A national maths teacher shortage has led a Fife school to seek after-hours college tutoring for pupils preparing for exams.
Levenmouth Academy has been unable to replace four maths teachers, with the only job applicants unqualified to teach in Scotland.
Schools across Scotland have struggled to recruit maths teachers due to a shortage in the profession over several years.
In the week before Christmas there were 21 adverts for maths teachers in Scottish secondary schools on the recruitment website myjobscotland, including one for Lochgelly High School, also in Fife.
With S4 to S6 pupils due to sit assessments in January and exams in May, the Buckhaven secondary school has approached Fife College for help.
It has also reorganised its timetable to ensure every maths class has some contact with a maths specialist.
Head teacher Ronnie Ross wrote to parents to tell them the school, which previously had an overstaffed maths department, was “currently facing the same staffing challenge that other schools are facing”.
Out-of-hours tutoring for exams
He said: “We are doing all that we can to improve the situation and we want you to be aware of what steps we have taken, strategically and operationally, to address this staffing challenge.”
The school has asked Fife College, which shares its campus, to supply visiting specialists and provide additional tutoring after school for senior pupils.
Despite the maths teacher shortage, Mr Ross highlighted a significant increase in the percentage of Levenmouth pupils meeting Curriculum for Excellence standards in subject, bucking a national trend.
Fife College said no formal agreement with the school was in place but a spokesman added: “Fife College has run revision courses in maths at N5 (National 5) and Higher level in previous years and has offered to do so again.
“We’re happy to discuss any further ways in which we can help, and to do what we can to ensure that pupils have the support that they need.”
Fife Council’s head of education and children’s services, Shelagh McLean, acknowledged the national teacher shortage in some subjects, including maths.
She said: “This is an annual issue and national and local recruitment drives are working to attract candidates into these roles.
“We put in place all available options across our schools to deliver the full curriculum for pupils.”
Bursaries for STEM teacher training
The Scottish Government outlined efforts to encourage people to train as teachers in areas of shortage.
A spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is offering 150 bursaries of £20,000 for career changers to do teacher training in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] subjects where the demand for teachers is at its greatest. Maths is one of these subjects.
“A new phase of our teacher recruitment campaign is underway which aims to encourage students and career changers to apply for a teacher education course, with a particular focus on STEM subjects.
“In addition, since the start of the pandemic we have provided £240 million of additional investment, over two financial years specifically for the recruitment of more education staff and a further £145.5m of permanent funding from April 2022.”
