Scottish Borders Local Association

Promise of no school budget cuts if children's services overhaul approved

Published Date: 18 December 2008

By Andrew Keddie

ON the eve of a crunch meeting to consider the most radical overhaul of education in the Borders for generations, TheSouthern can reveal that school budgets will be protected from further cuts in the next financial year.

But the price of that assurance is the acceptance of wide-ranging staff and structural changes which will save Scottish Borders Council just over £4million by the time they are fully implemented in 2010.

The revamp is enshrined in the Transforming Children's Services (TCS) project which, after minor amendments to reflect consultation with teachers and parents, will be presented for approval at today's SBC meeting.

Essentially the most controversial aspects of the initiative remain the same: to cut the number of principal teachers in a staffing establishment – which currently has twice the Scottish average of promoted posts – and to introduce more shared headships.

The report from education director Glenn Rodger also sets out clear criteria for primary schools qualifying for depute heads (a minimum roll of 200 pupils, even for combined schools) and 120 to qualify for a designated janitor.

Mr Rodger admits the reduction in headteachers, if not achieved through early retirement or voluntary severance, will be undertaken by compulsory redundancy.

And that is a non-starter for Kay Miller, Borders secretary of the EIS teaching union.

"If there are any compulsory redundancies of our members we will ballot for industrial action: simple as that," said Mrs Miller.

The principal advocate of the changes today will be Councillor Catriona Bhatia, executive member for education. She will contend that although primary principal teaching posts will be reduced from 101 to 54 and headships from 57 to 42 the quality of education and the ability of SBC to deliver the nationally-agreed Curriculum for Excellence will not be compromised. "There is a great deal of flexibility factored into these proposals – we really have listened to the consultation feedback – but we must also be able to deliver a service which is sustainable: and that means affordable."

Mrs Bhatia agreed the 2 per cent efficiency savings imposed on devolved school management (DSM) budgets this year had had "a major adverse impact".

"But there is no point in dressing it up: if we cannot make the savings explicit in the TCS, we will have nowhere else to go. I can confirm, however, that if the TCS recommendations are agreed, the budget book for 2009/10 will not contain the further 2 per cent reduction in DSMs indicated last year. That, in itself, is a victory for education against the other worthy competing services this council provides.

"I appreciate, however, this is an anxious time for parents and schools, and we will provide support and continued discussion over the transition period which is roughly the 18 months from May next year.

This will ensure continuity of education of children and allay fears within the parent community.”

Mrs Bhatia said there would be no reduction in the number of janitors, but they would be redistributed according to the size of the school because “significant anomalies” had been uncovered during the TCS review.

“All schools will still have janitorial support but those with under 120 pupils will not have a full-time janitor. But most schools of this size or even bigger do not have a full-timer at present, so we are merely seeking to create parity.”

Mrs Bhatia said if schools were on the cusp of qualifying for a promoted post by dint of pupil numbers, parents could contact Mr Rodger who had still to allocate an additional 12 principal teachers.

There are currently 1,847 staff operating in 65 primaries, nine secondaries and 46 nurseries. They include 679 classroom teachers, 328 principal teachers and 68 deputy heads, about half of whom are in high schools.

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