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Cutbacks blamed as school gives teachers their jotters

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Published Date: 14 May 2008
By ADAM MORRIS
COUNCIL cutbacks have been blamed for a secondary school losing two teachers from a department regarded as its best.
Leith Academy is to cut the staff in its creative arts faculty, which is expected to be singled out as the "best performing" by HMIE inspectors in an official report due to be published soon.

A city council spokeswoman said the art and drama teach
ers had to go because of a smaller number of first-year pupils expected to start at the school later this year. She described the two members of staff as part-time.

A document obtained by the Evening News from a recent meeting of the Leith Academy Council reads: "As a consequence of a one and a half per cent budget cut and a reduction in next session's S1 intake to 160, Jack (Simpson, the headteacher) has had to make two staff surplus to requirements for next session. They are in the creative arts faculty. Council procedures are now being followed."

Leith councillor Gordon Munro said he felt the decision was the result of needless financial cuts, despite assurances from the city council that the teachers' jobs would have been safe if the intake from the next academic year was the same as in previous years.

He said pupils would lose out and that parents and staff at Leith Academy were furious.

"The budget has been forced on the headteacher and he has a decision to make," he said.

"The pupils will suffer as a result of this. HMIE inspectors have taken time to praise the department recently, and it's generally regarded as the best performing in the school.

"These cuts have been forced on the school by a bad political decision. They need not have happened.

"However this impact was predicted when put forward in the city council's budget. Parents will rightly question why this was allowed to happen."

The document also states that a recent diversity day staged by the creative arts faculty was "well regarded" by the same HMIE inspectors.

A council spokeswoman said: "Schools routinely have to make teaching staff surplus depending on the number of pupils that they have and the subject choices that pupils make.

"Surplus staff are normally redeployed to vacant posts in other schools in line with their contracts."

• www.leith.edin.sch.uk
• www.edinburgh.gov.uk
• www.hmie.gov.uk





Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 14 May 2008 12:26 PM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Schools in Edinburgh
 
1

Finbarr Saunders,

14/05/2008 12:36:49
Let's be completely honest, the pupils won't suffer one iota due to the loss of a couple of part-time, hippy-dippy, tie-dyed Creative Arts teachers.

Give the pupils something worthwhile to do instead, like PE, English and maths.

Too many fat, illiterate, innumerate kids leaving school with delusions that they can make it as actors or artists.
2

Bamba,

In the stars, looking at the gutters 14/05/2008 14:05:47
FS, love your double entendres don't love your viewpoint. You ever wonder why so many kids appear to be thoughtless drones obsessed with vacuous celebrity culture or becoming dull worker drones? Well, the first thing to go with cuts are the creative industries which help you challenge the status quo through self expression.

Challenging the status quo means new things can be invented or created which prevents inertia because humans to progress either culturally or financially have to keep regenerating. This keeps the economy going as well as feeding our souls.

Cutting funds to creative industries means more closed systems and stagnation at a time where change is faster than ever and we have to adapt our minds to a post-oil-capitalist-consumerist generation.

Well, I think I know what I'm on about anyways...
3

Scotish Exile,

14/05/2008 14:17:23
Says it all, when the "creative arts" department is the best in the school, mincing about a stage is not education, being able to read and write is, Leith Academy get your act together
4

A Friend of Fernando Poo,

, Newington 14/05/2008 14:22:01
Be your age Bamba. The things that challenge the status quo are technologies like the internet and were invented by geeks.

Those geeks spent their time in school doing maths and science, and generally avoiding sport and nonsense like making art from potato-prints.

School art classes are largely there to stop the more brainless children beating up the geeks or burning down the school. This is achieved by distracting them into making chamberpots in the school kiln.

The hope isn't that they'll turn into Andy Warhol but that they'll be kept amused until they either skive off permanently or are haiuled off for their first jail sentence.
5

senza nome,

14/05/2008 15:17:14
Typical attitude of many Scots.Art,music or drama aren't "real" subjects and therefore not important.I doubt very much if the teachers losing their jobs are "hippy-dippy, tie-dyed".They are probably hard working and dedicated people and can do without such ill-informed comments.
6

KV,

14/05/2008 15:18:52
Actually, most research into children's educational attainments shows that a broad arts based education makes children more creative and increases their critical thinking skills: the two things that make children good at reading, writing and maths. Children need these skills to succeed in all other subjects. Physical activity, including physical education but also through drama, increases good chemical production in the brain which allows children to concentrate better and longer. This increases their attainment in reading, writing and maths. Physically active adults make better employees.

Leith Academy also has an integrated autism/aspergers unit for children. Creative arts, including drama and music, are two things used in very expensive specialised education boarding schools [paid for by tax payers] to integrate these children into society. Providing them within a local school decreases the cost of these services while encouraging the children to integrate into mainstream schools. It is also the most effective and cheapest way of teaching English as a second language.
7

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 14/05/2008 15:20:39
Lots of philistines posting in this thread today.

General arts teaching is a method to produce a well-rounded student who is not just adept and entranced by computer sciences and business administration.

Have you ever talked to these "graduates" of such schools that concentrate on these "disciplines"?

Boring, boring, boring and without a shred of humanity, decency, or wit. They are tiresome blowhards and usually lack most interpersonal and social skills.

A touch of music appreciation or art history or comparative literature never hurt nobody,n'est-ce pas?
8

Listening,

14/05/2008 16:58:45
The fact that they are art teachers is simply coincidental. Obviously Leith Academy decided that this was the best place to cutback.

How fortunate of them. A lot of other schools will have to let some core teachers go.

This is pretty sad considering the school rolls have increased slightly, new maximum class targets have been set and demand for better schools and education is increasing.

What is needed is more investment in our future and that starts at school.

Hopefully our 'alleged' government will see fit to provide additional funds to stop these cutbacks.
9

A Friend of Fernando Poo,

, Newington 14/05/2008 18:10:47
TimW1234 The Canuck stops playing ice Hockey long enough to mumble: "Have you ever talked to these "graduates" of such schools that concentrate on these "disciplines"?"

Work with them every day my syrup-eating friend.

"Boring, boring, boring and without a shred of humanity, decency, or wit."

Still, at least they're not half-French eh?

"They are tiresome blowhards and usually lack most interpersonal and social skills."

We don't need 'em. We hire arts "graduates" to do our PR.

10

saltiresfan,

14/05/2008 20:30:57
@ 8
"Hopefully our 'alleged' government will see fit to provide additional funds to stop these cutbacks."

This won't get picked up by the papers til tomorrow but at a heads meeting today Gillian Tee made clear that it wasn't 1.5% just for this year, but a 1.5% every year for the forseeable future.
We had a very depressing staff meeting when the head passed on the news as you can't keep cutting funding to schools. It's sheer madness.
11

Listening,

14/05/2008 21:45:43
#10

I was aware that it was a cut for 3 consecutive years but how can they possibly have any decent education with year on year cuts in budget. Thats not taking inflation into the equation.

By the time inflation is included, at a rough 'guess' that must mean about a 12% reduction in 3 years and a 22% reduction in 5 years. That is impossible.

Time for our 'alleged' government to do one good thing. That would be a fantastic vote winner for them.

If they are having trouble finding the money I have a new idea never before considered.

How about they introduce tolls on the Forth Road Bridge....eh!
12

,

14/05/2008 22:22:30
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
13

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 15/05/2008 12:25:44
9 A Friend of Fenando..

Your comment is SO predictable and trite.

Yes, we have plenty of world-famous maple syrup and some of you posters have had the privilege of having it on your ice cream or pancakes or waffles or whatever.

Most of us in Canada WATCH ice hockey, we do not play it.

There are so many tiresome cliches in your comments about Canada through many postings that I wonder if you have any shred of urbanity or sophisticantion or sense of the cosmopolitan at all.
14

,

16/05/2008 20:36:32
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
15

Marky`,

Edinburgh 21/05/2008 18:24:58
Hi i am a Leith Academy stundent and i cant belive what i am seeing in the evening news Leith Academy should not have cuts backs the School is great and i cant belive hmie want to people from the art and drama out that is just nasty why cant they do that some were eles Leith Academy is a great school thanks go Leith Academy and the departments are great thanks

 

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