Rules that bar Scottish councils from recruiting teachers who were trained outside of Scotland may be relaxed to help the current recruitment crisis.
The move is being considered by the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTC Scotland) who have created a group to study the case for a more flexible approach on how teaching job applications are considered.
Moray Council have warned parents that some schools were under the threat of closure as the local authority struggled to recruit suitable teaching replacements, sparking a national debate on the subject.
It is expected that a change in current rules would permit partners of military personnel at RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks who had been trained outside of Scotland to apply for posts in Moray.
Currently there is a legal requirement for any teacher teaching in a Scottish state school to be registered with GTC Scotland. Being registered not only allows an individual to teach, but according to the GTC Scotland website provides assurances to employers, parents and children that teachers meet a national standard of teaching.
Each application for registration from teachers qualified outside of Scotland is individually assessed against GTC Scotland Registration and Standard Rules and a Statement of Principles and Practice.
A spokeswoman for GTC Scotland told the Press and Journal: “The council for GTC Scotland 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.”
Currently it can take up to three months for a teacher trained outside of Scotland to register with GTC Scotland. Moray Council’s business support team manager, Lindsey Stanley, said: “Given we have such a transient population due to the RAF and Army you have a lot of wives and spouses who could potentially teach up here but their registration does not allow that.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant said that she hoped a change in rules would help Moray and other Councils in recruiting teachers in future: “This would mean that the partners of service personnel trained and registered outwith Scotland may well be able to apply for and be successful in securing a job in Scotland.”