Aberdeenshire school merges classes and pupils taught online amid teacher shortages

Pupils at an Aberdeenshire school are being taught online and merged into classes due to teacher shortages.

A letter from Alford Academy given at a parent council meeting revealed some business studies classes are being taught online due to recruitment struggles.

Maths at National 4 and National 5 levels have also been combined.

The school has been left without a principle teacher for maths and despite conducting interviews to fill the post, it hasn't been successful in finding a replacement.

It follows warnings from Aberdeenshire Council’s director of education, Laurence Findlay, who said the situation is “reaching crisis point”.

He said that over the last year, the local authority requested 66 secondary probationary teachers but were given 18.

Only 12 turned up, because six dropped out.

MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, has written to the Scottish Government urging for more to be done in encouraging teachers to work in rural areas.

He shared concerns that children in rural areas are not receiving the same opportunities as those in urban areas, adding that recruitment struggles could lead to some schools removing subjects from their curriculum.

The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “The recruitment struggles experienced by schools such as Alford Academy are deeply concerning.

“Every child in Scotland should have the same educational opportunities, regardless of where they live, but these issues in subjects such as Maths and Business Studies highlight that this isn’t the case for pupils living in Aberdeenshire.

“Rural students deserve the same attention, resources, and funding from the Scottish Government as those in urban areas, however it’s clear that teacher numbers are plummeting faster in Aberdeenshire than in other parts of the country.

“There is a fear that some rural schools will end up removing certain subjects from their curriculum because they cannot get teachers which would be catastrophic for pupils.

“The Scottish Conservatives’ New Deal for Teachers would address this shortage by encouraging professional development and launching a review into teachers’ career structure, along with an initiative to attract candidates from other careers into the profession.”

Aberdeenshire Council confirmed the business studies lessons taken online are done via e-Sgoil and is carried out in the classroom with a teacher present.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Last month we met with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills following the council’s concern around the lack of secondary probationary teachers for the region.

“There are further discussions planned this year to explore solutions to recruitment issues that affect some schools in Aberdeenshire and we look forward to working positively with government to seek solutions.

“We will continue to work with colleagues in the Northern Alliance and universities, to share good practice and improve the situation in difficult to recruit subject areas.

“Our head teachers continue to work extremely hard in challenging circumstances to ensure all pupils access learning right across the curriculum.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government recognises the particular challenge in Aberdeenshire and will work with the Council - who are responsible for the employment of teachers in the local area - to help resolve issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers. The Cabinet Secretary has met recently with the Council regarding teacher recruitment and looks forward to further engagement on this important issue.

“Pupil teacher ratios across the country remain at near record levels. Scotland also has the most teachers per pupil and the highest paid teachers in the UK – showing how much the Scottish Government values the profession.

“We have received the letter from Mr Burnett and will respond in due course.”