We need more teachers now

The fact that Scotland has a shortage of teachers has been well documented, but news today that staff will have to be drafted in from nursery schools to cover gaps in primary classrooms is worrying.

This shows the reality of what the lack of available teaching staff is going to mean on a practical level.

This may not be happening in your child’s school – so far only one local authority has warned that it is even considering such a move – but it does show the real crisis we are facing.

Some emergency measures have been taken to help recruit more teachers, such as a fast-track course to get staff into classrooms more quickly – but this would only apply to fairly small numbers and has already come under fire from teaching unions, who say that it would be a “betrayal” of professional standards.

There is no doubt that this needs to be a priority for the Scottish Government which is already under scrutiny for its track record on education. Finding more funding to help train teachers and get them into classrooms is essential and we must act now.