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are there "rules" about employing probationers?

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are there "rules" about employing probationers?

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    I have the impression from somewhere that there are rules like a probationer must be extra to a school's needs, I do not remember where I read or heard it, can someone point me to a web-link, or tell me I am mistaken, thank you.
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    I believe that orginally probationers were "super-numerate" ie over and above the basic school complement of staff

    This didn't last long.

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    GuessWho

    This didn't last long.

    It didn't. Much cheapness took over and for many schools and departments the issue is a thorny one.

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    GuessWho

    I believe that orginally probationers were "super-numerate" ie over and above the basic school complement of staff

    This didn't last long.

    That has been my experience too.

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    Education manager in my LA was openly saying this week that probationers were being used to cover vacancies, council secondments etc. Nowt super-numerate at all. Cheap labour to cover budgetary holes. No wonder they've been keen to have a ready supply of them in recent years.
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    From memory, it was originally intended under the new teacher induction scheme that probationers would be supernumery to the staffing allocation.

    It was never adopted for financial reasons and, as a result, every year a large number of vacancies have to be held back for the training of probationers.

    The benefit, of course, is that it guarantees a one year job for anyone entering teaching and no doubt this encourages some people to consider teaching or even change careers. The downside is that there are fewer full time, permanent vacancies in schools for trained teachers.

    So the result of the 2002 teacher induction scheme would seem to be that there are now too many teachers for the available jobs, there is greater job insecurity owing to the casualisation of the workforce, short term supply staff are paid substantially less and an increased percentage of pupils are being taught by inexperienced staff.

    I suppose some would argue that this is an effective way to rejuvenate the teaching profession.

    Alternatively, it could be viewed as a deliberate plan to destabilise the profession, drive down costs and stockpile unemployed teachers to cover any future shortfall.

    It may also, of course, help if the government and their advisers want to introduce new, and untested, teaching methodologies.

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    GuessWho

    I believe that orginally probationers were "super-numerate" ie over and above the basic school complement of staff

    This didn't last long.

     

    I think you mean "supernumerary".  Unless they all need to be really good at Maths... Wink

     



    [edited by: mcmullet at 9:37 (GMT 0) on 3-5-2012]
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    mcmullet

    GuessWho

    I believe that orginally probationers were "super-numerate" ie over and above the basic school complement of staff

    This didn't last long.

     

    I think you mean "supernumerary".  Unless they all need to be really good at Maths... Wink

    It's CfE ....we're all now supposed to be super-numerate!  Wink

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    mcmullet

    GuessWho

    I believe that orginally probationers were "super-numerate" ie over and above the basic school complement of staff

    This didn't last long.

     

    I think you mean "supernumerary".  Unless they all need to be really good at Maths... Wink

    It's CfE .....we're all now super-numerate....Wink

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