• Give an update on the Executive Committee's actions to date regarding salaries and conditions negotiations
• Consider future strategies
• Explore ways in which the membership and the Executive Committee could work together to support Advisers in Scotland

The seminar was opened by Roderick MacKenzie, AEAS President. The key points of his speech were as follows:

• Reminder that this seminar was part of response to requests at the last two conferences for additional meetings, to help alleviate the sense of isolation felt by many advisers.
• Introduction of Office-Bearers
• Restatement of aim of the Association, praised by Jack McConnell at the 2001 Conference.
• Need to increase membership further - at present there are 7 Authorities not represented in the membership.
• Need for membership to work together to improve salaries negotiations.

The president then introduced the Keynote speaker, Willis Pickard, recently retired editor of The Times Educational Supplement (Scotland). Mr Pickard's address was stimulating and incisive; the main points are as follows:

• Mr Pickard began by striking an optimistic note: since his address to the AEAS conference in March 2000, he feels that the influence of Central Government has become less pervasive, due mainly to three factors: the reining in of the lnspectorate; the fallout from the 2000 SQA debacle which cast doubts on those at the centre of Education; and the reassertion of lower levels of influence: there had been a growth in local initiatives.

• Mr Pickard then moved onto how this latter point abutted the role of advisers. Clearly, the growth of local initiatives would be impossible without the input of advisers to lead, coordinate and disseminate good practice. Advisers also have a role in changes brought about by McCrone - Chartered Teachers, Probationers, CPD.

• Mr Pickard then pointed out that advisers must ensure that these opportunities are grasped - that advisers should be proactive, and much more visible than at present; he suggested that perhaps the present position of advisers and psychologists was partly due to the fact that the decision makers are not really aware of these groups.

• In conclusion, Mr Pickard suggested three strategies for gaining a ‘place in the sun’:

• Improve relations with the Media: present ourselves in a more professional manner.
• Be representative of the bulk of the membership
• Set clear priorities.

The second speaker, addressing the role of advisers in Local Authorities, was Angus MacDonald, Head of Education Development for Inverclyde Council. Mr MacDonald gave a lively and humorous speech, in support of the largely unsung work carried out by Local Authority Advisers. Briefly, his main points were:

• Mr MacDonald began by sketching the history of his position in his Authority, and the role that advisers fulfilled within it: working with a 'research and intelligence' officer, his advisers had to undertake the broad role of 'facilitators', supporting and challenging at whole -school level. Subject-specific issues were dealt with by subject network co-ordinators, led by advisers.

• Further, he advanced the opinion that some sort of permanent advisory service was very important indeed: although short term secondments were useful, they were also wasteful, since experience accrued was often lost at the end of the period of secondment.

• Mr MacDonald stated clearly that he would not want to see a break in the traditional link between teachers and advisers and advanced three main reasons:

*Self-interest - as a Head of Service, he needs to be able to recruit people with the right skills and background for the job, people with credibility.

* Altruism - Advisers are due an appropriate reward for the responsible job they are doing.

* Sterility - there are other groups within Authorities, with APT&C conditions whose failure to argue for Advisers would rebound on themselves.

However, the question we should all be asking is: what is best for the service as a whole?

A short plenary session then followed, during which questions were put to the two speakers. The afternoon session began with a rousing address by Tommy Doherty, Advisory Team Co-ordinator for North Lanarkshire Council, who outlined specific issues arising from McCrone, including:

• The Adviser's changing role:in addition to the learning and teaching focus which the job has always included, there is, increasingly, a monitoring and evaluation role which places the adviser at the centre of the support and challenge process.

• Further, the adviser job specification calls for a high degree of versatility and credibility: advisers have years of extremely successful teaching behind them.

• Mr Doherty pointed out that in recent HMI inspections of Local Authorities, the pivotal role of the adviser had been highlighted, as had the over- reliance on secondments which has in some cases resulted in a lack of continuity in staffing and inefficient quality assurance.

• In addressing the likely salary prospects of advisers post-McCrone, Mr Doherty used a bar-chart which showed graphically the deterioration in advisers' salaries since 1989, compared to those of Primary Headteachers and Secondary Deputes.

• In conclusion, Mr Doherty issued a call to action, to prevent a further reduction in the status of advisers and the subsequent deterioration in the quality of Education services which would ensue.

1. How the AEAS can support advisory services more effectively
2. Future strategies for salary negotiations
3. Specific evidence which could be given by the AEAS to the SNCT Salaries sub-group.

Under 1)

• Better communication - perhaps a monthly newsletter
• Raise the fees, so that more money was available
• Closer consultation with ADES
• Stop being so polite - raise profile in Media
• Staff development for advisers
• Liaison with Directorates
• More day seminars

Under 2)

• Encourage members of EIS to raise salary issue more actively
• Make staff in school more aware of our situation
• Find legal position on specific claims
• Direct appeal to Jack McConnell
• Maintain teacher status
• Consider withdrawal of services
• Employ a permanent press officer

Under 3)

• Evidence from Music Instructors
• We pay into teachers' superannuation scheme
• Our involvement in CPD and effect on hours
• Seconded curriculum support officers could be earning more than the advisers who would be their line managers.
• We were never supposed to be excluded from McCrone - it was a mistake which should be rectified
• Stress importance of maintaining credibility