Latest news with #GrahamHutton
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
High school leaders feel 'exhausted, helpless, and frustrated'
SLS carried out a survey of members during March and April 2025 which gathered more than 300 responses covering all 32 council areas in Scotland, as well as the private sector. 80 percent of respondents were either headteachers or deputes in secondary schools. Asked to outline the things they like most about their job, SLS members highlighted the opportunity to work with young people and see them 'grow and develop' during their time at school. They also talked about the importance of teamwork, their impact on local communities, and the 'privilege' of being able to make a difference to people's lives. However, the responses also highlights the enormous and increasing pressures faced by secondary school leaders. Participants in the survey reported an average working week of more than 53 hours, with some reporting having to work between 70 and 80 hours in a week. The SLS says that these responses show 'the vast majority of school leaders individuals consistently work well beyond' the limits of their contracts. The survey also gathered more information on the detail of a working week. On average, leaders said that they spent nearly five and a half hours provided one-to-one support for pupils removed from class, and more than two hours providing unplanned cover for absent teachers. In total, this additional work therefore takes up one entire school day each week. The SLS data also shows that nearly 90 percent of school leaders find themselves unable to take even a single uninterrupted break of at least twenty minutes. Responses also highlighted a wide range of problems and concerns, including a lack of business managers in some areas, the use of centralised recruitment systems by certain councils, the impact of cuts to council support teams, and the provision of 'inadequate' financial tools. SLS General Secretary Graham Hutton discussed the survey results with education specialist James McEnaney (Image: Robert Perry) Staff also expressed 'frustration' over the 'relentless' scrutiny of school by local authorities and national inspectors, drawing particular attention to the bureaucratic burden of data collection and reporting. Asked what would make their role more manageable, by far the most common response was 'proper support for inclusion and/or adequate ASN provision.' As a result of the increasing pressures being experienced by school leaders, 61% of those surveyed said that have considered leaving the profession early. Schools Leaders Scotland describe this as a 'depressing statistic' which shows 'how unhappy school leaders are in their posts.' READ MORE School Leaders Scotland argues that its members need more realistic workload demands, more support for working with distressed pupils and those with additional support needs, and more realistic parental expectations. General Secretary Graham Hutton said: 'The pressure of managing schools amid budget cuts, staffing shortages, and unrealistic expectations has made the role increasingly difficult. Work-life balance is severely impacted, with many struggling to maintain their health and family relationships while working excessive hours. Local authority and national bureaucracy, administrative burdens, and a lack of effective support from many partner agencies and local authorities have undoubtedly exacerbated frustrations. Many school leaders feel trapped in a system that demands more while providing fewer resources, often leading to exhaustion and a feeling of helplessness and frustration. 'Smaller faculties, reduced class sizes, and greater autonomy for Head Teachers could improve efficiency and reduce workload. The need for uninterrupted time, trained support staff, and structured reliable administrative processes which deliver for leaders, would ease the managerial and leadership burdens. Some staff would even prefer more protected time over additional salary increases. 'School leaders overwhelmingly feel their wellbeing is overlooked, with unrealistic expectations and inadequate support systems in place. While individual resilience strategies and strong peer networks offer some relief, the profession remains fundamentally unsustainable without structural reform. Leaders urgently call for realistic workloads, better wellbeing resources, and improved recognition of the challenges they face.' A spokesperson said that the Scottish Government 'recognises and appreciates the hard work of our teachers.' They continued: 'Our determination to support them means that Scottish classroom teachers, on the main-grade scale, are the best paid in the UK. 'We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils. We are working with unions and COSLA to agree our approach to reducing class contact time. 'We are also providing local authorities with an additional £186.5 million to restore teacher numbers, alongside an additional £29 million to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce.' COSLA, which represents Scotland's councils, has also been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The village ‘ripped apart' by scrapped HS2 line – while taxpayers foot bill for empty homes
A 'jewel' village has been ripped apart by scrapped plans for an HS2 line, locals claim, as it emerged that taxpayers were footing a seven-figure annual bill to guard properties left empty by the overall project. Some 35 of the 50 homes in Whitmore Heath were bought on behalf of the government from residents wanting to sell amid plans for a huge tunnel beneath the hillside hamlet for the high-speed rail link from London to Manchester. But as the properties – many of them lavish mansions with large gardens – were sold off, delays and spiralling costs placed the section of line through Staffordshire in doubt, until, in October 2023, it was axed. 'It destroyed the community,' said Graham Hutton, who lives two miles away and fought against the building of the line, which would have run from Handsacre in Staffordshire to Manchester. 'The village was an affluent place where people who made their money went to live. But the plans for HS2 made them want to leave, and then their homes were rented out or left empty.' Residents say one home was turned into a cannabis factory, while others judged to be unsuitable to rent remain gated up with 24/7 security teams hired to guard them. The story in Whitmore Heath is a snapshot of the situation along the initial route, which, as well as reaching Manchester on a western leg, was also planned to connect London and Birmingham with Leeds. Only the line from London to Handsacre in Staffordshire, including Birmingham, will now be built. In total, HS2 spent £3.7bn on buying up 1,727 properties on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), including £633m on 1,021 properties along the axed routes. They were bought under a range of schemes, including a voluntary purchase and a 'need to sell', where the seller had to provide a compelling reason to move after being unable to sell on the open market. Some were purchased under compulsory purchase orders (CPO). But about a quarter of the purchased properties – around 430 – are empty, with security teams required to protect some of them. Data obtained by The Independent revealed £1.9m was spent on guarding the properties in 2023-2024 – £37,000 a week. In Staffordshire, £481,000 was spent. 'What a waste, an absolute waste of money,' said Ashfield District councillor Paul Northcott. 'We need a resolution now so we can sell those properties to people they bought from, or back on the market – let's get the community back together again.' 'Whitmore Heath was the jewel of the area, but the community has been fragmented. It's been ripped apart by people coming in and going, people renting short-term. 'Villagers are downbeat; they feel like they are in limbo.' Whitmore Parish councillor Ian Webb said the situation was 'far from ideal'. He added: 'I know several homes that have been left empty for a very long time.' Uncertainty is not helped by the maintenance of safeguards to stop the land from being developed in a way that would conflict with future schemes, with a cheaper high-speed alternative proposed last year. Among those waiting is Edward Cavenagh Mainwaring, who lost around 250 acres of his family farm in Staffordshire through a CPO for HS2. But like others in the area, he now fears the amount offered was below the market rate, and if the opportunity comes, he will not be able to afford to buy back the land. 'A lot of people have been left mentally hurt,' he previously told The Independent. Last month, the restriction on selling land was lifted for the eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds, which was cancelled in November 2021. The DfT said an update on safeguarding of the western leg line area will be given in due course alongside proposals for rail routes in the North of England. A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: 'HS2 Ltd has a responsibility for the safety and security of all land and property acquired to build the railway. 'More than 1,700 properties are currently managed by the company across the route – including those on the former Phase 2 leg – and it is in the best interests of local communities, project delivery and the taxpayer that they are kept safe and well maintained.' Last month, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said her department was working with HS2 Ltd to 'reset' the project after 'years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight'. She said there was 'no route' to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The village ‘ripped apart' by scrapped HS2 line – while taxpayers foot bill for empty homes
A 'jewel' village has been ripped apart by scrapped plans for an HS2 line, locals claim, as it emerged that taxpayers were footing a seven-figure annual bill to guard properties left empty by the overall project. Some 35 of the 50 homes in Whitmore Heath were bought on behalf of the government from residents wanting to sell amid plans for a huge tunnel beneath the hillside hamlet for the high-speed rail link from London to Manchester. But as the properties - many of them lavish mansions with large gardens - were sold off, delays and spiralling costs placed the section of line through Staffordshire in doubt, until, in October 2023, it was axed. 'It destroyed the community,' said Graham Hutton, who lives two miles away and fought against the line, which would have gone from Handsacre in Staffordshire to Manchester, being built. 'The village was an affluent place where people who made their money went to live. But the plans for HS2 made them want to leave, and then their homes were rented out or left empty.' Residents say one home was turned into a cannabis factory, while others judged to be unsuitable to rent remain gated up with 24/7 security teams hired to guard them. The story in Whitmore Heath is a snapshot of the situation along the initial route, which, as well as reaching Manchester on a western leg, was also planned to connect London and Birmingham with Leeds. Only the line from London to Handsacre in Staffordshire, including Birmingham, will now be built. In total, HS2 spent £3.7bn on buying up 1,727 properties on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), including £633m on 1,021 properties along the axed routes. They were bought under a range of schemes, including a voluntary purchase and a 'need to sell', where the seller had to provide a compelling reason to move after being unable to sell on the open market. Some were purchased under compulsory purchase orders (CPO). But around a quarter of the purchased properties - around 430 - are empty, with security teams required to protect some of them. Data obtained by The Independent revealed £1.9m was spent on guarding the properties in 2023-2024, the equivalent of £37,000 a week. In Staffordshire, £481,000 was spent. 'What a waste, an absolute waste of money,' said county councillor Paul Northcott. 'We need a resolution now so we can sell those properties to people they bought from, or back on the market - let's get the community back together again.' 'Whitmore Heath was the jewel of the area, but the community has been fragmented, it's been ripped apart by people coming in and going, people renting short-term. 'Villagers are downbeat, they feel like they are in limbo.' Parish councillor Ian Webb said the situation was 'far from ideal'. He added: 'I know several homes that have been left empty for a very long time.' Uncertainty is not helped by the maintenance of safeguards to stop the land from being developed in a way that would conflict with future schemes, with a cheaper high-speed alternative proposed last year. Among those waiting is Edward Cavenagh-Mainwaring, who lost around 250 acres of his family farm in Staffordshire through a CPO for HS2. But like others in the area, he now fears the amount offered was below the market rate, and if the opportunity comes, he will not be able to afford to buy back the land. 'A lot of people have been left mentally hurt,' he previously told The Independent. Last month, the restriction on selling land was lifted for the eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds, which was cancelled in November 2021. The DfT said an update on safeguarding of the western leg line area will be given in due course alongside proposals for rail routes in the North of England. A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: 'HS2 Ltd has a responsibility for the safety and security of all land and property acquired to build the railway. 'More than 1,700 properties are currently managed by the company across the route – including those on the former Phase 2 leg – and it is in the best interests of local communities, project delivery and the taxpayer that they are kept safe and well maintained.' Last month, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said her department was working with HS2 Ltd to 'reset' the project after 'years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight'. She said there was 'no route' to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The jewel village ‘ripped apart' by scrapped HS2 line - and how public foots bill for empty homes
A jewel village has been ripped apart by scrapped plans for an HS2 line, locals claim, as it emerged that taxpayers were footing a seven-figure annual bill to guard properties left empty by the overall project. Some 35 of the 50 homes in Whitmore Heath were bought on behalf of the government from residents wanting to sell amid plans for a huge tunnel beneath the hillside hamlet for the high-speed rail link from London to Manchester. But as the properties - many of them lavish mansions with large gardens - were sold off, delays and spiralling costs placed the section of line through Staffordshire in doubt, until, in October 2023, it was axed. 'It destroyed the community,' said Graham Hutton, who lives two miles away and fought against the line, which would have gone from Handsacre in Staffordshire to Manchester, being built. 'The village was an affluent place where people who made their money went to live. But the plans for HS2 made them want to leave, and then their homes were rented out or left empty.' Residents say one home was turned into a cannabis factory, while others judged to be unsuitable to rent remain gated up with 24/7 security teams hired to guard them. The story in Whitmore Heath is a snapshot of the situation along the initial route, which, as well as reaching Manchester on a western leg, was also planned to connect London and Birmingham with Leeds. Only the line from London to Handsacre in Staffordshire, including Birmingham, will now be built. In total, HS2 spent £3.7bn on buying up 1,727 properties on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), including £633m on 1,021 properties along the axed routes. They were bought under a range of schemes, including a voluntary purchase and a 'need to sell', where the seller had to provide a compelling reason to move after being unable to sell on the open market. Some were purchased under compulsory purchase orders (CPO). But around a quarter of the purchased properties - around 430 - are empty, with security teams required to protect some of them. Data obtained by The Independent revealed £1.9m was spent on guarding the properties in 2023-2024, the equivalent of £37,000 a week. In Staffordshire, £481,000 was spent. 'What a waste, an absolute waste of money,' said county councillor Paul Northcott. 'We need a resolution now so we can sell those properties to people they bought from, or back on the market - let's get the community back together again.' 'Whitmore Heath was the jewel of the area, but the community has been fragmented, it's been ripped apart by people coming in and going, people renting short-term. 'Villagers are downbeat, they feel like they are in limbo.' Parish councillor Ian Webb said the situation was 'far from ideal'. He added: 'I know several homes that have been left empty for a very long time.' Uncertainty is not helped by the maintenance of safeguards to stop the land from being developed in a way that would conflict with future schemes, with a cheaper high-speed alternative proposed last year. Among those waiting is Edward Cavenagh-Mainwaring, who lost around 250 acres of his family farm in Staffordshire through a CPO for HS2. But like others in the area, he now fears the amount offered was below the market rate, and if the opportunity comes, he will not be able to afford to buy back the land. 'A lot of people have been left mentally hurt,' he previously told The Independent. Last month, the restriction on selling land was lifted for the eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds, which was cancelled in November 2021. The DfT said an update on safeguarding of the western leg line area will be given in due course alongside proposals for rail routes in the North of England. A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: 'HS2 Ltd has a responsibility for the safety and security of all land and property acquired to build the railway. 'More than 1,700 properties are currently managed by the company across the route – including those on the former Phase 2 leg – and it is in the best interests of local communities, project delivery and the taxpayer that they are kept safe and well maintained.' Last month, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said her department was working with HS2 Ltd to 'reset' the project after 'years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight'. She said there was 'no route' to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033.
