EIS chief Larry Flanagan to stand down

Larry Flanagan is standing down as general secretary of teachers’ union the EIS after a decade in post.

Handing in his resignation on Friday, he said the role had been an “honour”.

EIS president Heather Hughes said his departure would be a “great loss”.

Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville praised Flanagan for his “constructive” involvement in discussions.

Flanagan was elected as the union’s general secretary in 2012. He will remain in post until the summer so the next general secretary – to be appointed in the coming months – can shadow him for a short time.

The move follows an “especially difficult” period due to the coronavirus pandemic, during which he has served on the government’s Covid Education Recovery Group.

He said: “It has been an honour to serve Scotland’s teaching professionals and Scottish education as the general secretary of the EIS for the past ten years. I have sought to bring my 33 years experience as a classroom teacher to the fore in my role as general secretary and I remain deeply convinced about the strength of our education system and the quality and professionalism of our education workforce.

“The past two years in particular, during the Covid pandemic, have been especially difficult for everyone involved in Scottish education, bringing many unexpected and unprecedented challenges for the EIS and for Scotland’s teachers and lecturers but I believe we have responded well to those challenges.”

Flanagan will continue in his role as president of the European Trade Union Committee for Education.

He previously worked as an English teacher and has left open the potential for returning to the classroom as a supply teacher.

Somerville said: “It’s hard to imagine Scottish education without Larry being involved. I’ve valued the discussions I’ve had with him in my time as cab sec. Always direct, always constructive and always built on Larry’s vast knowledge and experience.”