Unis forced to help students as schools axe key subjects
SCOTTISH universities have had to relax their entry requirements after schools north of the Border cut subjects.
Nine out of ten schools have admitted reducing the number of courses that are offered to pupils amid teacher shortages.
Now, university bosses say they are being forced to accept pupils who have not passed core subjects because the classes were not available to them.
The students are instead being provided with catch-up ‘pathways’ sessions.
The Mail told yesterday how nine in ten schools have admitted cutting subjects amid a recruitment crisis. The vast majority no longer allow children to sit eight subjects in their fourth year of secondary, despite this being mandatory under former systems.
Yesterday, Alastair Sim, the director of umbrella body Universities Scotland, told MSPs that institutions were having to ‘respond creatively’. He said this meant granting entry to pupils without relevant grades for courses such as medicine.
He was giving evidence as part of an inquiry by Holyrood’s education committee into the impact of the Curriculum for Excellence on subject choice.
Mr Sim told MSPs: ‘We are having to respond creatively in ways that enable opportunity for people who may have been restricted at school level.’
He said at some schools, it is ‘difficult to study three sciences at Advanced Higher’, which affects those pupils who wish to study medicine. He described ‘a conscious effort by universities’ to help ‘people of real ability who haven’t had the breadth of opportunity at school but who could be great doctors’ to get on the course of their choice.
Mr Sim added: ‘We need to do a bit of retro-engineering to make sure at university we are creating access pathways.’ He said that this was not the ‘norm’ but there were ‘exceptions’ made, with universities offering catch-up courses to students such as ‘access to medicine’.
A survey by Holyrood’s education committee for the inquiry found nine in ten schools said difficulty recruiting teachers was limiting subject choice.
Scottish Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘The fact this is happening shows how much of a mess the SNP has made of education.
‘The committee received over 1,000 submissions, the vast majority raising concerns about reduction in subject choice and teacher shortages.
‘Yet Education Scotland was unable to provide schools and parents with assurance that they have a strategy to address the problem.
‘Even more worrying was Education Scotland’s apparent denial about the extent of the problem when the substantial evidence the committee has received has a common theme, supported by compelling evidence.’
Gayle Gorman, chief inspector of education and chief executive at Education Scotland, told MSPs schools were looking at ‘innovative solutions’ to teacher shortages.
She admitted ‘there has been a reduction in some schools in curriculum offer’, admitting that ‘one of the major factors has been teacher numbers’.
Miss Gorman said: ‘That is an issue every school – and particularly those in rural areas – have found and do find challenging.
‘A school should design a curriculum to meet learners’ needs. They need to be able to shape that with the best resources they have.’
‘Have to respond creatively’