Teacher Gap Needs Plugged In Fife

17 teachers still need to be recruited across Fife before the schools return in August.

A freedom of information request has revealed a huge gap in vacancies across Scottish schools. 469 still need to be found across the country, including 256 primary and 213 secondary teachers. Seven primary and 10 high school teachers are still needed in the Kingdom.

Liam McArthur MSP said: "Weeks ahead of the start of the new school year many schools do not appear to have the staff they need to ensure that pupils get the education they deserve. A recruitment crisis would only increase the pressure on other teachers and make life more difficult for pupils who need the most support Since the SNP came into government the number of teachers has fallen by more than 4,200. Promises on class sizes have been broken, with average primary school class sizes now larger than in 2006, and basic standards of literacy and numeracy have declined. 

"The failure of the Scottish Government to get to grips with the problems in the system is scandalous."

Union bosses say the gap is systematic of wider problems in the teaching sector. Drew Morris is the assistant secretary of the EIS: