Inverness and Nairn MSP calls for ‘radical change’ to address staff shortages at Nairn Academy and Highland schools
A veteran politician is calling for the Scottish Government to look into solutions such as covering supply teachers’ travel costs and making it easier for teachers moving in from other countries to teach in Scotland.
This is to ease acute staffing shortage issues across schools in rural areas, with the crisis that hit Nairn Academy used as an example of what he said could become an “endemic” problem for schools in the area.
Earlier this month attendance for S4 to S6 pupils was limited temporarily to three days a week due to six vacant posts as well as long-term staff absences.
Other year groups have been impacted as well with classes being cancelled.
Now, Inverness and Nairn SNP MSP Fergus Ewing is urging education secretary Jenny Gilruth and the Scottish Government to address these “immediate problems”.
He wrote: “Supply teachers can choose where to work. They do not get travel costs. So, if they are based in Inverness, they may well choose to take up supply positions in Inverness rather than incur the fairly hefty travel costs to and from Nairn each day.
“The cheapest rail daily return is £3.90 and of course, if supply teachers in Inverness use the train they will also likely have bus fares as well to get to the stations. Even if the costs of public transport may be £5 per day, the costs would amount to at least £100 per month.
“If, as is perhaps more commonly the case, supply teachers were to travel by car, then a modest 1000cc engine care would cost about £77 a week at the minimum (24p per mile running costs times 20 days times 16 miles).
“It is fairly obvious that there is a strong financial disincentive for those supply teachers to work in rural schools.
”As a parent pointed out, it is great that there will be a new school in Nairn but not much use if there are not the teachers to teach the children.”
He suggested providing local authorities with the flexibility to enable travel costs to be met - possibly piloting the scheme with Nairn Academy - to ease the pressure.
He also highlighted the importance of using the talent coming from outwith Scotland to address the issue.
“Over 25 years as MSP for Inverness and Nairn had numerous cases of teachers - many of them experienced teachers of many years in the classroom - who come from England and Wales,” he said.
“Almost all of them have had serious problems, often insurmountable, with the rigorous requirements of the General Teaching Council. Of course, I am well aware that Scottish Teachers are required to have secured a degree. I understand the general rationale for that. But I do seriously question whether the current system is not overly bureaucratic, and in practice excludes many people who could play a hugely valuable part in teaching our children here.
“I would be grateful, Cabinet Secretary, if you can write to me after having considered the situation in Nairn to see what more can be done, in the short term and also in the long term.
“What is clear is that without radical change and actually doing things differently the existing shortages are only going to become worse and more serious.”
The issue was raised in Holyrood yesterday (Tuesday, December 10) after Jenny Gilruth’s ministerial statement on the 2025 National Improvement Framework and Long-term Strategy for Scottish Education.
Ms Gilruth replied: “When I started my teaching career, I ticked the box to ‘go anywhere’ and went to Elgin High School for a year.
“That scheme still exists - the preference waiver scheme - and of course, the government resources that scheme every year.
“What we have seen post-pandemic are fewer teachers opting to tick the box, so we need to work with local authorities like Highland Council at creative solutions.
She said she was ‘very open’ to introducing new measures and that they had been working with Aberdeenshire Council to look at how they could help support some of the challenges they are facing.
“I look forward to continuing these discussions with COSLA, as part of our new commitment to working with them to support improvement for our young people but also to workforce planning.”
