Teachers still held back by ‘red tape’

A new report from the Curriculum for Excellence Working Group on Tackling Bureaucracy in schools has shown that Scotland’s teaching staff are still being held back by ‘pointless’ red tape from assessment, self-evaluation and planning relating to CfE.

A follow-up from the November 2013 initial report from the Working Group, made up of a range of teaching unions and education bodies, the latest findings have shown that while progress has been made in the last year, there are still measures in place which are slowing down things for teachers including forward planning, assessment, self-evaluation and improvement processes and monitoring and reporting. It includes recommendations on how local authorities, schools and teachers can better manage the paperwork and requirements of the curriculum.

Teachers’ union EIS has welcomed the publication of the follow-up report, with General Secretary Larry Flanagan saying: “”There are many challenges still to be overcome, relating to issues such as excessive forward planning, overly cumbersome assessment, unreliable and frustrating ICT planning and reporting systems, and over-reliance on audits as a form of improvement planning.

“However, the signs are that progress is possible and it is encouraging that all members of the group are recommitting to the principles of cutting excessive bureaucracy and lightening teachers’ heavy workload burdens.”

You can read the follow-up report in full at the EIS website.