Educational Institute
Of
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Highland Local Association

Promoted Post Structures 2003 87k

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PROMOTED POST STRUCTURES (SECONDARY SCHOOLS) EIS RESPONSE

Introduction
Following the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century there has been considerable debate about the most appropriate structures for promoted posts in all sectors of education, although the emphasis to date in Highland has been on the Secondary Sector. It is important to note that the Agreement itself did not require a change in structures. The EIS believes strongly that any models developed must reflect educational principle and practical experience rather than be driven by any financial claims or short-term initiatives. It is more important that any new promoted post structure is effective rather than speedily determined.

Management Provision
The Agreement recognises that there is a range of management duties that can be carried out only by promoted post holders. The EIS has argued for and has welcomed the development of collegiate approaches to management; however the development of such approaches does not imply that employers can impose on unpromoted teachers, tasks that are clearly of a management nature. This applies to all unpromoted teachers whether chartered teachers or not. Annex B of the Agreement is clear on this.

The following are educational responsibilities that are reflected in the management duties specified in Annex B. The list is not definitive:

• The responsibility for leadership, good management and strategic direction of colleagues
• The management of teaching and learning in coherent curricular areas (including planning, evaluation, assessment, continuity and progression, selection of and management of resources, record keeping, methodology, staff development) whether these are defined in traditional subject terms or in terms of cross curricular areas such as PSE, Health Education, Education for Work or Education for Citizenship.
• The organisation, management and support of pastoral care
• The management of support for learning
• The management of behaviour support
• The responsibility for the management of a stage e.g. S1/S2
• The co-ordination of staff development, including the responsibility for students, probationers, all unpromoted teachers (including those aspiring to chartered teachers status and those aspiring to management posts) and those holding promoted posts
• The management of auxiliaries and instructors
• Timetabling and related duties such as management of absence cover
• The management of discipline systems.

Administrative Tasks

Annex E of The Agreement lists administrative tasks that are not the professional responsibility of teachers. Many teachers in promoted posts in reality have traditionally carried out such administrative tasks frequently as a result of low levels of support staffing. To ensure that the removal of inappropriate administrative tasks from promoted teaching staff will become a reality the Agreement recognises that appropriate levels of support should be allocated to schools.

The removal of such inappropriate tasks from the holders of promoted posts is a necessary prerequisite to ensuring that management in schools can focus on supporting effective teaching and learning.

Introduction of change

The EIS considers that the promoted post structure must reflect the curricular and educational organisation of the school. Any development of new promoted post structures must be based on evolution from current practice.

Any new promoted post structure should be coherent, meet the needs of schools, teachers and pupils and be wholly transparent.

Any changes in promoted post structures should be the outcome of wide consultation and negotiation. In particular “specific duties and job remits” are matters specifically devolved to LNCTs for local agreement.

Any changes in promoted post structures should be without detriment to current postholders.

Head Teachers

The EIS maintains that every school should have its own head teacher in order to recognise and support the educational and social integrity of the community.

Depute Head Teachers

The Agreement stipulated the removal of the post of AHT from the career structure for teachers, with the redesignation of existing AHT postholders as DHT as a consequence.

Principal Teachers

The post of principal teacher is a key management post. Any such post should generally be placed within one of three broad categories:

1. Principal Teacher (Curriculum)
2. Principal Teacher (Guidance/Pastoral)
3. Principal Teacher (Other areas)

The three levels of promoted posts will in effect establish a school management team that should carry out the various management responsibilities identified within the Agreement. It is arguable whether there is any need to discriminate between Senior and Middle management in schools.

The work of this school management team should be entirely consistent with the principle of collegiality that should apply to all decision making within the school. The aim in establishing a school management team should be the enhancement of teaching and learning in the school through the introduction of a coherent, transparent management structure supported by a general application of collegiality within the school.

All Principal Teachers should have adequate reduction in class contact time to carry out the duties related to the post.

Principal Teacher (Curriculum)

Principal teachers (subject) currently carry out a range of management tasks related to the curriculum (planning, curriculum development, staff development, teaching resources and methodologies) which depend on their knowledge and expertise in that subject; they also carry out a range of tasks less related to the specific nature of their subject (e.g. quality assurance, support for classroom management and discipline, staff management). Given the central role of the subject in secondary education and given the range of management tasks currently placed on principal teachers (subject), promoted post structures in secondary schools must afford a sufficient number of principal teacher (curriculum) posts to support efficient and effective education. Such postholders require adequate time to carry out their various curricular and management tasks.

The EIS believes that bringing together disparate areas of the curriculum under a faculty framework will have a negative impact on the discrete curricular areas covered in such an approach and work to the disadvantage of the learning of pupils. It also recognises however that within small secondary schools and departments the management of the curriculum has not been reflected in the “standard” pattern of one subject department per principal teacher

Principal Teacher (Guidance/Pastoral Care)

There is a continuing need to ensure that guidance and pastoral care are central to secondary school education. The fundamental principles stated in More than Feelings of Concern remain the basic principles which should underpin guidance provision. These principles have been developed and refined in practice over the intervening years but not radically criticised.

Despite the recognition that all members of staff have a role to play in providing advice and guidance to pupils on issues related to their education, the management of guidance provision and pastoral care should be the responsibility of promoted members of staff (in most cases principal teachers).

Such staff will have:

• The necessary knowledge of the ways in which schools work, both formally and informally
• Sufficient authority and skill to make effective use of this knowledge in promoting pupils’ interests
• Authority in the eyes of parents or other carers, external agencies and the young person herself or himself
• Access to the necessary resources (especially time) to carry out duties on behalf of the young person.

Promoted guidance staff (i.e. principal teachers (guidance/pastoral) under the general guidance of the head teacher and in many cases of a depute head teacher) in supporting individual pupils may draw on the support of, and be responsible for the management of, an informal first level guidance system in which most or all teachers in the school are involved. They may also have their work supported and enhanced through personal and social education programmes for the management of which they will have responsibility. Principal teachers (guidance/pastoral) may also be able to draw on a range of types of mentoring within the school: for example from staff volunteers supporting an individual; through input from adults outwith the school; through senior pupils operating a variety of buddy systems.

Within a secondary school the following provision should be made:

• The promoted post structure in all secondary schools will provide for principal teachers with areas of responsibility in guidance or pastoral support; the remit of principal teachers (guidance/pastoral) will in larger schools be restricted to pastoral responsibilities; in other cases they may in addition have other responsibilities. Details of the remits should be agreed by the LNCT
• The number of principal teachers (guidance/pastoral) should be determined according to a formula which is both equitable and transparent. This should be based on an expectation that a principal teacher (guidance/pastoral) who has no subject teaching commitment (excluding PSE classes) will have a maximum case load of no higher than 200 pupils; the case load will be reduced if the PT has a subject teaching commitment.

The EIS believes that the teaching of PSE classes in secondary schools can only be effectively done by promoted Guidance staff or by staff who undertake such work on a voluntary basis, and following training, with the support of such promoted staff.

Other Principal Teacher Posts

It is evident that the number and type of promoted posts in schools offering support to pupils and their teachers has grown. In addition to guidance posts, most secondary schools will have provision for a principal teacher of support for learning. While schools will develop management structures that will facilitate cooperation between such colleagues and guidance staff, it is inappropriate simply to amalgamate these types of posts with those held by guidance staff. Promoted post structures must continue to ensure that management responsibilities in these areas continue to be met.

Responsibility for cross-curricular themes such as Health Education, Education for Work or Education for Citizenship has been in some schools remitted to senior teachers. If this responsibility is to be maintained then the postholder should have become a principal teacher or the duties should have been allocated to a principal teacher or depute head teacher.

Chartered Teachers

The Agreement recognised that the establishment of a chartered teacher grade recognising particular classroom expertise is an entirely separate issue from that of the establishment of a new structure of promoted posts. The duties of a chartered teacher are those of any other classroom teacher as defined in Annex B of the Agreement. The duties of a chartered teacher must not be confused with any management duties as set out in Annex B as duties applicable to teachers holding promoted posts.

Annex B

Much has been made of the detail in Annex B. It should be noted that the duties of teachers outlined in Annex B are no different to those outlined in SE/40 (the previously agreed list of duties of teachers). It would be wrong to use Annex B as a justification of the claim that the Agreement redefined the duties of the classroom teacher.

A. Stewart
EIS LA Secretary
September 2003

Contact:

Andrew M Stewart
EIS Highland Local Association Secretary
98 Obsdale Park
ALNESS
Ross-shire IV17 0TR
Tel: 01349 884750
E-mail: Andrew.Stewart@highland.gov.uk or astewart@eis.org.uk