Stop poaching our teachers, London warns Executive

THE Scottish Executive was accused last night of trying to poach London’s best teachers after launching a new recruitment campaign south of the Border.

A series of newspaper advertisements in the style of exam papers are being used to highlight the benefits of living in Scotland instead of the south-east of England.

One says: "As an inner-city teacher in England, describe your commute to work without using foul or offensive language."

The advert goes on to say: "Teach in Scotland and you could benefit from a commute that’s 40 per cent quicker than in the south-east."

Another advert shows two graphs - one representing London as a row of grey tower blocks and another showing Scotland as a series of green, mountain-shaped peaks. The caption below reads: "Calculate which is the nicer place to live."

The advertising campaign is part of the Executive’s attempts to attract more teachers from outwith Scotland.

But last night campaigners in London attacked the Executive for its attempts to persuade teachers to leave the South-east and head north.

Jo Valentine, the chief executive of London First, said: "I think it’s unhelpful if bits of the UK compete with other parts to sort out their problems with teacher numbers and do so by seeking to point out the failings of others."