Executive faces challenge to demonstrate value for the Teachers' Agreement
CAU009/2006 | 1 December 2006
While a range of benefits have arisen as a result of the Teachers’ Agreement the Scottish Executive can expect to face difficulty demonstrating it has achieved value for money due to an absence of outcome measures.
These are the key conclusions in a report by the Scottish Parliament’s Audit Committee into the Teachers Agreement that arose from the McCrone Committee findings. Read the report.
The Audit Committee report found weaknesses in costing and financial monitoring of the agreement but welcomed the improved terms and conditions for teachers and better recruitment and retention rates.
The committee also welcomed improvements to Continuing Professional Development brought in by the Agreement but criticised the Department for not taking a more hands-on approach to the implementation of the Chartered Teacher Scheme within Local Authorities.
Committee convener Brian Monteith MSP said:
"We understand the urgency of the situation within the teaching profession at the time the Agreement was made. The failure, however, to set outcome measures at the outset makes it difficult to determine whether value for money has been delivered.
"An estimated £2.15 billion has been invested in implementing the Agreement to date. Our committee believes that for major programmes of expenditure such as this, costing models must be based on sound information and outcome measures should be in place at the outset in order to determine whether value for money is ultimately achieved.
"The committee very much supports the aims of the Chartered Teacher Scheme - good teachers should be rewarded for remaining in the classroom. The Department, however, should be doing more to ensure that Local Authorities are actively promoting the scheme to teachers and offering practical assistance where possible.”
Background
The report sets out the committee’s findings and recommendations in relation to its inquiry into the report of the Auditor General for Scotland entitled: “A mid-term report. A first stage review of the cost and implementation of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21 st Century” (AGS/2006/6)
The Teachers’ Agreement is the tri-partite agreement reached in 2001 between the Scottish Executive, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and teacher organisations following the McCrone Committee report in 2000 into professional conditions of service for teachers.
The Audit Committee is unique amongst the Scottish Parliament’s committees in that its remit is based on reports laid before or made to the Parliament.
The committee’s primary function might be described as holding to account those who spend public funds to ensure that this is done efficiently and effectively.
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