Stringent rules that prevent councils from recruiting teachers trained outwith Scotland are being reviewed in a new move that could help to alleviate a schools staffing crisis in the north-east.
The Press and Journal can reveal that the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) could soon relax some of the red tape that education authorities face during the hiring process.
The organisation has now set up a group to examine the case for a more “flexible approach” to the consideration of applications.
The move could make it easier for the partners of people from south of the border who work in the oil industry to jump through the necessary hoops and fill vacancies in primary and secondary schools.
There are currently five vacancies in Aberdeen secondary schools and 40 in primary schools with plans to recruit an extra 25 people to teach P1-7 pupils.
Aberdeenshire Council has 100 vacancies in primary schools and 57 in secondary schools
A GTCS spokeswoman said: “The council of GTCS has recently approved the setting up of a group that will allow it to adopt a more flexible approach to their consideration of applications for registration from those qualified outside of Scotland.
“We are reviewing our policy and will report on this to our council in due course later this year.”
Angela Taylor, convener of the city council’s education and children’s services committee, welcomed the news.
“If you have been a excellent teacher elsewhere in the UK the only difference is the curriculum that you are delivering,” she added.
“Those skills can still be used and adapted up here so if they were to relax the rules that would be a very welcome step in the right direction.”
Ron McKail, vice-convener of Aberdeenshire Council’s education learning and leisure committee, said: “There is no doubt we have difficulty recruiting teachers in Aberdeenshire for a variety of reasons – the price of property puts people off.
“We rely of the GTCS to set the standards and if they are undertaking a thorough review I would be supportive.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman acknowledged the review and said high quality teaching and teachers were central to raising attainment.