A WEST FIFE teacher says colleagues across Scotland have reached “crisis point”.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Press that excessive workloads, lack of resources, increased paperwork and growing stress is causing increasing numbers to leave the profession.

She said she had been employed for more than 10 years and consistently worked over her contracted hours, preparing classes and meeting the demands required of the role.

“Due to excessive workload, admin, stress, inclusion issues and a salary which does not keep up with inflation; many skilled teachers are opting out of the profession,” the teacher said.

“There’s been so much change during my years in teaching and I feel we’re seeing more teachers leaving their jobs now more than ever. The excessive workload is swamping teachers. The traditional view of a 9am to 3pm teacher is so far from the truth.

“They are now having to step in to the roles of psychologist, of social worker, of playground assistant. There are so many duties of care now. Inclusion is also a massive issue. You’re required to meet all the needs of your pupils despite being significantly underfunded and lacking the resources you need to care for them.”

She said the Scottish Government don’t “have a real picture of the current situation in Scottish schools,” adding they cannot “fully empathise” with the working conditions teachers are facing.

The teacher continued: “Staff are really struggling not having the adequate resources. It has reached a crisis point. I don’t think they fully appreciate where it’s at. I’ve known teachers through my time in education that have been so dedicated and passionate about their job. There’s been a real decrease in them in recent years and it’s really sad to see.

“The motivated, young graduates that should be packed full of energy and ready to enter schools are coming out of university and are already lost under new outcomes and initiatives. Someone I know was looking for a new job after six months’ probation. That shouldn’t be happening. Young teachers are finding it tough.

“It shocked me to see that so many young teachers, who chose teaching as a vocation, are leaving or have already left the profession. They’ve thought teaching was going to be their job for life. They’ve graduated to become a teacher. It’s really sad. The workload grows and grows and it’s very hard to maintain a work-life balance. That’s a real, growing concern. Every day I’m working more hours than I should be.

“A friend of mine worked to 7.30pm until the school’s janitor told her to leave. Everything needs to be up-to-date. You need to plan for the next day. You need to write evaluations and reports, meeting set agendas and policies.

“If you do leave on time, and you get home and don’t feel exhausted, you feel guilty about it. You feel like you haven’t done enough. The guilt and blame culture that surrounds that is seriously wrong.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said education remains their “number one priority” and added: “That’s why we have taken action to reduce teacher workloads, clarifying and simplifying the curriculum framework and removing unnecessary bureaucracy. We are working closely with local government and headteacher and teacher organisations to empower teachers to improve learning outcomes across our schools and early learning centres.

“We are also recruiting more teachers, investing £88 million in 2017, resulting in 543 more teachers than the previous year – the second year running numbers have increased. There are now more primary and secondary teachers than at any time since 2014 and the ratio of pupils to teachers is at its lowest since 2013.”