Scottish headteachers have raised concerns about the quality of probationer teachers entering the system in recent years, particularly in the primary sector.
The general secretaries of secondary headteachers’ organisation School Leaders Scotland (SLS) and primary heads’ body AHDS both say their members are concerned about a drop in standards.
According to AHDS general secretary Greg Dempster, the main weaknesses highlighted by primary heads are the teaching of literacy and numeracy, and classroom management.
Research reported earlier this year showed that a large minority of new primary teachers could not say they were confident in their ability to teach key areas of the curriculum, such as maths, reading and writing.
However, Ken Muir, chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), said a decline in standards is not something he recognises. He suggested that teaching has become a more demanding job, rather than new teachers being less well prepared.
Meanwhile, the head of one School of Education is calling on headteachers to provide more than anecdotal evidence to back up their claims. Professor Donald Gillies, of the University of the West of Scotland, said that competition for places on primary teacher education courses is “the keenest ever”, adding: “I can see no reason why the quality of probationer should have altered in any way.”
Figures obtained by Tes Scotland show that the proportion of probationers failing to become fully fledged teachers via the one-year teacher-induction scheme has remained steady, and were at 3.8 per cent last year. In 2016-17, 2,609 probationers embarked on the scheme, of which 57 dropped out, 37 required an extension and six failed .
However, SLS general secretary Jim Thewliss said the issue is not that today’s probationers are incapable of reaching the standard for full registration, but that many require more support to do so than in the past.
Meanwhile, Mr Dempster said: “Up until about three years ago, what you were always hearing was that each new crop of probationer teachers was the best yet. Then messages of concern about the quality of some of the probationers coming through started, and that’s certainly developed since then.”
He added: “That’s not to say that every new teacher coming through is of poor quality, but headteachers are certainly noticing a difference in readiness for the classroom.”
Pressure to recruit more teachers on to courses at a time of shortages and the erosion of teacher pay have been put forward by heads as potential factors. They also acknowledge that, as a result of staffing crises and budget cuts, schools may be providing less support for new teachers.
In recent evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, education directors said some councils were reporting “concerns about quality in relation to student and probationer teachers”.
The GTCS’s Mr Muir believes the perceived decline in probationer quality has come about because the education system is in a state of flux, with the government proposing major reforms to the way schools are run; Curriculum for Excellence has yet to be properly embedded; and teachers are still getting to grips with the new exams.
He said: “There is more pressure on headteachers, mentors of probationers and the students themselves than there has been in the past. But a significant decline in standards is not something the GTCS would recognise.”
This is an edited version of an article in the 6 April edition of Tes Scotland. Subscribers can read the full article here. To subscribe, click here. This week’s Tes magazine is available at all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here.
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