It is important to state that the policy behind amendment 133 is not new. Ensuring that headteachers are qualified before being appointed has been a long-term goal of Government since 2005 and, since then, local authorities have been expected to appoint qualified headteachers. “Teaching Scotland’s Future”, the establishment of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership and the new qualification have laid the ground for that change.
The Government is acutely aware of the importance of headteachers to the success of our education system, which is why the First Minister announced in February that holding a qualification would become mandatory for all new headteachers from 2018-19, and why school leadership is one of the six drivers for improvement that are set out in the national improvement framework. The time is right to underpin those expectations with a legal requirement for all prospective headteachers in any school to have been awarded the standard for headship before they can be appointed.
I have considered the evidence that was presented to the committee in advance of stage 2. I understand the concerns about recruitment and will continue to work with ADES to better understand why the number of candidates for some headteacher posts is low. However, I believe that a clear, high-quality and supportive route to headship will make the post more attractive and will help to address recruitment issues.
I am also committed to revisiting the funding model for the qualification after the spending review and will look to establish a sustainable approach that employers, teachers and providers of learning are able to support.
I acknowledge the points raised by independent and grant-aided schools and reassure those schools that we will work closely with them to ensure that the regulations and associated qualifications take account of their circumstances.
Fundamentally, I believe that every child in Scotland has the right to expect to be educated in a school with a headteacher with the appropriate knowledge and skills to help them to succeed and to allow the school to flourish. It is right that we legislate for that ambition so that we can all be clear in those expectations.
Practical considerations have been raised in evidence. We will continue to work with partners, including the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, to find ways to address those.
One issue that we will consider urgently is how to ensure that teachers coming from outside Scotland who can demonstrate that they have equivalent education, qualifications and experience do not have to undertake additional study to work here. Moreover, members will note that any future regulations to address such practical matters will be subject to full consultation and the affirmative procedure in Parliament to ensure appropriate scrutiny and to enable members to satisfy themselves of the detail of this important subject.
Amendment 139 simply amends the long title of the bill to reflect the inclusion of the new powers relating to the education and training standards of headteachers. Amendments 135 to 138 make some minor drafting amendments to ensure that the long title reads properly with the additional text in amendment 139.
I move amendment 133 and ask members to support all the amendments in the group.