We've got the teachers.. so let them teach

Published on Tuesday 18 November 2008 08:47

WHAT has Scotland got that's world class? Rugby? Banks? Well one thing which is world-class is our education of new teachers. Who says so? The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) does, and it's a voice to which we should listen as it doesn't use terms like "world-class" often, or lightly.

The Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) has been running since 2002. It is delivering quality new teachers who are making a positive contribution to the education of Scottish pupils. It guarantees a post for a year to new teachers graduating from Scottish universities. It provides a reduced teaching load of 70 per cent and, in the remaining 30 per cent, professional development.

The scheme is a success. The OECD says so. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education and Audit Scotland say so. Glasgow University, in research published last week, says so.

So everything in the garden is rosy? Well, not quite.

Some people can't go into the TIS and we need to ensure they are also supported as probationer teachers. We have new funding arrangements between government and local authorities, and we must ensure funding that is there to support new teachers is used to support them, including the few that struggle to meet the demands of teaching.

Beyond that first year, we have to have jobs for teachers. They have made a commitment to teaching. They have successfully completed their studies at university. They have successfully completed induction. They want to contribute to Scotland's success. They want to make Scotland a better country, as does the Government. But they can't do that if they're not in classrooms.

If Scottish local authorities don't employ them they'll look elsewhere. An Australian state recently had a recruitment drive in Scotland. Parts of America and Holland are desperate for teachers.

So, having a world-class scheme is great – but we need to build on it and that means employing new teachers.

Tom Hamilton is director of educational policy for the General Teaching Council for Scotland