ALL Scottish schools should have to take trainee teachers on placements to prevent a recurrence of the current crisis, a watchdog has said.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) believes the move would ensure future trainee teachers were guaranteed work experience in a school.
The call comes after hundreds of student teachers were left in limbo this week after a shortfall in the vital placements, with the majority involving students at Strathclyde University, in Glasgow.
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The two to four week primary and secondary placements are seen as crucial because they represent the first time trainee teachers experience a school environment and get to know staff and pupils.
However, schools don’t have to take trainees and this year there were a higher number of rejections than normal.
Strathclyde also imposed a limit of 60 minutes travel time from the university for placements to restrict the cost and time spent travelling for students and tutors. The GTCS recommends a 90 minute travel time.
Ken Muir, chief executive of the GTCS, said: “As we look to resolve the issue of student placements we will work with the universities, councils and schools to find out what lessons we can learn and the ways in which we can make the system better.
“There are a number of issues already that we know would help including looking at the travel time limits that have been imposed for students and tutors and making sure all universities adhere to the 90 minute limit rather than introducing a lower limit which inevitably creates an artificial restriction.
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“We also need to look at the distribution of places and the extent to which we can work more closely to find out why some placements have been rejected.”
Mr Muir said some placements had been rejected because of an impending school inspection or because of unexpected staff shortages, but he believes students should be declined only in exceptional circumstances.
He added: “This problem would never have arisen if we had a opt-out system rather than an opt-in system.
“Schools currently have to volunteer to offer placements, but if the default position was that every school and department had to take a student then this situation would never have happened. That should be the way forward.”
Following the crisis, headteachers’ unions were asked to contact their members to provide placements. Councils also contacted schools asking for emergency placements.
Universities are hopeful most trainee teachers will have secured a placement in time for next week.
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All primary students doing their nursery placements have been placed in schools run by Glasgow City Council.
Some 37 secondary students remain to be placed, but the GTCS said there were now “ample offers” with Strathclyde now working to match them to students.
The issue was raised in the Scottish Parliament this week when John Swinney, the Education Secretary, described the situation was”wholly and utterly unacceptable” and called for universities and councils to ensure adequate places were available.”
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