TEACHERS have accused ministers of “rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic” instead of addressing the real problems facing Scottish education.

Letters addressed to Education Secretary John Swinney reveal a catalogue of frustrations over excessive workloads, long hours and a lack of support.

It comes amid ongoing changes to Scotland’s education system, including a shake-up of exams and plans to hand headteachers more powers over the curriculum, budgets and staff recruitment.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS, Scotland’s biggest teaching union, said the issues raised were “deeply concerning”.

He said: “The workload challenges teachers have been facing over the last few years have been excessive and despite promises from the Deputy First Minister and others, workload continues to increase rather than decrease.

“Scotland’s teachers work some of the longest hours of any OECD country with a very high percentage of time spent in front of the class.

“The damaging combination of soaring workload and declining pay facing Scotland’s teachers has created a situation where teaching is no longer a desirable career for many graduates, with serious implications for teacher recruitment and retention and for education provision in many parts of the country.”

Emails released under Freedom of Information show teachers have contacted Mr Swinney to express concerns over unmanageable workloads, 10-hour working days and impenetrable bureaucracy.

One complained of constant change, “savage” funding cuts and staff shortages, adding: “I find the potential changes to educational governance in Scotland quite worrying.

“Giving increased powers to already seriously overworked headteachers really is akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.”

Another said elements of the current assessment structure for secondary school children were “demotivating and potentially cruel and damaging”.

They dismissed National 4 qualifications – which were introduced as part of wider changes replacing Standard Grades in 2014 – as “largely worthless”, and insisted: “I am a secondary teacher and love my job but like every other teacher I know I am frustrated by the admin and the bureaucracy of the qualifications system. It just seems unnecessarily complicated.”

Meanwhile, a group of Geography teachers employed by Highland Council raised a number of concerns over changes to Higher qualifications.

They argued pupils were being used as “guinea pigs yet again” as teachers were not given sight of exam papers before courses began.

One “desperately frustrated teacher” said school corridors are now “scattered with documents extolling the curriculum principles instead of high quality children’s work as it used to be”.

They said there was a “a culture of silence and ramifications for those who speak [out].”

Scottish Labour's education spokesman Iain Gray said teachers are “rightly sceptical of reforms the SNP government has attempted to push though”.

He said: "Education was supposed to be the top priority for the SNP but teachers have seen their workload shoot up much faster than their pay – no wonder morale is through the floor and that industrial action is a growing possibility."

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary, said teachers did not believe Mr Swinney was "addressing the serious concerns within the profession".

She added: “These are not insignificant concerns. They matter greatly to the future of school education in Scotland and it is time the SNP took action.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Education is our number one priority and we recognise the pressures facing teachers, such as those highlighted here.

“That’s why we have taken action to reduce teacher workloads, clarifying and simplifying the curriculum framework and removing unnecessary bureaucracy.

“We are working closely with local government and head-teacher and teacher organisations to empower teachers to improve learning outcomes across our schools and early learning centres.

“We are also recruiting more teachers, investing £88 million in 2017, resulting in 543 more teachers than the previous year – the second year running numbers have increased.

“There are now more primary and secondary teachers than at any time since 2014 and the ratio of pupils to teachers is at its lowest since 2013."