Barrhead and Neilston teachers are set for industrial action this week, but the move is unlikely to affect pupils ahead of the school holidays.

That was the message from main teaching union the EIS after an overwhelming majority of members voted for action last week.

Local education authority East Renfrewshire Council is preparing to deal with any end-of-term back office confusion in the days before the holiday shut-down.

Teachers are incensed at what's said to be spiralling bureaucracy linked to the SQA system, which requires staff to compile detailed internal assessments.

The EIS argues the new system has been adopted too quickly, leading to greatly increased workloads linked to the new National Qualifications.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: “This ballot result reflects the frustration of Scotland’s Secondary teachers over the excessive assessment demands being placed on them and their pupils, particularly around unit assessments at National 5 and Higher; and the EIS now has a very clear mandate to implement an immediate work-to-contract in relation to SQA activity.”

He added: “The target of this industrial action is both SQA bureaucracy and excessive internal unit assessment, with its associated workload burden for teachers and unacceptable assessment pressures on students. “It is not our intention that this action should impact directly on pupils, and teachers will continue to teach classes normally and to assess pupils’ work.” At this month's education committee meeting at East Renfrewshire Council members heard how the authority had come in for criticism for its gradualist approach to the controversial Curriculum for Excellence system, but that its arguably careful approach had worked well. A main complaint by the EIS is that what is argued to be an excessive workload for teachers has not been addressed since 2014. Mr Flanagan said: “In August 2014 the then Cabinet Secretary for Education, Michael Russell acknowledged the excessive workload demands which had been placed on teachers and outlined a number of actions points, including the removal of duplication between Unit assessment and external exams. “Two Cabinet Secretaries later, and two full school years on, not one single unit assessment has been removed. That is why EIS members have voted for action.” Earlier this week East Renfrewshire Council's education department was set to consider the detail of the local action. A spokeperson said any necessary contingency arrangements would be made when it had decided how to proceed.