Education Minister meets Highland probationer teachers
Scottish Minister for Education and Young People Peter Peacock MSP today (Friday 11th August) welcomed more than 100 probationer teachers, who will be working in Highland schools in the new session, at their induction day in Inverness.
More than 200 new teachers will be starting work in schools across the Highlands on Monday (15 August) in advance of pupils return to school following their summer break on Tuesday (15 August). One hundred and twenty one probationer teachers fresh from universities will spend their induction year in Highland schools.
In addition, The Highland Council has been able to offer jobs to 70% of last year's probationers, ensuring that schools are well staffed at the start of the new session. At this time last year, Mr Peacock welcomed 107 probationers to The Highland Council area.
The new crop of probationers will be joining schools from as far afield as Ardnamurchan to Nairn and Aviemore to Thurso. Some have been allocated to large town schools with pupil rolls of more than 400 pupils, with others joining very small rural schools.
In total, 58 probationers have been allocated to secondary schools and 63 to primary schools – 20 in Caithness, 2 in Sutherland, 43 in Inverness area, 28 in Ross and Cromarty, 2 in Nairn, 4 in Skye and Lochalsh, 21 in Lochaber, and 1 in Badenoch and Strathspey.
Three of the primary probationers will be teaching in Gaelic Medium schools, (two in Acharacle and one in Gairloch Primaries), and one secondary probationer has been allocated to teach Gaelic in Lochaber High School.
The main subject focus that secondary probationers will be teaching in is English (10) and mathematics (8) followed by geography (6), biology (4), technical (4) and physical education (4). The subjects of art and design, chemistry, French, history and physics will be taught by 3 probationers each and business education and music 2 probationers each. Drama, Gaelic and religious and moral education each have one secondary probationer.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said: “Teachers are the lifeblood of our schools, helping to inspire, motivate and inform a new generation of ambitious, confident Scots. That’s why we’re investing heavily to attract Scotland’s best and brightest into the profession, and we’re seeing more and more pursuing a career in Highland classrooms. We are boosting teacher numbers at a time when school rolls are falling dramatically, helping us cut class sizes and target resources where we believe they can make the most difference.
“These are exciting times for Scottish education, as we gather speed in the biggest reform programme for a generation. Every one of these new teachers has a key role in creating the ambitious, excellent schools our children deserve, so they can reach their full potential.”
Bruce Robertson, The Highland Council’s Director of Education, Culture and Sport said: Bruce said: "We are delighted to both welcome our new probationary teachers to Highland as well as retain the majority of last year's induction cohort. This will ensure that our young people across Highland will benefit from some of the very best new teachers anywhere in Scotland. It also is pleasing to see the rewards of our locally based teacher training courses literally coming home to roost with the first graduates from the Aberdeen and Strathclyde courses getting jobs in our schools."
Probationer Induction Day is the first of 4 in-service training days throughout the year specifically allocated to probationer teacher induction and training.
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