This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New teachers ready for new term
17/08/2005
Thousands of teaching graduates are set to make their mark in Scottish classrooms after the summer holidays.
As part of the Executive's drive to boost teacher numbers at a time when school rolls are falling, 2,770 newly-qualified staff will start their teaching careers this month.
Meanwhile, the latest vacancy statistics show 132 primary posts have been vacant for more than three months and 246 secondary posts have been vacant for the same length of time.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"Great teachers make lasting differences to children's lives. That's why we're committed to attracting increasing numbers of high-quality teachers into the profession, enabling us to cut class sizes and target resources where we believe they can make the most difference.
"Despite the fact that school rolls are falling dramatically, we're increasing the number of teachers in our classroom - and there's an army of new recruits waiting in the wings, ready to bring their skills and expertise into schools.
"Next year, even more students will start their training and we're well on track to deliver our commitment of 53,000 teachers by 2007. In addition, vacancy rates remain low - just 439 posts have been vacant for three months or more, in a workforce of 51,287.
"These are exciting times for Scottish education - as we embark on the biggest reform programme for a generation - and each and every one of these new teachers has a key role to play to keep our standards of education rising."
The tables show the latest information available for primary and secondary teacher vacancies at February 2005 and the probationer allocations at July 2005 expected to enter schools in August 2005, broken down by local authority area:
Primary
Local Authority | Primary Teacher Vacancies not filled after a 3 Months period* | Primary Probationer Teacher Induction Scheme |
Aberdeen City | 17 | 29 |
Aberdeenshire | 16 | 76 |
Angus | - | 41 |
Argyll & Bute | 7 | 17 |
Clackmannanshire | - | 12 |
Dumfries & Galloway | - | 36 |
Dundee City | 27 | 18 |
East Ayrshire | 1 | 39 |
East Dunbartonshire | 1 | 24 |
East Lothian | 1 | 46 |
East Renfrewshire | - | 75 |
Edinburgh, City of | - | 87 |
Eilean Siar | - | 6 |
Falkirk | - | 46 |
Fife | 8 | 80 |
Glasgow City | 16 | 118 |
Highland | 2 | 60 |
Inverclyde | - | 7 |
Midlothian | - | 21 |
Moray | - | 30 |
North Ayrshire | - | 54 |
North Lanarkshire | 13 | 153 |
Orkney Islands | - | 9 |
Perth & Kinross | 1 | 41 |
Renfrewshire | - | 32 |
Scottish Borders | 1 | 25 |
Shetland Islands | - | 6 |
South Ayrshire | - | 25 |
South Lanarkshire | 2 | 91 |
Stirling | 5 | 29 |
West Dunbartonshire | 12 | 42 |
West Lothian | 2 | 34 |
TOTAL | 132 | 1409 |
*Note: the numbers for teacher vacancies include headteachers and teachers.
Secondary
Local Authority | Secondary Teacher Vacancies not filled after a 3 Months period* | Secondary Probationer Teacher Induction Scheme |
Aberdeen City | 39 | 52 |
Aberdeenshire | 32 | 54 |
Angus | - | 28 |
Argyll & Bute | 9 | 13 |
Clackmannanshire | 3 | 6 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 8 | 21 |
Dundee City | 28 | 16 |
East Ayrshire | - | 36 |
East Dunbartonshire | 1 | 42 |
East Lothian | - | 40 |
East Renfrewshire | - | 64 |
Edinburgh, City of | - | 87 |
Eilean Siar | 9 | 7 |
Falkirk | - | 51 |
Fife | 4 | 77 |
Glasgow City | 28 | 127 |
Highland | 6 | 48 |
Inverclyde | - | 18 |
Midlothian | 3 | 27 |
Moray | 10 | 29 |
North Ayrshire | - | 47 |
North Lanarkshire | 16 | 114 |
Orkney Islands | 1 | 7 |
Perth & Kinross | 5 | 28 |
Renfrewshire | 13 | 39 |
Scottish Borders | 5 | 16 |
Shetland Islands | 1 | 8 |
South Ayrshire | 2 | 18 |
South Lanarkshire | 6 | 123 |
Stirling | 2 | 44 |
West Dunbartonshire | 12 | 42 |
West Lothian | 3 | 32 |
TOTAL | 246 | 1316 |
*Note: the numbers for teacher vacancies include headteachers and teachers.
Scotland currently has 51,287 full-time equivalent school-based teachers. The Executive is committed to increasing teacher numbers to 53,000 by 2007. The extra teachers will be used to cut class sizes in P1 (to a maximum of 25) and for maths and English in S1/2 (to a maximum of 20).
Currently, 2,770 teachers are due to take up probationary teaching posts in August.
The number of students on full-time Post Graduate Certificate of Education courses next year will increase even further to 3,350. Taking into account graduates from Bachelor of Education courses, around 4,000 probationary teachers are expected to enter our classrooms in 2006.
The induction scheme guarantees all newly-qualified teachers a one year placement which allows probationer teachers to reach the standard for full registration in one year. They have the dedicated support of a mentor and scheduled time out of class for continuous professional development.
Councils report their vacancy figures to the Executive annually. The latest statistics show the picture as at February 2005.
Information on teaching in Scotland as a career is available at www.infoscotland.com/teaching or by calling 0845 3454745.