Dundee City Council is moving ahead with the implementation of a contreversial faculty-based leadership structure in Tayside's secondary schools.
Education bosses claim it is to better support pupils and improve educational outcomes.
The change, from the current system of a principal teacher for each subject area, was initially agreed by councillors three years ago but delayed due to the pandemic.
Faculty models are already in place in almost all of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas, but they are not welcomed by everyone.
Local teachers are still planning to strike later this month over the proposals.
And speaking to TES - the Times Educational Supplement - Dundee EIS secretary David Baxter described the council's proposals as "damaging" and called for it to abandon its plans, given the strength of opposition.
Mr Baxter said: "The council's plans would remove the vital experience offered by subject specialist principal teachers from our schools, with long-term damaging consequences for education in Dundee and for the young people in our schools.
“Teachers do not take strike action lightly, and it is now time for Dundee Council to heed this clear warning and to halt their plans before it is too late."
Stewart Hunter, from Dundee City Council, defended the plan.
He said: “A move to faculties is designed to improve the quality of learning and teaching by providing enhanced whole school leadership that can better support pupils and improve outcomes.
“Individual head teachers – in consultation with their teachers and in partnership with senior officers – are creating a faculty structure which best supports their school’s curriculum, leadership, and management requirements within delegated staffing budgets.
“Faculty structures will not mean any reduction in teacher FTE (full time equivalent) in any school. Quite the opposite, our staffing levels will be enhanced.”
He explained the next stage of the implementation involves the recruitment of faculty heads. The job description for these posts is based on those used in other Scottish local authorities.
Secondary schools are moving to the new system on a phased basis from August, which is why these new posts are being advertised now.
There will be regular reviews with head teachers as part of the process.
**Don't miss the latest headlines from around Dundee and Tayside. Sign up to our newsletters here
And did you know Dundee Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and a share
