Scottish Parliament – May 28, 2025 – 5.13.1

The next question is, that amendment S6M-17669.2, in the name of Miles Briggs, which seeks to amend motion S6M-17669, in the name of Willie Rennie, on a new plan for Scotland’s teaching workforce, be agreed to. S6M-17669.2: As an amendment to motion S6M-17669 in the name of Willie Rennie (A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce), insert at end “;

continues to be concerned at the levels of violence being reported in schools, including unacceptable physical and verbal attacks and threats being experienced by teachers and the wider school community;

notes the significant concerns over high levels of work-related stress being reported by teachers and the health and wellbeing of the profession;

calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward a national coordinated education workforce plan, including data on additional support needs (ASN) and projections on workforce capacity for additional support workers and classroom assistants across local authorities as part of the ASN review;

recognises concerns that absence cover is not being consistently applied across schools and local authorities, and supports the better provision of access to resources and training, including the delivery of a new model of support alongside the NHS Education for Scotland trauma informed practice training on neurodivergence and autism.”

Original motion(S6M-17669): That the Parliament acknowledges the work carried out by Scotland’s teachers in schools across the country and commends them for all they do;

recognises that the subjects that they teach provide important foundations for knowledge and skills in sectors that can be vital for Scotland’s economy;

notes with concern, however, that there has been a sharp decline in the number of teachers in key subjects, such as maths, physics and modern languages, and that targets to train teachers in STEM subjects have been continuously missed;

believes that, should these targets continue to be missed, and the decline in the number of teachers continues, it will add to the strain on the teaching workforce, Scottish education will suffer and Scotland's ability to compete globally in important sectors will be impacted;

further believes that a lack of permanent contracts for teachers will further compound issues with recruitment and training;

notes that there are also high levels of unemployment and underemployment of primary teachers and teachers for some secondary school subjects;

further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to make sufficient progress on its 2021 commitment to recruit 3,500 more teachers, which is set to be missed by the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to develop a new, urgent plan for the teaching workforce, working with stakeholders.

Original motion(S6M-17669): That the Parliament acknowledges the work carried out by Scotland’s teachers in schools across the country and commends them for all they do;

recognises that the subjects that they teach provide important foundations for knowledge and skills in sectors that can be vital for Scotland’s economy;

notes with concern, however, that there has been a sharp decline in the number of teachers in key subjects, such as maths, physics and modern languages, and that targets to train teachers in STEM subjects have been continuously missed;

believes that, should these targets continue to be missed, and the decline in the number of teachers continues, it will add to the strain on the teaching workforce, Scottish education will suffer and Scotland's ability to compete globally in important sectors will be impacted;

further believes that a lack of permanent contracts for teachers will further compound issues with recruitment and training;

notes that there are also high levels of unemployment and underemployment of primary teachers and teachers for some secondary school subjects;

further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to make sufficient progress on its 2021 commitment to recruit 3,500 more teachers, which is set to be missed by the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to develop a new, urgent plan for the teaching workforce, working with stakeholders.