Call to tackle teacher shortage in Aberdeenshire
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The Scottish Government has been accused of having “no answer” to a teaching skills gap affecting north-east schools.
Ahead of the 2022/23 term, it emerged that Aberdeenshire Council was only sent half the number of new secondary school teachers it had asked for.
Councillors were told other parts of Scotland enjoyed a “surplus” of newly-qualified entrants while the local authority was 24 short.
During education questions at Holyrood, North East Scotland region MSP Tess White asked the education secretary whether the Scottish Government had made any progress in enticing new starts “outside of the central belt”.
Ms White said: “In the summer holidays, Aberdeenshire schools were only sent a handful of the newly qualified teachers they requested, with particular gaps in STEM.
“Meanwhile, other parts of the country have been given surplus teachers they don't need.
“Those issues are long-standing and show no signs of abating, with the fact that pupils aren't getting the same teaching in key subjects just because of where they live.
“Ahead of the next school year, what action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure the system for allocating new starts does not overlook our brilliant schools in the North east, outside of the central belt?”
The General Teaching Council Scotland is responsible for teacher allocation, where probationers select five preferred local authorities, or waive their preference for an extra payment.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "Of course the decision on where a probationer may wish to take up the probationary year is for that individual to consider where they wish to go.
"We cannot make probationers go to different parts of the country. There is a process which happens that allows them to give a number of their options that they would wish to go to.
"So I think we do need to bear cognisance of the fact that there is an individual choice part of this as well.
"But I do recognise that in particular areas there are shortages particularly in some aspects of education, STEM being one of them, and there are other aspects within Scotland, where there is not such a similar challenge.
"So we will always consider what can be done at a Scottish government level and within the initial teacher education, to provide information to those going through initial teacher education about the options that are available.
"There is a responsibility, of course within local authorities to be able to ensure that they are doing everything that they can.
"Now I admit there are challenges for that, quite happy to work with individual councils where those challenges arise.
"But we do have to take account of the fact that there are individual choices that are made by individual probationers and those moving into full-time education posts, where they may also wish to decide to go to particular areas, and that will present challenges and that’s something that we are very cognisant of."
Of the 25 teachers which did arrive in Aberdeenshire, the local authority received just two of the 11 newly-qualified maths teachers it needed, and two of 13 English teachers, while staffing issues also remain in home economics and technical.
Education director Laurence Findlay previously told councillors the local authority was given fewer new starts than other parts of the country and was “really struggling”.
Ms White later said: “The SNP government was warned about this situation in the summer and have made no attempt to remedy it.
“This isn’t just statistics – it’s learning outcomes for children and young people.
“And it’s the livelihoods of under-pressure staff who are looking for support, and judging by the Minister’s response today, there’s no answer coming.”
