Miss Livingstone

📢 4,600+ teachers in Scotland stuck in insecure contracts. Councils block permanency, pupils lose continuity, talent is wasted. We demand: stop service-blocking, national supply register, real data + cap training. ✍️ Sign: change.org/scottishteache…

🚨 PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION 🚨 Over 4,600 qualified teachers across Scotland are trapped in insecure contracts. Councils deliberately “break” our service by withholding shifts, stopping us from building the continuity needed for permanency. Teachers are forced to apply to multiple supply lists — some closed, many far from home. 👉 Please sign & share: chng.it/TyDjByBnXj

S1 Modern Studies worked on their collaboration and digital learning skills as they researched different aspects of North Korean prison camps to teach their classmates.

Higher Modern Studies took part in a research relay race in which they worked in groups to answer questions based on a BBC Scotland news article regarding educational attainment - well done to the winning team!

S3 Modern Studies pupils working hard to consolidate their knowledge of impacts of crime while developing their exam skills.

S1 History built on their knowledge and recreated Skara Brae using Lego bricks- well done S1!

It’s disappointing to see the education secretary @JennyGilruth post on her Facebook page about encouraging more people to train as teachers, as she moves onto her 7 month of ignoring our follow up emails asking for the meeting she promises in November.

🚨We submitted FOI requests to every single council in Scotland to find out how many teachers are on supply contracts🚨 Here’s what we found: Supply Teachers by Year: 2017: 6,052 2018: 6,563 2019: 6,648 2020: 7,137 2021: 8,800 2022: 10,583 2023: 11,027 2024: 11,145 That’s an increase of 84% since 2017. And yet the Scottish Government admits: “We do not hold information regarding the numbers of registered supply teachers.” (FOI Response, gov.scot) Supply teachers are not a footnote in the system. They are the system. It’s time for real recognition, real data, and real change.

We spoke with The Sunday Post about our recent survey which highlights stark realities faced by both probationers and teachers with years of experience sundaypost.com/fp/short-term-…

📊 Key FOI Findings from 2024 2024 was a busy year for our campaign, despite only starting in August. Over the last three months, we’ve worked tirelessly to uncover the systemic issues affecting Scottish teachers through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. These findings lay bare the urgent need for reform, highlighting a teacher workforce plagued by job insecurity, declining permanent roles, and a lack of transparency in workforce planning. Here’s a summary of what we’ve uncovered and why 2025 must be the year for change. 🏙️ Glasgow City Council •Declining permanent roles: Only 10% of primary teachers moved from probation to permanent contracts in 2023, a dramatic drop from 73% in 2017. •Barriers to transparency: FOI responses for basic contract information were quoted at £600. •Class size concerns: Class sizes are not tracked despite significant teacher cuts, raising questions about pupil-teacher ratios. 🏡 South Lanarkshire •Limited permanent jobs: Just 11% of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) secured permanent roles post-probation. •Unmanageable competition: Over 300 applicants vie for each permanent post. •Supply work crisis: •74.07% of teachers reported no supply work at all. •22.22% had less than one month of work. •Only 3.70% secured fixed-term contracts lasting one year or more. 📈 Dundee •Surge in precarious contracts: Casual zero-hour contracts increased by 189%, while temporary contracts rose by 182.3%, leaving teachers in a constant state of uncertainty. •No workforce planning: Workforce planning meetings with COSLA ceased in 2022, further compounding the issue. 📉 Renfrewshire •Fewer permanent opportunities: Permanent contracts dropped by 22.8% between 2021 and 2023. •FOI cost barriers: Similar to Glasgow, FOI requests for basic NQT progression data were quoted at £600. •Rising use of fixed-term contracts: A growing reliance on these contracts is creating instability. 🌾 Dumfries & Galloway •Declining permanent roles: Permanent positions have significantly dropped between 2020 and 2024. •Limited career progression: New teachers face restricted opportunities for long-term employment. •Increased reliance on temporary contracts, mirroring trends across other councils. 💰 Funding & Systemic Issues •Underutilised funding: While £145 million was allocated for teacher employment, it has not been effectively used to create permanent posts. •Financial losses: An estimated £43 million has been lost due to the Teacher Induction Scheme failing to convert NQTs into permanent roles. •Oversupply issues: Universities continue to exceed teaching student quotas without penalties, worsening the oversupply of teachers. •Precarious contracts: Thousands of Scottish teachers are currently on unstable, temporary, or zero-hour contracts. 📌 The Crisis: 1.Declining permanent contracts: Fewer permanent roles across councils. 2.Rising precarious employment: Increased reliance on zero-hour and temporary contracts. 3.Barriers to transparency: Excessive FOI costs hinder access to essential employment data. 4.Poor workforce planning: No collaboration between councils, COSLA, and the government since 2022. 5.Instability for NQTs: Probationers and new teachers face limited career pathways. Scottish teachers deserve stability and respect, not a system built on job insecurity and broken promises. These FOI findings highlight the urgent need for: ✔️ More permanent contracts to provide stability for teachers and pupils. ✔️ Transparent workforce planning to address systemic failures. ✔️ Effective use of allocated funding to support long-term teacher employment. ✔️ Accessible employment data to hold decision-makers accountable

.@JohnSwinney, @JennyGilruth, and the Scottish Government think that teachers simply aren’t willing to look for work except for that which lands on their front doorstep. We set our search to a 100 mile radius of the central belt, this is what we found:

🔴 FOI & Data Reveal £43m Estimated Loss Linked to TIS Scheme 🔴 We recently submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Scottish Government to uncover costs associated with the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS). While the FOI provided limited new information, we combined it with actual intake figures for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the government’s statistics on uptake of the Preference Waiver Payment (PWP) to estimate a £43,175,053.83 financial loss for 2023/24 due to the lack of permanent posts after TIS. 📂 Review the FOI response here: 👉 teachers4perm.com 📊 Key Stats •Total primary teachers trained: 1,803 •Full-time teachers (76%): 1,370 •Part-time teachers (24%): 432 •Full-time probationer wage: £32,137 •Part-time probationer wage (average): £16,068.50 💷 Financial Breakdown •Total cost for part-time teachers: £7,140,073.32 •Total cost for full-time teachers: £44,628,576.36 •Combined total investment: £51,768,649.68 Where the Loss Comes From: •Only 16.6% of probationers secure permanent positions. •This means 83.4% of the £51.8m investment doesn’t lead to permanent teaching posts: •83.4% of £51,768,649.68 = £43,175,053.83 This calculation uses an average part-time wage for teachers and assumes part-time teachers earn 50% of a full-time salary. While this is an estimate, it highlights how much of the government’s investment fails to translate into long-term employment for new teachers. ❗ Why This Matters This £43m loss exposes inefficiencies in the system. It’s not just a waste of public funds—it highlights the precarious position of teachers left without stable jobs. Permanent contracts are essential for creating a secure workforce and improving outcomes in Scotland’s schools. This analysis focuses on primary teachers; secondary calculations will follow. #Teachers4Perm #ScottishEducation #FOI #EducationReform #TIS

📉 We are estimating that the Scottish Government is losing up to £43m due to the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) not leading to permanent posts. 🏫 This is based on real data from the FOI and official stats. The lack of permanent contracts is wasting public funds and leaving teachers in unstable jobs. Permanent roles are crucial for a strong, stable teaching workforce. #Teachers4Perm #ScottishEducation #EducationReform #FOI #TIS #TeacherSupport #EducationMatters

29 probationers out of over 2800 graduating is not ‘lucky’ - it’s a disgrace. Please bear in mind that once you complete your university training - you are required to complete a 1 year probation where you prove yourself against the full standards of the GTCS. These teachers have already proven that they are ‘quality’ over either a 2 or 5 year basis.

@MissSmithMods Thank you so much! Sent you a message ❤️

@MissLivingS Apologies I’ve just seen this! Certainly ☺️ message your email and I’ll try to remember and ping it over tomorrow to you!

Biscuit analysis with Highers this afternoon. Always goes down a treat (literally) and we get a good giggle at our biscuit preferences.

🚨Teachers in Scotland are in crisis, with many facing job insecurity and relying on Universal Credit. We've created a template for ANYONE to use and write to your MSPs & Jenny Gilruth🚨 Please like & repost this to spread the word! ❤️ drive.google.com/file/d/1z1knbm…

We are a large group of over 3500 Scottish teachers united to protest the current state of teaching in Scotland. --- A THREAD: 1) The number of qualified and experienced teachers without permanent posts in Scotland is entirely unacceptable.

If anyone is looking for someone at short notice - I am an immediately available teacher who is able to work 5 days a week. I am able to work in both denominational and non denominational schools, and can provide an excellent HT report. Shares appreciated ❤️

If you know someone who is receiving #SQAresults tomorrow, they might be feeling nervous or stressed. @SAMHtweets have shared advice on how to prepare for what can be an emotional day. ❤ Take a look: ow.ly/JvA850SNTG7