Fast-track teacher course completed by 11 students

Scheme produces only about half the trainees sought

A fast-track course in Dundee to tackle teacher shortages has only produced about half of the trainees sought.

Of the 20 places available for the inaugural year of the PGCE with supported induction route, 11 students completed the course, according to figures obtained by The Courier.

The accelerated Dundee University training path, which was championed by Education Secretary John Swinney at the pilot’s launch, was established to plug teaching gaps in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects (Stem) in Tayside and Fife.

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservatives, said the statistics suggest “the measures meant to tackle teacher shortages are not as successful as hoped”.

Dundee was the first Scottish university to offer the 52-week course that combines teacher education with school-based experience to fast-track graduates into Stem roles.

In an email to the SNP Government in 2016, revealed under freedom of information laws, the Scottish Council of Deans of Education predicted a 40-student intake for the year-long course at Dundee.

The first cohort began their studies in January last year with 16 of the 20 places filled, according to university figures.

Of the five who did not complete the course, four left for personal reasons and one did not meet the standard.

A Dundee University spokesman said a large number of applications were received but only the strongest candidates were accepted. All 11 students who completed the supported induction route course in January are now working in Scottish schools, he said.

The spokesman said an independent evaluation of the pilot has “drawn overwhelmingly positive feedback”, and 26 student-inductees have just started the 2019-20 course.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government, which has launched several fast-track courses, said: “We expect the number of graduates from these programmes to exceed the target that was set when the alternative routes initiative was announced, which is to support more than 200 new teachers to join the profession in Scotland.”

There are 68 secondary teacher vacancies in Dundee, Angus, Fife, and Perth and Kinross, according to Scottish Government figures.