Scottish councils call for more power to oversee teacher training

Local authorities in Scotland are calling to take over control of teacher training as a lack of staff is believed to be affecting education in rural areas.

The seven councils, which make up the Northern Alliance, have teamed up to fill teaching gaps, following instances where authorities have had to ask parents for assistance in finding qualified staff, Tes has reported.

More varied routes into the profession are also in demand by the councils, made up of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

They are calling for trainees to receive more practical experience in schools and the proposed changes would allow them to have control over areas which are currently overseen by the government.

Education secretary, John Swinney, has also recently announced that more than £3 million was being put towards training 371 extra teachers in schools in Scotland, to which the Northern Alliance welcomed.

In a bid to overcome the current recruitment crisis, the Scottish government has invested £1 million into creating new ways to get into teaching. This includes: fast-tracking new teachers; recruiting from Ireland; and a £350,000 teacher recruitment campaign has also been started to target science university students.

Maria Walker, director of education and children’s services in Aberdeenshire, stated that the best way to recruit teachers to more rural areas is to “grow your own” and train up local people that would like to go into teaching.

She continued: “The current situation is really cruel. For us, teacher recruitment is our constant worry.

“If you believe that good teachers make the difference, how do you make that difference if you don’t have the teachers?”