Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson, the SNP candidate for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency at next month's Scottish Parliament election, has urged Highland Council, on behalf of the Classroom Assistants Action Group, to delay any decision on a reduction in the number of classroom assistants at primary schools within the region for a year to allow time for proper investigation.

Mr Thompson, a former MSP for the Highlands and Islands, made his call after being invited to address a public meeting on the issue on Thursday evening.

About 50 parents from various schools attended the meeting at Tarradale Primary School in Muir of Ord at which concerns were raised about a proposal by The Highland Council to cut costs by making more than 300 classroom assistants redundant.

Among a range of cost-cutting measures being considered by the local authority, was a proposal to end the contracts of 344 classroom assistants. Councillors were told the controversial step would save a few hundred thousand pounds by axing the classroom assistant posts at schools across the Highlands.
During the busy meeting, Mr Thompson agreed to seek clarification, on behalf of the Classroom Assistants Action Group, from Highland Council about several issues of concern and wrote to council chief executive Alistair Dodds urging that any further action was delayed for a year to allow time for a thorough investigation to be caried out.

In his letter to Mr Dodds, he stated: "There is no doubt in my mind that the most important time in a child’s life for building a strong educational foundation is in the pre-school and early school years. This is where the biggest difference can be made and was why classroom assistant posts were first introduced to schools in 1997. These early years are crucial in influencing the life prospects of our young people and must not be jeopardised."

He also urged the council to check that its attempts to prevent members of staff from speaking publicly about their concerns was not in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights and raised concern that the contracts of some classroom assistants may not have been updated since they were introduced in 1997.

Additionally, Mr Thompson asked for further details about membership of the official task force set up to consider the issue and advise members on future action and he called for unions representing classroom assistants and learning support staff to be involved in appointing members to the group.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Thompson said: "Many who attended the meeting felt that this proposal had been handled badly and felt it was important that everyone is able to step back and take the time needed to evaluate the wide range of roles carried out by our classroom assistants and the impact this has on giving our youngest pupils a firm start to their educational life.

"It is vital that any examination of any proposal to reduce these vital support staff is seen to be transparent and is not open to allegations that any decision was taken in haste, so I believe that the best way of doing this would be for a full evaluation to be carried out over the course of the next academic year. This would allow plenty of breathing space and time for all interested parties to have their say."

Note:
 
Dave Thompson's letter to Alistair Dodds is copied below:

Mr Alistair Dodds
Chief Executive
Highland Council
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX

Dear Alistair

Classroom Assistants

I attended a meeting at Tarradale Primary School last Thursday which had been called by the Tarradale Parent Council and which was very well attended by local parents and also representatives from other parent councils.

A number of issues were raised at the meeting and I undertook to write to you on behalf of the group in order to clarify some points.

Firstly, I shall be obliged if you will confirm that you are satisfied that the Council’s current code of conduct, which is being used to 'gag' classroom assistants and others who may have legitimate concerns about the Council’s proposals is, in fact, legal.  I understand that employees above certain grades in the Council have political restrictions placed on them but feel that other employees should be free to raise legitimate concerns without the worry of action being taken against them by the Council and wonder, in particular, whether your code of conduct is in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Secondly, it became clear at the meeting that the current contracts of many classroom assistants were inadequate, had not been updated since the classroom assistant posts were created in 1997 to reflect the much wider range and complexity of duties now being carried out by classroom assistants and would ask whether you have a generic job description and contract of employment for such employees or whether this is left to individual schools.  It would also be helpful if you could send copies of these documents to me.

Thirdly, concern was expressed that, although the composition of the councillor working group was known, the membership of the official task force was unclear as was the method by which members were to be chosen for that task force which will have the very important job of reporting to the councillor working group with recommendations.  The meeting felt that the three parent teacher representatives should be appointed by parent teacher organisations themselves and, I believe, there is a forum which represents them which might be useful in this regard.  It was also felt that the classroom assistant and learning support representatives should be appointed by independent bodies such as their trade unions and not by the Council itself as this may have the inadvertent effect of loading the task force with people of a particular viewpoint.

Fourthly, the timescale, other than the fact that a report was to be produced by June, for completion of this whole process was unclear.  For instance, is the Council going to make a decision before the summer holiday or will it be left until the autumn?

Finally, the meeting also felt that the whole matter had been badly handled and had been rushed and a plea was put out to delay consideration of this matter until such time as proper evaluation of the roles of classroom assistants can be undertaken.  To this end, on behalf of the group, I would ask that you agree to put off any decision for a year, thereby leaving all classroom assistants in post for the next academic year.  I believe that this could be funded from within your £600 million budget and would suggest that one possible option as a 'one-off' would be to use some of your balances in the current financial year to achieve this.

This course of action would allow for proper consideration of what is a vital issue.  There is no doubt in my mind that the most important time in a child’s life for building a strong educational foundation is in the pre-school and early school years.  This is where the biggest difference can be made and was why classroom assistant posts were introduced to school in 1997.  These early years are crucial in influencing the life prospects of our young people and must not be jeopardised.

I look forward to receiving a comprehensive reply covering all of the points that I have raised in this letter at your earliest convenience.

Yours etc.