Parents at Banff Academy are concerned about what they call a serious shortage of maths teachers at the school, which has led to large combination classes and teachers taking on extra responsibilities.
One parent said that the school could be short as many as five maths teachers.
“Banff Academy maths department is in dire straits,” she said.
The council and headteacher have been working to solve the problem, she said, but it may get worse.
She said that the real fear is that the shortage could lead to a reduction in maths courses or the need for teachers from other subjects to step in and teach maths.
Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed that Banff has not been able to recruit the number of maths teachers it needs, but stopped short of saying how severe the shortage is.
The council said that students are still getting the required lessons, and measures are in place to strengthen recruitment at the school.
But the teacher shortage at Banff is likely just one example.
At the start of the 2022/2023 term, officers suggested that other parts of Scotland enjoyed a surplus of newly-qualified entrants while Aberdeenshire was 24 short–receiving barely half of the 49 requested.
The shortage was particularly clear in key subjects like maths and English. Of the 11 newly-qualified maths and 13 English teachers requested, the council received two of each.
Who assigns new teachers?
The General Teaching Council Scotland is largely responsible for teacher allocation, based on teacher preferences.
Probationers select five preferred local authorities, but they can also waive their preference for an extra payment.
Secondary teachers who waive their preference receive an extra £8,000. Primary teachers receive £6,000.
When questioned about the shortage in a session of the Scottish Parliament, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville admitted that there are “challenges” in parts of Scotland.
“I do recognise that in particular areas there are shortages, particularly in some aspects of education, STEM being one of them.”
She added that teacher preference is a difficult obstacle to overcome because, ultimately, teachers choose where they want to work.
“There is a responsibility, of course, within local authorities to be able to ensure that they are doing everything that they can.”
Not a new problem for the north-east
Education director Laurence Findlay previously told councillors the local authority was given fewer new starts than other parts of the country and was “really struggling”.
North-east council wanted 49 new secondary teachers but is getting only half
Of the 25 teachers which did arrive in Aberdeenshire, the local authority received just two of the 11 newly-qualified maths teachers it needed, and two of 13 English teachers, while staffing issues also remain in home economics and technical courses.
A council spokesman said that the council is aware of Banff’s situation and still working to help.
“Whilst this is an understandably frustrating situation, the Academy is ensuring that pupils access learning in numeracy and maths at the appropriate level.
“We continue to explore solutions to the staffing issues we encounter at some of our schools to ensure all pupils can access learning right across the curriculum.
“This includes access to the corporate relocation scheme which allows new teaching staff to reclaim eligible expenses.”
Is anyone actually to blame?
The current teacher shortages touch on a long-running conversation about a central-belt bias when it comes to funding, allocations and a widening attainment gap.
This summer, the Times reported that in Greater Glasgow 47% of pupils achieved the “gold standard” of five Highers, compared with 39% in the Highlands, Islands and Grampian.
But even though the situation at Banff is a clear example of how a teaching shortage is impacting classrooms, one parent stopped short of laying blame.
Instead, she said, Banff school leaders and council officers are left finding solutions to a problem that might be outside their control.
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