Hansard

Everyone in the teaching profession should be in no doubt as to the value that we attach to it—not simply for young people but for the country as a whole. It is difficult to put into words our gratitude to the hard-working and dedicated teachers who work across Scotland.

From the submissions to the Education and Skills Committee that I have heard and from the contributions in the chamber today, it has become abundantly clear that the content and quality of teacher training programmes in Scotland are failing our teachers and trainees.

The message that is coming from trainee teachers about their experiences as they enter the profession should concern us all. We have heard them express the need to go back to basics because they do not have sufficient skills in numeracy to teach 11-year-olds to a reasonable standard. What is more, the balance between learning abstract theory and putting that knowledge into practice in the classroom appears to be disproportionately weighted towards the former.

We have heard that, across a range of training programmes, there is a shocking lack of ASN training. A statement from a former trainee teacher that struck me at the committee’s meeting last week was:

“We had all these wonderful theories thrown at us, but there was no contextualisation and no specific training on autism, dyslexia or dyspraxia—there was absolutely nothing. We were told that we would probably come across two or three children in our class with an additional support need, but such needs are not included in the course unless you elect to study a professional specialism such as autism, additional support needs or dyslexia.”—[Official Report, Education and Skills Committee, 10 May 2017; c 13.]

When approximately 25 per cent of the school population has ASN, it is nothing short of absurd that our trainee teachers are not mandated to study, in some form, the provision of ASN teaching. The need for a rigorous analysis of that issue is evident, and I ask the Scottish Government to look into it urgently.

I turn to the contributions that have been made. In his opening remarks, the cabinet secretary spoke about the action that he is taking to address workloads. As Tavish Scott rightly pointed out, the evidence of Jane Peckham of NASUWT at this morning’s committee meeting was clear that, in recent times, bureaucracy and workloads have increased. She said that, in a current survey, 62 per cent of teachers said that they would leave the profession because of the workload.

Daniel Johnson outlined the inconsistencies in and problems with placements. He highlighted trainees’ desire for a greater focus on practical skills and their view that there is too much of a focus on theory. Many trainees feel that they are—in their own words—ill equipped to go into the classroom.

My colleague Murdo Fraser talked about the lack of focus on literacy and numeracy and the limited time that is spent on ASN. He is absolutely right to say that we cannot expect our teachers to pass on the necessary skills to our young people if they do not possess those skills, and it is time for the Scottish Government to up its game.

In a very good—in fact, terrific—speech, Johann Lamont made the important point that education is again being debated in this place only in Opposition time, although it is the Government’s defining priority. She also highlighted the clear need from committee evidence to refocus on literacy and numeracy.

Ross Greer is correct that committee evidence cannot be ignored and that the training and resources to support pupils with ASN are just not there, and he was right to highlight the fact that there can be a postcode lottery on student placements and the support that students receive. My colleague Liam Kerr expanded on that point by highlighting teachers’ concerns about being ill equipped to deal with pupils with additional support needs. Finally, Tavish Scott highlighted the increasing burden of the workload on teachers and the need not only for action to address that but for the reform of Education Scotland’s structures.

The period of training to enter a profession should be one of learning, inspiration, hope and optimism. Trainee teachers should be brimming with enthusiasm about the opportunities to mould young minds and to prepare our children and young people for the future that lies ahead of them; they should be dreaming about the impact that they can make in the profession; and, above all, they should have the tools to make those dreams a reality. However, that is not the case; instead, we are seeing mass frustration and, in some cases, even anger.

It is time for the Scottish Government to stop lurching from crisis to crisis in education, and it is time for urgent and fundamental reform to improve the quality, content and professionalism of teacher training. The teachers have spoken, and the Scottish Government must listen.