Drumchapel, Blog and Community December 8, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Single Status, Uncategorized , trackback
I received an email from Harry Carey who is a technician at 
Drumchapel High School. He has been reading my blog and wanted to thank me for flagging up stories regarding Single Status and Job evaluation and generally giving him and others a point of reference with regard as to what is happening in technician circles.
He told me that the blog from the national conference let himself and other technical support staff who were not able to attend the conference see what was going on and gave them an idea of some of the issues that were being discussed.
Support staff can feel isolated within schools. We work under different terms and conditions from teaching staff and some senior management are oblivious to the contents of the Red Book that governs local government employees working practices.
Participation in council affairs and initiatives can pass us by because important information for support staff, with no importance to teaching staff, for one reason or another does not always make it through to its target audience.
Everyone who attended the annual conference agreed that its biggest benefit was being able to meet others from all over the country. Not only were experiences shared and best practice debated, delegates were given a chance to see just how other regions organised and ran their technician services. The feeling of community was palpable.
Since returning from conference I have had a number of emails and comments on the blog. So if you are a technician in a school thinking that you are alone, and are reading this then get in touch and maybe we can start an online community where we could discuss the big questions relevant to us.
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thanks for the mention the money is in the post ..another first for drumchapel high ..keep up the good work brian . from the techies at the drum.
I remember Harry! The Drum was my first school when it was still St Pius’ old building. I was there until they knocked it down for the much better new build. Isn’t it great how the world becomes even smaller with the blog?
Yet again proof that the Blogosphere works !!!
I heard about this blog from Harry Carey! I’m also a School Technician, in Cleveden Secondary, Glasgow. It is true that we are isolated and generally feel left out of the loop regarding Councils ideas and no more has this been prevalent than the pay review and benefits package or Single Status as it should be termed. Requests for contracts to be signed without detailed job descriptions and an overall uncertainty for the unfortunate ones in pay detriment don’t make a harmonious work force.
I welcome this chance to have our say and hope that many others contribute!
Welcome Calum, I dont really think that teaching staff in schools, especially the managers fully understand how single status will affect their staff. Once the majority of councils impliment it there will be a lot of bad feeling. Unfortunately its staff in schools that seem to be taking the brunt of the wage cuts. Personnel can call it what they like, they should call a spade a spade, its a wage cut pure and simple.
Being an old codjer been in the Drum for over 30 years
and its now the 14th year of Drumchapel high the only way to improve things
is to have a big clear out off the staff who know best and wont change there ways
that could also include me too.
jimbo
Your blog is having an impact on me as I now reinforce the role of support staff in many of the conversations I have about education in East Lothian. I think I’ve always valued support staff contributions but I now make it much more explicit. Thanks
Believe me its appreciated Don, many thanks for the continued support,
Hi Brian and all,
I’ll vouch for Jim being an old yin..but ill also swell his head by stating that’s hes a good old yin..
Jims the schools ict techie and an awful lot of the advancements that have taken place with the uptake and usage of ict’s within the school are down to him.
A point that I know you sympathise with Brian is when support staff are referred to as non- teaching staff. I can state that more than a few members of Glasgow’s teaching staff have acquired ict skill’s not through any fancy courses but directly from Jim.
Strange then to think that when Glasgow decided that each school would have at least two appointed ict mentors from its staff list , to be paid to help support the uptake of ict within the school, the likes of Jim where told sorry not you… and why ? well Jim isn’t a teacher is he.
Cheers again
Harry
Thats truly shocking. I am a GLOW mentor and as far as I know the only science technician to have that role. I am glad that East Lothian broke the mould and considered me for the post. Glasgow need to have a re think on policies that dont allow all members of staff to play a full part in the functioning of the school. Attitudes like that only serve to widen the gap between support and teaching staff.
Can I just reiterate the use of non-teaching term. It is unfortunately still being used by those in authority. I have emailed HMI and others about it and theyve replied positively but it still crops up. The term is demeaning to anyone who it is referred to. We are not ‘NONS’! As most people know we are now ‘Support Staff’ so please correct those who don’t know or forget!
As for Jim, yeah yer right and about staff!
Regards
Calum