Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2025
I have five minutes for my speech and less than a minute left. I will come on to talk about that, because part of the issue is specifically about our primary teachers. It is less of an issue in our secondary schools, although the member’s motion talks about some issues regarding subject specialisms.
I am keen to work with the General Teaching Council for Scotland on how we can support some of the primary teachers who are unable to gain employment, perhaps by transitioning them into additional support needs posts or into secondary teaching. We need to support the GTCS to that end. I am more than happy to engage with Willie Rennie and members from across the chamber on that point. The budget made available an extra £29 million to be ring fenced for local authorities to employ ASN specialists. There are opportunities for some primary teachers who may not be able to obtain posts to divert into other career options, but I appreciate that that might not be for everyone.
It is important to recognise that, although there are challenges, there are also opportunities for us to work differently, and we have to do that with local government. I do not think that a single amendment to the motion suggests otherwise. My legal responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills mean that I have to work with local government on improving the availability of permanent posts, which is exactly the point that Mr Rennie made.
That is why, in the budget, I protected and uplifted the value of the funding that goes to our local authorities. I sincerely hope that every local authority in the country—including Fife Council, where the Liberal Democrats supported the Labour administration’s budget—will be able to go back to the 2023 teacher numbers, which is what the budget settlement was predicated on.
I am conscious of time. I am keen to listen to the debate and to respond to members more fully in my closing remarks.
I move amendment S6M-17669.3, to leave out from "further notes" to end and insert:
“recognises that local workforce planning is led by local government and must be undertaken in partnership with it; supports local authorities, as the employers of teachers, to use the significant additional funding made available, including £186.5 million in the 2025-26 Budget, to increase teacher numbers and create more permanent posts, and calls for the Scottish Government to commit to working in partnership with COSLA, through the joint education and assurance board, to develop a joint evidence-led education workforce strategy with stakeholders.”
15:02Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.