Scottish head teachers call for new powers to appoint staff
Head teachers in Scotland have called for new powers to select staff they believe are best suited to improving standards at their schools.
Councils currently have control over recruitment of teaching staff and the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) argues that handing this power over to head teachers will allow them boost performance.
Greg Dempster, general secretary of AHDS, told the Herald Scotland: “Recruitment is done centrally and teachers are then allocated to schools so they don’t get to advertise and interview for specific vacancies.
“Schools can have teachers placed with them and then they find they are not the ones they would have picked for their staff complement or for dealing with the pupils they have.
“Headteachers can be part of the general recruitment process for the authority, but not for their specific schools.”
Ministers are currently considering changes to the recruitment processes, but the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which represents the vast majority of Scotland's councils, said their role in recruitment was ‘invaluable’.
A spokesman told the Herald Scotland: “Recruitment can be a tricky issue and the truth is that councils provide a helpful HR service for schools and we work in collaboration with head teachers to ensure that we have the resources required to deliver for the local area.”
Read moreLatest News
23/06/2025 - 10:00
The government has said that the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override, which helps councils manage SEND costs, will stay in place until the end of 2027/28.
23/06/2025 - 09:50
Ofqual has launched a consultation seeking views on its proposed approach to regulating apprenticeship assessments, including those for foundation apprenticeship assessments.
20/06/2025 - 10:29
The government has published a 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, designed to address the maintenance backlog in schools, colleges, hospitals and courts.
20/06/2025 - 10:14
Let’s Go Zero is asking schools across the UK to take part in the Climate Action Countdown 2025 next week, which is a week of free climate activities running from 23rd to 27th June.
19/06/2025 - 11:06
New findings from Teacher Tapp looked at whether teachers were more likely to stay in their profession if they only taught in one classroom, as opposed to those who move between several.
