The Scottish Parent Teacher Council wrote to Nicol Stephen in January 2003 to raise concerns about the likely changes to Guidance following the McCrone settlement. They wrote to ask what action the Executive would take to safeguard provision and protect the interests of young people in schools. 

They pointed out that Guidance staff carry out a range duties including pastoral care, subject choice interviews, tracking pupil progression against targets, advising on careers, managing work experience and overseeing university applications. It has, therefore, become the norm for guidance staff to be in promoted posts because this gives them the status and, crucially, the necessary time to carry out the more specialised duties.

The SPTC noted that under the McCrone settlement, the APT role will end in the summer of 2003 and that this will cut the Guidance provision in all secondary schools by as much as fifty per cent. There will no longer be sufficient people with the time and expertise to carry out these duties which are so crucial for the advancement of young people.

The SPTC were aware that the APTs concerned will not lose out, as they will have their salaries conserved, but that the Chartered Teacher position is about teaching and does not carry with it time for Guidance. If teachers continue their guidance role, it will be on a good-will basis, not as part of their duties, and they did not think that such a critical role for youngsters should be dependent on good will alone.

They were aware that there is currently a wide-ranging review of guidance, which is due to report in December 2003 - after the McCrone changes will have been implemented – but feel that this makes no sense and that the changes should wait until after the Guidance review has reported.

The SPTC were also very concerned to learn that there is no clear agreement on what should be done. Different authorities are coming up with different proposals. They understand that one such is for all APTs to be temporarily promoted to PTs until the review reports. This would allow them to continue their guidance role. It would cost about £1,000 per APT but it is better to spend the extra money to guarantee Guidance provision for young people rather than have former APTs sitting on conserved salaries but not picking up their former workload.