Teacher crisis should never be repeated

It is not the best look for a school to have to resort to appealing to parents to help teach maths because of a chronic staff shortage on the eve of pupils’ crucial exams, and even worse that this should happen at the local high school of Perthshire North MSP and education secretary John Swinney.

The Deputy First Minister has come under fire for nationwide shortages, and last month announced £3 million to train an extra 371 teachers next year, but that doesn’t help Blairgowrie High School with their immediate problem.

The school is so stretched they have had to take the unusual step of asking for help from any suitably qualified parents, to act as a stopgap until staffing levels return to normal. A request has also been made to Dundee and Angus councils for any teachers they have to spare.

This should not have to happen. Education is crucial and every parent and taxpayer has the right to expect the best for their children. That the school lacks a maths teacher, at a time when there is a concerted emphasis on STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – is a further embarrassment. It also adds weight to Labour’s claim that teacher numbers have fallen by 4,000 since the SNP came to power in 2007.

This is a political gift to Mr Swinney’s opponents he is very unlikely to want to give.

But the fact is that Blairgowrie High is in dire straits, and it raises questions about effective policy and idealism versus service delivery. In fairness, Scottish schools report that they struggle to attract teachers, and Angus is another example of this in Courier Country.

It can only be hoped that the situation at Blairgowrie is rapidly addressed, and it proves an incentive to make sure it doesn’t happen again.