SEVERAL NEW TEACHERS starting work at Moray’s schools on their reopening this week have barely scratched the surface of continuing problems for the local education chiefs.
Rather than things getting better they are becoming even more serious, as the local authority revealed seven young teachers who were newly qualified have elected not to return to the region after the summer break.
Currently there are 42 teaching vacancies in Moray – with the Council’s education support manager, Lindsey Stanley, admitting the normal eight to 10 newly qualified teachers electing to come to Moray has fallen this year to just two.
While the longer terms outlook is brighter thanks to a large increase in the number of Moray residents who are electing to train as teachers. For now, however, the region faces a situation where gaps will need to be filled by short-term appointments or non-teaching head teachers.
Earlier this week local MSP Richard Lochhead said that the ongoing issues with shortages in the profession underlines the need for new measures being taken to attract more teachers to Moray and to continue to encourage local people into teacher training.