Moray’s eight secondary schools don’t have a fully-staffed maths department between them

None of the maths departments in Moray’s eight secondary schools are fully staffed – and there’s an increasing problem getting English teachers to come work here.

Speaking at a meeting yesterday, Moray Council’s head of education, stated that recruiting issues were having an impact on pupils’ results.

Councillors were discussing a decline in fourth-year pupils achieving their SCQF 4 and 5 exams in literacy and numeracy in 2023/24.

In the previous academic year 86% of pupils passed level 4, but that has since dropped to 76%. Meanwhile, the pass rate for level 5 fell from 63% to 53%.

Bridget Mustard (Heldon and Laich, Conservative) asked if it were possible to find out how many children received additional tuition outside school.

However Vivienne Cross, who’s head of education in Moray, stated it would be inappropriate for the council to survey parents on the issue.

She added: “Our attainment is where it is just now. And it’s not because teachers are not working hard.

“We have got a huge concern across Moray. We cannot get subject specialist teachers. We do not have a maths department within Moray that is fully staffed at this moment in time.”

Mrs Cross added there was an increasing number of English departments in the same position.

She said: “Those are two core subject areas we cannot get subject specialists in.

“Also, we can’t get science cover. I have a secondary school just now that does not have a chemistry teacher.

“So that I think is a greater concern for this committee, that you have got your secondary schools that are not fully staffed with subject specialists.

“It’s having a huge impact on our attainment.

“And it’s having a huge impact on workload of our principal teachers who are trying day in day out to get cover for senior phase classes.

“That to me is a greater concern than whether or not parents can afford or decide whether to get a tutor for their children.”