Headteacher Shortage In Schools

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives show that 51 posts are currently unfilled across Scotland.

According to the FOI, the problem is worst in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen where there are 16 primary school headteacher vacancies, that's nearly one third of the national total. That compares to no headteacher vacancies in Fife.

Poor pay, too much paperwork and long hours are being blamed for the trend, while opposition MSPs claims the pupil teacher ratio fell to 13.6% last year.

Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "These statistics are very worrying. There is clearly a very significant problem with recruiting sufficient primary school head teachers in some local authorities and serious questions must be asked about why there is a problem within the primary sector when there is no similar concern in the secondary sector. The situation in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen is particularly alarming.
 
“51 primary schools with vacancies means a very substantial number of pupils across Scotland do not have a headteacher running their school. Naturally, that is a major worry for parents and it suggests that something major has gone badly wrong with workforce planning.
 
“The SNP has continually made bold promises about education over the last eight years whether on class sizes, pupil/teacher ratios, teacher numbers and ensuring there are sufficient heads for all our schools. They are failing on all counts and these statistics lay bare the extent of the problem with recruitment of primary school heads.”

The FOI request by the Scottish Conservatives also shows that there are 37 unfilled teaching posts in the Kingdom, Fife Council says the real figure is 14.