Strategic Board for Teacher Education minutes: June 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Orlando Hiejmer-Mason, Scottish Government (SG), Chair
• Zak Tuck, SG
• Pauline Stephen, General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
• Catriona Regan, University of Edinburgh
• Zoe Robertson, Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE)
• David Burgess, Education Scotland
• Lesley Whelan, Education Scotland
• Anne Keenan, Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS)
• Tara Lillis, NASUWT
• Duncan Lawrie, Teacher
• Sarah Sinclair, Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)
• Stuart Bain, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
• Graham Hutton, School Leaders Scotland (SLS)
• Barrie Sheppard, National Parents Forum for Scotland (NPFS)
• Sheena Devlin, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Bernadette Casey, Association of Heads and Deputes Scotland (AHDS)
• Seamus Searson, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA)
• Clare Daverin, SG
• Katie Lyle, SG
• Emma Bunting, SG
• Stuart Robb, SG
• David Leitch, SG
• Judith Tracey. SG
• Ben Morley, SG
• Sandip Mahajan, SG
• Annabella Balloch, SG

Apologies:

• Archie Glen, Community Trade Union
• Lorraine Davidson, SCIS
• Susan Quinn, EIS
• Laurence Findlay, Aberdeenshire Council
• Jonathan Cunningham, AHDS
• Khadija Mohammed, University of West Scotland
• Barbara Coupar, Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES)
• David Barnett, SLS
• Aleksandra Jonca, SG

Items and actions

Welcome and Introductions

The Chair welcomed all members to the meeting and thanked those who could attend in-person.

The Chair noted apologies and substitutions.

Item 1 - Minutes from previous meeting

The Chair noted that all the actions of the previous meeting are completed aside from two ongoing actions:

• Action 3: SG to undertake a review of the Teach in Scotland website and update as required
• Action 7: Workstream 3 leads to reflect on feedback. Consider next steps, identify leads for priorities, look to publish Framework and share with other key education strategy / reform boards and groups

Members suggested three updates to the minutes from the SBTE meeting on 30 April:

• point 3: bullet 2 to reflect that members emphasised a focus on the delivery of the framework
• point 6:  bullet 4, include wording that current innovation may not comply with GTCS ‘legal requirements’
• point 8: bullet 7, articulate the work done by the University of West Scotland in more detail.

Item 2 - Workstream (WS) 2 - update

Catriona Regan gave a presentation highlighting key points from the cross-market insight report.

• the report looks at barriers and drivers to becoming a teacher, setting out the background, current context and rational behind conclusions.
• an online survey ran from January to March 2025
  • the granularity of the results goes down to Local Authority level
• the goal of the report is to look at the motivations to be a teacher, what biases the population may have and if there are any regional/demographic differences. Information will then be pulled to create insights on attracting people into teaching careers
• the insights gathered will support recruitment across the education sector for the 2026 Initial Teacher Education (ITE) intake
• the Joint ITE Recruitment and Admissions Group has been established to discuss marketing insights. The membership will include 11 ITE providers and the Scottish Government
• responses were received from undergraduates, high school students and staff in the education sector
• the teaching sector is currently facing recruitment challenges with steep declines in some specific subject areas in secondary: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects, modern languages & computing in particular
• overall, the perception of teaching is quite positive among high school students, with close contact of the role being a positive personal experience of teachers
  • Catriona noted that this would be a good sentiment to harness, as teachers positively affected their students drive to ‘make a difference’
• for high school/undergraduate groups, top motivations were altruism and enjoyment of working with young people
• for older groups seeking a career change, top motivations were job security, practical benefits such as holidays and a desire to share their skills
• across all groups, the cost of living and financial barriers are seen as barriers to teaching. Postgraduate students felt there was a low awareness of the availability of funding for their studies
• some additional top motivations for people from minority backgrounds were a commitment to diversify the teaching profession and opportunities to work overseas. However, barriers were also felt in the lack of being able to see themselves and awareness of funding opportunities
• overall, a common view of teaching is that it is morally valuable but challenging in practice. Top concerns were stress, workload, job security/availability, and salary. There were misconceptions on salary (assumed as much lower than reality) which particularly affected young people
• on entering ITE undergraduate courses, the report highlights that there is a feeling that the entry process is quite complicated and rigid
• negative word of mouth particularly discouraged those that would otherwise consider teaching. Common themes included poor discipline, disruptive pupil behaviour, lack of safety, concern about verbal abuse and knife crime
• regional differences were noted in the final report, such as
  • those from the central belt had a strong desire to teach with concerns over the salary and job availability
  • in the highlands and islands, there was a higher value on moral purpose, however there were significant concerns about being away from family, lack of affordable housing, workload and stress
  • in the south of Scotland, those with a desire to teach noted lack of job availability and financial limitations as barriers
• the report suggests creating a messaging mix based on key motivations and drivers which can then be specified by area/region to each ITE provider. The marketing mix could be used to highlight altruistic narratives and cement a message of financial and lifestyle benefits. There are also specific messages we could take to encourage people from diverse backgrounds, such as highlighting the possibility of teaching overseas and increasing diversity in teaching.
• Catriona has suggested that some possible next steps could be using the insight and recommendations in the report to improve comms and messaging. One avenue which this could be done is through utilising the Teach in Scotland website to signpost resources.

This was followed by a discussion, with members making the following points:

• colleagues from the Scottish Government’s Equalities in Education team showed interest in building a link with this work to the ITE Antiracism network
• on undertaking practical work to overcome barriers generally, it was noted that all ITE providers coming together with a collective desire to overcome barriers was effective. Primarily a lot of the work identified involves signposting resources and setting up effective recruitment events
• it was also noted that there has been semiotic research done in this area by Katie Lyle and Clare Daverin, within SG, which builds an evidence base for tailoring messages for communications and marketing
• SG officials have received the go-ahead to reinstate a national marketing campaign, of which, the conclusions of this marketing report and the semiotics research can feed into
• members cautioned that messaging around teaching should also set expectations for those applying. It should still be clear that teaching can be a challenging role, requiring time for study to enter and is an intellectual endeavour
• the conclusions of the report could be fed into new GTCS guidance currently being developed for teachers on professional barriers and becoming a good role model for kids
• members suggested that this piece of work could be returned to consistently over a period ranging from one to three years. It would allow SBTE to provide an oversight role
• recruitment into the teaching profession is very important, but there should also be a focus on retention of teaching staff. It was noted anecdotally that people with STEM backgrounds tend not to stay within the teaching profession
• there is an opportunity to encourage more flexible conditions for teachers, both in ITE and in their day-to-day roles, to entice more applicants to apply for teaching
• as we’re attracting people into the teaching profession, we should be aware of where we have over-supply and under-supply to better target our work

Actions

• Catriona Regan and Emma Bunting to discuss building a link between marketing work and the ITE antiracism network
• SBTE Secretariat to put as an item the semiotic research done by Katie Lyle and Clare Devlin at a future meeting
• Pauline Stephen to bring data from GTCS analysing rate of completion in the Teacher Induction Scheme
• Catriona Regan to share a report from the United Nations Teaching panels which involves a roadmap for improving the value and standing of the teaching profession (completed)

Item 3 - Insight Session - Workstream 1

Zak Tuck gave a presentation to provide insight on the work currently being done in workstream 1, including looking at data gaps and what we could do to improve our workforce planning:

• this area of work is seeking to develop a multi-year approach to workforce planning which will allow for more strategic oversight.
• there was a parliamentary debate on 28 May, ‘A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce. The key points of the debate motion were
  • the decline of teachers in STEM and Modern Languages
  • STEM ITE intake targets being missed
  • lack of permanent contracts for teachers
  • absence cover not being consistently applied
  • ensure alignment of places on teacher training and education workforce needs
• which called on the Scottish Government to do the following
  • to develop a consistent national system of supply to support supply teachers across local authorities
  • collect and publish data around the number of senior phase lessons being taught by non-subject specialist teachers
  • further develop the teacher census to ensure that it is known where staff are currently positioned and where they are needed
  • Scottish Government to commit to working in partnership with COSLA, through Education, Childcare and Assurance Board (ECAB), to develop a joint evidence-led education workforce strategy with stakeholders
• Scottish Government to develop a nationally co-ordinated education workforce plan
• Scottish Government officials are currently conducting a mapping exercise of the workforce planning process to inform discussions. This is looking at
  • how we capture data from all levels of the system
  • national and local authority data
  • what data gaps there currently are in the workforce planning process
  • overall, Scottish Government officials are exploring options to move the process from an annual cycle to a multi-year cycle with a robust methodology in place
• there are various strands of work being undertaken by analysts which could form part of a data map of the workforce planning process. These are
  • post-probationer surplus employment data
  • primary and secondary data
  • number of pupils in schools where there are no FTE teachers teaching in a specific subject area
    • however, it was noted that schools with zero FTE teachers in a given subject doesn’t mean that there’s no provision, as there may be teachers with dual roles or schools with different models for subject delivery
• a recent report sent out to members by School Leaders Scotland found that certain subjects are disproportionately affected by a lack of teachers. Furthermore, that there are disparities between vacancies by region which impacts subjects offered and school performance.
• further highlights from the report by School Leaders Scotland are the following
  • on average, schools are 1.7 Full Time Equivalent staff short
  • there are fewer supply teachers in the system post covid, especially in secondary
  • there is a variation of shortages by region. More than half of the teacher shortages are outside of the central belt
  • Maths and English make up 35% of the shortages together
  • teacher shortages are causing subjects to be cut back in schools, such as modern languages, home economics, computer science, drama and business studies. In two schools, the teaching period for maths was cut back
  • the report recommends further streamlining the pathway that primary teachers can take to become secondary teachers
  • overall, shortages are exacerbating the attainment gap
• closing data gaps could help in achieving the following outcomes
  • offering permanent employment opportunities for primary teachers by considering further reductions for ITE intake targets in 2026/2027
  • creating other employment opportunities, such as promoting training for additional support needs teachers
  • building routes for primary teachers to become secondary teachers within GTCS registration requirements
  • targeting undergraduates in hard to fill subjects
  • utilising the Advancing Computer Science Group to build up a network of computer science teachers which speak with undergraduates regarding opportunities in teaching
  • increased presence at careers fairs
  • creating opportunities for graduates to take a paid internship or a week of job shadowing in teaching
• there is good practice across the sector for increasing teacher supply into shortage subjects. One example is Director-General Economy in the Scottish Government funding a pilot of a computer science course in the University of Aberdeen
  • this course involves a two-year masters with a focus on software engineering and access to a bursary scheme
  • this masters can then be converted to a teaching qualification
  • the aim is to get 30 – 40 people through this course

This was followed by a discussion, with members saying:

• it was noted that a recent survey by teacher representative colleagues found that teachers were teaching senior phase pupils in subjects that they are not qualified for. Half of these teachers teaching outside of their subjects are teaching classes which lead towards a qualification
• there could be more done to support dual registration for teachers while ensuring that we protect the quality of Scottish education
• noted a risk that current ECAB representation will lead to counter-productive decisions
• a document with shared definitions and understanding may be useful for the strategic working of the SBTE
  • without shared definitions, there is a risk that colleagues may pull differing numbers if not sharing a common language on vacancies, supply teachers and probationers. Not building a shared narrative may be a significant barrier to further improvement work
  • a developed shared definitions document can then be applied to any data map to deepen understanding and promote a shared narrative to stakeholders on workforce planning.

Actions

• SG officials to review possibilities around co-ordination of supply teaching nationally
• SG officials to develop a shared definitions document for inclusion in a data map of the workforce planning process

Item 4 - Workstream 3 Update

A verbal update was given by the Workstream 3 leads. They covered the following:

• there was a summit on 14 May to discuss mentoring between senior teachers and early career teachers
• WS3 leads will send a document to SBTE members outlining the next steps for workstream 3. It will likely include the following
  • a new task and finish group that will develop a mentoring framework with recommendations for experienced teachers who will mentor student and early teachers
  • strategic work looking at best practice for induction processes while ensuring it is in alignment with the review of the Teacher Induction Scheme
  • a look at where the locus of decision-making sits for changes within the system, including what comes under the remit of SBTE and what sits elsewhere

Action - Workstream 3 leads to develop a next steps document for Workstream 3 and share this with the SBTE membership.

This was followed by a discussion, with members making the following points:

• it is important that existing teachers have the support mechanisms in place to have the capacity to mentor new teachers
• a small group of key stakeholders will help to make progress towards expected outputs
  • to mitigate the risk that wider stakeholders are unaware of the actions of the group, updates and surveys should be sent out to gather views from a wider audience
• the WS3 workstream should seek alignment with the education reform timeline
• overall, in order to not work in isolation, members should consider what decisions are in the remit of other groups and how to keep them informed
• an effective approach would be to focus on specific goals rather than seeking to positively change the entire piece
• political expectations should be managed on the timeline of the work by developing a narrative of the ongoing and upcoming work
  • this can also be used to reflect the teaching profession back to teachers with a narrative of increasing value for the profession.

Actions

• SG to provide secretariat support for the task and finish group looking at supporting teacher mentors
• SG officials to review and share the timeline for Education Reform with SBTE members
• SG officials to consider what additional work can be done to emphasise value of improving mentor support for teachers

Item 5 - Education and Childcare Assurance Board (ECAB)

Judith Tracey gave a verbal update on the ECAB, covering the following:

• in June 2023, COSLA and Scottish Government agreed to the Verity House agreement. This included a commitment to agree the monitoring and accountability framework for the data collection process to agreed outcomes.
  • this is set out in the 2025 national improvement framework
• the Terms of Reference of the group states the following
  • the group will be chaired jointly between the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and a COSLA children and young people’s spokesperson
  • there will be a focus on areas of shared responsibility between local and national government to deliver shared statutory responsibilities
  • other existing governance groups will continue to give their views which will be fed into ECAB
  • stakeholders will be invited to the group as required to share their viewpoints
  • this group has been established on an interim basis. There will be a review of the group in the future
• there has been one meeting of the group so far with the next meeting planned for September
• the group will discuss the wider governance landscape, however, will not be a decision-making body

This was followed by a discussion, with members covering the following:

• members suggested an organogram should be developed which places ECAB in the Education Reform governance structure and which ensures there are no overlapping remits
• there is a perception risk that the Scottish Government and Local Government are not being transparent by excluding teacher representatives from the membership list
• excluding teacher representatives from the board may mean that joint discussions miss the perspectives from the teaching workforce
  • the education workplan is looking at items discussed at other bodies, these are equally important items for teachers to provide their views on
• clarity on the review process of ECAB in the future would be useful
• there was mixed awareness on Scottish Education Council (SEC) being disbanded and some members noted that ECAB does not have the representation to fill this role
• concern were raised on groups that discuss key matters without inclusion of all relevant parties
• ECAB should look at the different component organisations of the education system for inclusion on the membership

Actions

• SG officials to share the minute of the final SEC meeting
• Judith Tracey to take concerns raised by the group regarding membership, transparency and SEC disbandment to the next ECAB meeting

Any other business (AOB)

No other business was raised by members.

Action: SG officials to secure dates in the diary for the next twelve months of SBTE meetings.