Calls for diversity to be increased in top teaching roles
Calls have been made for more diversity in top teaching roles, as figures show just a ``handful'' in Scotland come from an ethnic minority.
Scottish Government data and Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information requests show there were only two BAME head teachers and two deputies in the 19 councils which replied.
The party's education spokesman Tavish Scott MSP has called for action to tackle the continuing underrepresentation'' in management roles.
He said: There are in the region of 1,700 primary school head teachers and 350 secondary heads.
The Scottish Government needs to understand why there aren't then dozens of heads from a BAME background.
Our outlook on life is shaped during our school years. The lack of BAME role models in schools, and the long-standing lack of diversity amongst teaching staff, is therefore concerning.
There's a broader need to attract more people to the teaching profession and to lighten the burdensome workload and bureaucracy that's repelling teachers and prospective teachers at a rate of knots.
In the process of boosting the profession and addressing the vacancies that exist across Scotland, there needs to be an emphasis on improving diversity at all levels of teaching, but particularly among school leaders.'