Teachers could work a “flexible” four-day teaching week under new proposals announced by the Scottish government.
Plans also include reduced classroom contact time with pupils and agreed national minimum standards for pupil learning hours.
It would leave a fifth day for “professional learning” activities outside of the classroom, including lesson preparation, marking and training.
Scotland’s education secretary Jenny Gilruth said it demonstrated a “clear commitment” to teachers. But the EIS union said was “not aware” of how a four-day week would work.
The EIS and NASUWT unions are currently balloting members on strike action over a failure to reduce class contact time – periods when teachers are directly teaching pupils.
At the last Holyrood election, the SNP promised to cut contact time by 90 minutes a week to allow more time for other activities.
The new proposals could enable later start times, extended breaks, or restructured school days.
The teaching unions emphasised that any allocated time outside of the classroom should be used as teachers see fit.
The education secretary said the plans, along with a new pay deal, would form a new “National Deal” for teachers.
Jenny Gilruth acknowledged that unions had “strong” opinions on these plans and said she would meet with the EIS later.
She told BBC Scotland: “The move to a four-day teaching week would really help to lighten the load in terms of workload, but also to create headspace for the teaching profession.
“We’ve come forward with some pragmatic solutions and we very much look forward to engaging with local government and also with the teaching trade unions on securing an agreement to ensure we can improve conditions for teachers.”
‘Red line for teachers’
A survey by the EIS in June found that the workload in schools was “unfair, unhealthy and unsustainable”.
Teachers said they were rarely or never able to do the work, preparation and correcting they had been asked to do within their working week.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said the promised 90-minute reduction in class contact time was a “red line for teachers”.
“There can be no government or employer diktat over how this time should be utilised by teachers,” she added.
Ms Bradley told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that the union was not yet aware of how a flexible four-day week would be implemented.
She said the Scottish government’s proposals did “not amount to a plan that can be properly scrutinised” and said it would not affect the EIS strike ballot.
Ms Bradley made it clear though that there was a great deal of talking still to be done before the matter was finally settled.
This was far from a done deal, she said.
NASUWT said it was pleased with the proposals but it needed “assurance that teachers will have the responsibility for deciding how such time should be used”.
A spokesperson added: “Our members are frustrated at the ongoing delays in the delivery of a clear Scottish government promise to them, which is why we have opened a ballot on industrial action on this matter.”
Sounds like a recipe for further decline in Scotland’s already slipped education system.
Four days teaching, not five, why not make it three or two, or even just one? And will there be a reduction from five days pay to four days pay? And should teachers’ holidays be increased too?
Seems like the less teacher contact with pupils the better.
Well done the SNP. Maybe all the parents can move to a four day week, reduced hours and super generous holidays?