Strategic Board for Teacher Education minutes: February 2026

Attendees and apologies

• Orlando Mason, Scottish Government (SG, Chair)
• Ben Morley, SG (Secretary)
• David Barnett, School Leaders Scotland (SLS)
• David Burgess, Education Scotland (ES)
• Craig Carson, Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
• Barbara Coupar, Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES)
• Jonathan Cunningham, Association of Heads and Deputes Scotland (AHDS)
• Laurence Findlay, Aberdeenshire Council, and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Archie Glen, Community Trade Union
• Duncan Lawrie, Teacher
• Tara Lillis, NASUWT
• Suzanne MacLeod, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
• Carrie McLennan, Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE)
• Khadija Mohammed, University of West Scotland (UWS)
• Zoe Robertson, SCDE
• Seamus Searson, Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA)
• Barrie Sheppard, National Parents Forum for Scotland (NPFS)
• Sarah Sinclair, Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)
• Pauline Stephen, General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
• Angela Felvus, Katie Lyle, Anisa Omar, Gavin Page, Stuart Robb, Caroline Thomas, Sandip Mahajan (all SG)

Apologies:

• Stuart Bain, COSLA
• Emma Bunting, SG
• Sheena Devlin, ADES
• Susan Quinn, EIS
• Lesley Whelan, ES

Items and actions

Note - where directly linking, comments from the online meeting chat function have been incorporated into the relevant item within the minutes.

Item 1 - Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed all members and substitutes and noted apologies.

Item 2 - Minutes from previous meeting

Members agreed the following revisions to the minutes of the previous SBTE meeting held on 25th September 2025:

• in the attendance list, Barbara Coupar was down as representing the National Parents Forum for Scotland. She represents the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES)
• attendees suggested that action 14 (‘SG officials to review possibilities around co-ordination of supply teaching nationally’) be reinstated. Officials noted that this action would fall under the remit of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. Further consideration will be given to the appropriate wording

Action - SG officials to consider further for appropriate wording

The Chair reported on actions from the previous meeting.

Item 3 - Workstream 1 - workforce planning: vacancy data and teacher roundtable (recruitment and retention)

Ben Morley gave a brief overview of the work currently ongoing:

• the roundtable included a presentation on key challenges in primary and secondary teaching levels, and needing strong data to support longer-term education workforce planning
• actions from the roundtable involved improving data collection to support longer term workforce planning. Cleared actions will be shared with SBTE members
• a follow-up roundtable meeting is planned in March
• promoting additional registrations for teachers was another topic covered at the roundtable. Pauline Stephen added that GTCS would be updating their website - outlining the process of additional registration with sign-posting and case studies (teachers moving from primary to secondary etc.)
• however, discussion was needed on resources related to additional registration. Working with Workstream 1 partners, she would be writing later to SBTE and relevant stakeholders on additional registration and initial teacher education (ITE) provision - discussion would be welcome

SBTE members, who had attended the roundtable, expressed some concern that - given the strategic planning work of other bodies such as the Education, Childcare and Assurance Board - there is an unclear picture in respect of roles and responsibilities and decision-making. In particular, the group needs to discuss and be clear on the purpose and aims of the data being sought.

Due to time constraints, Ben Morley highlighted that they would provide a written update to members in due course.

Action  - secretariat to include details of decision making infrastructure within the written update on Workstream 1 (workforce planning) progress - data work and the teacher roundtable

Item 4 - Workstream 2 - promoting teaching as a valued career: marketing campaign update

Katie Lyle and Caroline Thomas, from SG’s Marketing Team, updated on the teacher recruitment marketing campaign which had launched on 22nd January and would run into March.

One creative advertising agency is supporting the campaign using various marketing mediums, in particular digital media channels (e.g. https://youtu.be) as well as physical outdoor advertising.

A core underpinning message was that ‘teaching is the right choice’ supported by positive motivating factors including diverse case studies within various schools. Both schools and teachers have been supportive.

During discussion, it was confirmed that, although a national campaign, it is addressing ‘hard to fill’ subjects through specific messaging focused on secondaries and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. In addition, remote localities and diversity are featured - including regional opportunities in permanent primary roles. However, the full scale of local teachers’ positive feedback hasn’t yet been relayed.

Members noted that not all local authorities used the myjobscotland website - it would be useful to know which other sites were used. Members re-iterated some concerns that the campaign might portray an overly rosy, unrealistic picture of teaching. In addition to recruitment of teachers, retention is vital. They asked what evaluation would take place on the campaign’s effectiveness including feedback from existing teachers. Members were informed that an independent research agency was used for campaign evaluation including attitude and behaviour changes and measured against specific, measurable, achievable. realistic and timely (SMART) targets.

Members were invited to forward any further suggestions to SG.

Action - secretariat to consult COSLA for details of other recruitment sites used by local authorities (aside from myjobscotland)

GTCS noted some revisions required on the SG Teach In Scotland website.

• 'there are a number of undergraduate, postgraduate and alternative routes into primary school teaching' - there are no alternative routes
• 'the routes into secondary teaching are different to those into primary' - both primary and secondary have undergraduate and postgraduate routes
• ‘before you can teach in a Scottish state school, you must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)’ - it is also a legal requirement to be registered in the independent sector
• in addition, a  broader review was needed to remove references to teacher training (SCDE confirmed ITE programmes were clear that ‘education’ is offered not teacher 'training')

GTCS reported that the Teach In Scotland website generated queries which are not in the remit of GTCS. The SG marketing team confirmed the website would be refreshed and they would liaise with GTCS on outstanding issues.

See updated action on the tracker (SG to undertake a review of the Teach In Scotland website and update as required) 

Item 5 - Workstream 3 - teacher education and development framework - graduate teacher pathway

Workstream 3 leads reported that the teacher education and development framework was about developing a whole career approach. This included a graduate teacher pathway (GTP) - a discussion paper had been circulated to SBTE before Christmas. The paper outlined the potential structure of a pathway, different stages, considerations and who’s involved.

The main features were: supported period of induction to the profession; structure to successfully achieve the standard for full registration (SFR); assessed teaching practice as essential component; and comprehensive support provided building on ITE studies. All these features are underpinned by access to an effective mentor or school-based teacher educator (ScBTE). Induction with ongoing development and learning being most important.

The proposed pathway consisted of four components:

• self-directed learning and development
• your school/setting
• your employer/local authority context
• our national provision

Members were invited to consider the options and questions (as suggested within the paper) to help agree an overall direction and focus and next steps.

Members welcomed the paper noting key considerations such as funding, what support partners would need to provide to secure the pathway success and any flexibilities that might be available.

Some members noted that historically SFR had been a good approach but in recent years has been overtaken by issues such as probationer teachers being used to plug gaps. Members felt that the paper was a welcome step forward.

Guiding principles should include equity of opportunity but there was concern from members that its parallel equity of experience was too much of a mixed bag. There were concerns of overburdening (and not supporting) teachers, including those acting as mentors, with potentially another qualification requirement. Supernumerary of ‘newly qualified’ teachers was also important so they are fully supported and not seen as temporary.

In respect of an employment based system, the flexible route is being used more but there were some issues with this, e.g. people switching schools. A fuller understanding of why people left the status quo would be useful.

Proposals could be quite significant to terms and conditions of graduate teachers - protections were needed, e.g. national provision work could turn out not to be what was expected. One example was extending time spent as a graduate from one to two years affects ability to progress up the pay scale.

On whether, all schools would be able to support teachers on the pathway, in respect of teachers with protected characteristics, these was a shortfall of these mentors currently but the proposals could help to improve this.

Members broadly supported the proposal and recognised the potential for better retention of teachers but wanted to review the content and detail more. A working group was suggested.

Workstream 3 leads considered the various comments made and provided some responses. They noted that the teacher induction scheme was long overdue a policy review - the last review was 15 years ago and the landscape had changed, e.g. then class contact time was increased to support local government funding. There was a perception that teaching was more rigid now. The flexible route cohort was quite diverse. It was accepted that the proposal raised a number of challenges but it was important to show commitment to review the proposal - looking at the bigger picture.

Action - members invited to put forward any other comments or suggestions relating to the graduate teacher pathway proposal paper ideally by end February (send to SG)

Members agreed that it was important to progress work swiftly albeit within limitations of an election run-in. So, notwithstanding any political leadership and manifesto changes, groundwork could still be developed further. It was proposed instead to convene an alternative working group that could look at mapping out work needed (and options) for the next few months. Robust clear data was re-iterated as essential for workforce planning.

Actions

• working group to map out what work is needed over the next few months (up to June), nominations to be on the group by 20th February
• working group / SG secretariat seek members’ agreement on the outcomes of the mapping work before ministerial consideration

AOB

Members were informed that the pre-election period would start on 26th March, when routine business continued as per normal but anything with potential political dimension ceased.

Action - members invited to comment on GTCS’ Accreditation process and requirements review consultation which closes on 12th March

Dates of future meetings:

• Thursday 18th June, 9:30 - 11:30 (in person), venue to be confirmed
• note - remaining meeting/s for 2026 to be arranged