From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

PARENTS CALL FOR ‘KIDS NOT SUITS’ CAMPAIGN.

Parents have launched a campaign that calls for cuts to be made to bureaucracy instead of schools and for managers to be sent into classrooms.

The 'Kids not Suits' campaign criticises Edinburgh city council for failing to tackle the education department's massive backroom costs at a time when school budgets are being cut and class sizes are rising.

The anonymous online campaign has seen growing support from opposition groups on the council.  It was launched by a parent whose child will be starting in primary one at Roseburn Primary School in a fortnight. The council cut one class and one teacher post from Roseburn School in May, meaning the primary one class his son enters will now have 30 pupils instead of the 23 he expected, according to the Scotsman Website.

However, council chiefs have hit back at the campaign, saying that only two per cent of the education budget is spent on management, while 93 per cent goes directly on schools and nurseries.

The parent, who does not want to be named for fear of the impact on his job, said he hopes to build support for his campaign from parents across the city of Edinburgh, ahead of a full council meeting on 19^th August 2010. He intends to call for management with teaching qualifications to be put into the classroom to boost teacher numbers and reduce class sizes.

"I want to help [education leader] Marilyn MacLaren with her dreams of reducing numbers and getting more teachers into schools" said the parent.   "The stats are not good on class sizes and it is drifting the wrong way, they're getting worse. They are happy to cut school budgets but not the number of bureaucrats at Waverley Court."

On 18th August 2010, it is estimated that 58 per cent of new school entrants will be in class sizes of more than 25. The council had been working towards class size caps of 25 under national guidance, but the Scottish Government failed to introduce the legislation for the cap in time for this year.

If you want more information on class sizes and its effect on health, you might find the following factsheets useful:

• Overview and guidelines for school and class sizes
• Classroom Management