Half of secondary schools hiring primary teachers, union survey finds

Over half of Scottish secondary schools are hiring primary-qualified teachers, according to a survey conducted by a teaching union.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) carried out the survey as part of its Delivering The 90 Minutes campaign to better understand the staffing situation in secondary education.

The campaign comes in response to the Scottish Government’s commitment to reduce teachers’ class contact time by 90 minutes per week.

The survey revealed members said 54% of schools are employing primary-qualified teachers, with an additional 22% unsure whether this was the case.

When asked how these primary-trained colleagues are being deployed, 84% of respondents said they are working in additional support needs and guidance roles.

However, 88% reported that primary-qualified teachers are teaching broad general education classes from S1–S3, and 27% said they are teaching qualification-level classes from S4–S6.

Monique Dreon-Goold, SSTA president, said: “It is widely known that Scotland faces a serious shortage of secondary teachers. The continued failure to attract enough graduates into secondary teacher education is deeply concerning.

“This situation adds to the work-related stress experienced by teachers, many of whom are struggling under impossible workload demands while supporting an increasing number of pupils with additional support needs. It is no surprise that so many are leaving the profession.”

The survey found 46% of members reported teachers being required to teach subjects outside their specialism, while a further 35% were unsure.

Respondents indicated 45% of these teachers were also responsible for examination classes.

SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said: “Addressing the shortage of qualified secondary teachers must be an urgent priority for the Scottish Government and Cosla. Current recruitment measures are not delivering results – new and creative strategies are needed to attract and retain teachers.

“While the SSTA represents all teachers working in secondary schools, employers must ensure that every teacher receives appropriate support and training, and that opportunities are provided for dual qualification where possible, to maintain the quality of education for our young people.

“Reducing teacher workload would be a strong first step. Implementing the 90-minute reduction in class contact time would demonstrate that employers acknowledge the growing pressures teachers face.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Although teacher recruitment is a matter for local authorities, education is a key priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we are taking decisive action and investing heavily to help recruit and retain teachers.

“Over the past 10 years the number of teachers in permanent posts has remained stable at over 80%, and since 2014 the number of school teachers in post has increased by 8%, from 49,521 to 53,331 as of December 2023.

“In addition, we are providing local authorities with increased funding of £186.5 million to protect teacher numbers, alongside an additional £28 million to support better outcomes for children with ASN, including the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce.

“We will continue to work with teaching unions and Cosla to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time at pace.”