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More teachers have left the profession this year than the Scottish Government could have predicted, the education secretary has admitted, as the staffing crisis in Scotland’s education system continues to deepen.

Speaking to Holyrood’s education committee, John Swinney pledged to address teachers’ pay in an effort to retain staff in schools – and also said he would consider waiving the postgraduate course fee for “career switchers” who want to move into teaching.

The education secretary also admitted that the government had failed to recruit its target of 4,058 new teachers entering education training this year, with just 3,861 currently enrolled on courses.

Earlier this week, The Scotsman revealed that Moray Council had warned parents that their primary children may have to attend school part-time due to a lack of staff. Meanwhile, Strathconon Primary School in the Highlands is to close after Christmas, its 17 school and two nursery pupils transferred to another school 12 miles away, after the local authority failed to recruit two new teachers.

Mr Swinney said: “The retention rate of teachers has been lower than we would have expected [and] more teachers have left the profession.”

He added: “I am the first to admit there are challenges