More schools in Moray could share head teachers after councillors backed plans to tackle staff shortages in the region’s classrooms.
Members of the local authority’s children and young people’s services committee approved the move despite fears pupils in smaller primaries could suffer.
The increase in the number of “paired headships” – where one head teacher controls two schools – was supported after councillors heard rural schools had struggled to attract head teachers in recent months.
Some vacancies have attracted no applications.
Committee chairwoman and Forres councillor Anne Skene said: “Over half of the 45 schools in Moray are managed by head teachers with class commitments, and we are finding posts for these roles increasingly difficult to fill.
“This plan offers a new, progressive approach to management and leadership arrangements in our primary schools.”
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald said: “In instances where a small school is paired with a larger primary there will be concerns the smaller one could be consumed by the larger one.”
Heldon and Laich councillor Allan Wright added: “I think this is a well thought out and progressive plan, but there could be a perception that a small school would be under threat if paired with a big school.”
The council’s corporate director of education, Laurence Findlay, said: “If there are fears that some pairings could be a pairing too far, then that can be amended as things progress.”
Forres councillor George Alexander stressed that immediate action was required to tackle the area’s teaching crisis.
He said: “If we don’t do something now, the alternative is that we send kids home, and we can’t continue to leach staff from HQ out to schools.”
Teacher Karen Murray works as a paired head at Portgordon and Portknockie primaries.
She said yesterday: “Some of the initial doubts we had as we moved into this model have been allayed, and everything seems to be working very smoothly.
“There were some issues raised around transport but the distance has not been a problem.”
As well as Portknockie and Portgordon, Tomintoul and Glenlivet and Inveravon and Knockando operate under paired headships.
Under the new plans Cullen and Findochty, Logie and Dyke, Alves and Dallas, Rothiemay and Crossroads, Newmill and Botriphnie, Burghead and Hopeman, Aberlour and Rothes, and Mortlach and Craigellachie would also share a head teacher.
The plans will now go before the full council and then out to public consultation, and could be rolled out at the start of the 2016-17 school year.