Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that a number of secondary schools are reducing subject choice from the curriculum due to a lack of specialised teachers.
Teacher employment practices are matters for local authorities as employers however Local Government is responsible for providing a complement of teachers and all the necessary staff that best meets the needs of each school and its pupils within the resources available.
However, we know there are challenges in some places and in subject areas and that is why we are working to encourage more students to pursue teaching careers through the Teaching Bursary Scheme, which offers £12,500 to individuals undertaking graduate teacher training in hard-to-fill subjects including Maths, Technical Education and Science.
We also recently ran a recruitment campaign, delivered between January to March, was aimed at encouraging more students to take up a career in teaching, specifically in hard to fill subjects and rural areas. Priority subjects that were covered include STEM, Modern Languages and Home Economics.
Where a subject cannot be offered by a school, national guidelines encourage flexibility, enabling schools to work collaboratively with other local schools or colleges or through online, digital approaches.