More men needed in teaching to stave off jobs crisis

A DRIVE has begun to encourage more men to work in nurseries and primary schools amid fears of a recruitment crisis.

Ministers say it is essential they diversify the workforce by getting more men to enter the childcare and teaching professions.

It follows concerns about the number of unfilled teaching posts as schools begin the new session. Experts have also raised fears that nurseries will be unable to cope with increased demand caused by the SNP’s plans to extend free childcare.

Only one in ten primary school teachers is male. For nurseries, the figure is even lower, at only one in 20. Education Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville announced the move to urge more men to become teachers during a visit to Little Learners’ Nursery at Argyll College in Dunstaffnage, near Oban, Argyll.

She said: ‘There is enormous potential, whether it is people leaving school or looking for a

‘Ignored warnings for too long’

career change. We talk about under-representation of females in certain streams, but we also have a job to encourage more men to get into childcare and primary teaching.’

Earlier this week, it emerged that there are around 500 unfilled teaching vacancies, split evenly between primary and secondary schools. Childcare providers are also seeing an increase in demand as a result of the expansion of the number of free hours of care available to families.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour education spokesman, said: ‘The SNP is finally beginning to recognise the recruitment crisis it has caused in schools.’

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘For too long ministers have ignored the warnings, and it has left schools and families in a dire situation.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are committed to encouraging more people into early learning and childcare and teaching, particularly those groups under-represented in teaching – men and ethnic minority groups.

‘Our Teaching Makes People campaign promotes diversity in the workforce.’