co.ukscotland, go to Forums, then Opinion.

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