A school head allowed an unregistered teacher to take classes for a year and let an unvetted member of staff work with children.
Susan Robertson has been reprimanded by Scotland’s teaching watchdog and no longer works at the remote Highland school she ran for four years.
Kinlochbervie High School, Sutherland, is the most north-westerly secondary in the UK, has just 45 pupils, and has suffered from teacher recruitment issues in the past.
Councillor Kirsteen Currie of the North, West and Central Sutherland ward, said: “It was before my time, I was only elected in May, but I am very aware of the recruitment issues we are having just now. I used to be a teacher.
“I have been involved in projects trying to make better housing available for young professionals to move there. I know that one of the teachers spent the winter living in a caravan.
“I can see why she did it, but its totally unacceptable. It makes a mockery of the profession.”
Waiving her right to a full hearing, Mrs Robertson admitted to four charges brought against her by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
One charge read: “Between May 11 2015 and May 31 2016, permit an individual to carry out teaching duties at Kinlochbervie High School in the knowledge that the individual was not registered with GTC Scotland.”
She also admitted allowing “an individual to carry out regulated work with children…in the knowledge that the individual was not a member of the PVG [Protecting Vulnerable Groups] Scheme”.
She also allowed “payments to be made to the individual in respect of invoices that had not been completed in accordance with Highland Council Financial Regulations Policy”.
Finally, Mrs Robertson admitted that between February 2015 and May 31 2016, she breached Highland Council’s Recruitment Policy.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said of Mrs Robertson, who took over the school in 2012: “We can confirm she is no longer employed by Highland Council.”
There was no explanation from the GTCS or Highland Council for Mrs Robertson’s conduct.
Rural Highland schools have suffered from recruitment problems in the past and earlier this year Highland Council began implementing a new management framework which involved clustering schools in the area under one head teacher.
During one month last year there were 28 vacancies advertised on the Highland Council website for a range of full-time and part-time roles at both primary and secondary schools with salaries ranging to almost £36,000 for the higher bands.
