Critical report into £2bn teaching deal

In a critical report the independent public efficiency watchdog Audit Scotland said the much-heralded McCrone deal, which gave teachers a 23% pay rise, had been good for the profession, but questioned the benefits for children and the taxpayer.

“The long-term nature of the changes, and the absence of clear outcome measures, mean that it is not possible to judge the value for money achieved from the additional spending at this stage,” said the report.

Earlier this year Audit Scotland criticised ministers for spending hundreds of millions of pounds increasing hospital consultants’ salaries with little or no benefit to NHS patients.

The report into the deal struck with teachers said that there has been stable industrial relations between employers and unions as a consequence of the teachers’ pay award.

Improved terms and conditions for classroom teachers has improved, with more opportunities for continuing professional development, lesson preparation and marking and less time being spent on non-teaching tasks due to the recruitment of administrative and support staff.

But Auditor General Robert Black said, “Performance management arrangements need to be strengthened to demonstrate that the agreement has delivered value for money and is improving education in Scotland.

“The agreement is strong in detailing what needs to be done and by when, but it is less clear about how the cost and impact of the changes introduced should be assessed.”

The report notes that “the lack of clear objectives on what the agreement was designed to achieve makes it hard to assess the value for money of the £2.15bn investment.”

It also states that “the long-term impact of the agreement remains unproven.”

It points out that 63% of head teachers have had to provide class cover and 22% do this once a week or more to deliver the reduced contact time laid down by the McCrone agreement.

The report also says teachers still face too much administration and paper work and that the support assistant recruitment target has not been met.

SNP education spokesman Fiona Hyslop, whose party backed the McCrone deal, said, “This report has shown that the McCrone agreement has been poorly implemented, and failed to deliver all the reforms expected or indeed value for money.

“It’s simply not on to throw over £2 billion at something without a plan for what it will ultimately achieve, but that’s what has happened here.

“We still don’t know what the educational benefits pupils and taxpayers have had for over £2bn of public spending.”

Scottish Tory education spokesman Lord James Douglas-Hamilton said, “The McCrone committee was primarily focused on restructuring the teaching profession and implementing a new remuneration scheme.

“The unintended consequences of this £2 billion plan have been head teacher recruitment problems and satisfaction about career prospects being low, especially amongst senior school teachers.”