Fife’s schools are expected to be placed under further strain this winter due to a crippling lack of supply teachers.
Teacher’s union the EIS has told The Courier that staff sickness coupled with a shortage of supply staff means that existing teachers will have to fill the breach.
Fife Council has acknowledged that cover is short, despite its best efforts to plug gaps.
However, with absence rates set to soar in the winter months, David Farmer, EIS spokesperson in Fife, said that primary schools were at particular risk to staff shortages.
“It has been a problem for several years,” he said.
“Fife Council has tried to recruit supply staff, there can be no doubt about that, but it has not been successful.
“It is more of a pressing situation in the primary sector.
“The primary school day is not divided into periods like it is in secondary schools.
“When somebody is absent it usually means that a member of promoted staff picks up the class.
“If they are doing that then they are not doing their own work and that is placing huge pressure on them.
“We’re also coming up to winter and this is the time of year when there are going to be staff absences.
“I support the efforts of Fife Council but they have not always been successful.
“It’s not just a problem in Fife but the rest of Scotland as well.”
Fife Council currently has 164 supply staff registered, just under one person per educational establishment within the region.
However, a number of these are already working long-term contracts, reducing this number significantly.
Kevin Funnell, team manager for education at the local authority, said: “The number of supply staff available is lower than we would like.
“Our supply staff play a key role in our schools and we continuously look to recruit quality candidates to these posts.
“As with other local authorities, Fife is seeing the national shortage of teachers impact on our ability to recruit to all teaching posts, including our supply list.
“We support retired teachers to return to teaching and encourage our part time staff to join our supply list for their non-contracted days.
“We are also working with our head teachers, the trade unions, the General Teaching Council Scotland and Cosla to promote teaching, Fife Council as an employer and the benefits of living and working in Fife.”