Principal teachers should be reintroduced to secondary schools as part of efforts to plug massive trainee recruitment shortfalls in maths and science, ministers have been told.

It is believed the change – which would partially reverse the faculty structure operating across much of Scotland – could boost the attractiveness of teaching as a career and draw graduates into economically vital subjects such as chemistry and technology.

The call comes after provisional 2021/22 data revealed recruitment to initial teacher education (ITE) through a secondary-level graduate diploma (PGDE) and other routes dropped well below target in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Intake for physics was 59 against a target of 117, while recruitment in technological education (intake: 53, target: 85), chemistry (intake: 91, target: 144) and maths (intake: 172, target: 224) also fell short.

Although not every subject recorded a deficit, overall statistics suggest the teaching profession is struggling to attract a sufficient number of trainees. Across the primary and secondary sectors, and including other avenues such as undergraduate degrees, student intake at the start of the 2021/22 academic session was 3,878 against a target of 4,070.

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The Government has insisted this year's STEM bursary scheme will help improve the situation. However, senior figures at the Scottish Liberal Democrats warned current trends would be crippling if allowed to continue.

Willie Rennie, the party’s education spokesperson, said: “Two years ago, [school standards body] Education Scotland said that the way to get kids interested in science was to let them play with broken equipment. I have a counterproposal: why not make sure they have great teachers?

“There are enormous opportunities in the STEM fields for Scotland to be a world leader. We have a tremendously talented group of young people, but they will never achieve their potential if there are not enough teachers to aid and guide them.

“By failing to recruit enough trainee teachers in these key subjects the Scottish Government is setting the country up for decades of failure.”

The Herald: Willie Rennie said the Scottish Liberal Democrats would reintroduce principal teachers to high school science and maths departments.Willie Rennie said the Scottish Liberal Democrats would reintroduce principal teachers to high school science and maths departments.

Mr Rennie said his party would give young people better access to expert staff in STEM subjects by bringing back principal teachers (PTs) for each of them and for each science. He added: “That will create a more attractive career path for graduates in STEM subjects.”

His remarks come amid fears that the shift to high school faculties – in which subjects are grouped together and run by a single manager or “curriculum leader” – has reduced the appeal of teaching to graduates who want rewarding professional advancement opportunities within their subject specialism.

The Dundee Local Association of the EIS union recently said it would open a consultative strike ballot over city council plans to adopt a faculty structure, with PT positions emerging as one of the major areas of contention. David Baxter, Dundee EIS secretary, said: “The loss of subject principal teachers would remove invaluable experience and leadership from individual departments, while also increasing workload demands on class teachers and promoted staff.”

Commenting on the indicative 2021/22 student intake figures, Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said his organisation had a “clear view” that ITE targets would have to be raised. He stressed such a move was necessary “not only to fill the gap left by previous failures to fill quotas but also because there is a commitment from the Scottish Government to reduce class contact time and that can only be achieved if we have the teachers to deliver that long overdue reform”.

Mr Flanagan added: “On the issue of faculties, this cost-cutting exercise has reduced promotion prospects for secondary teachers and increased workload for classroom teachers. A new post of lead teacher has been created but, as no money was allocated to the introduction of the new post, they are practically non-existent.”

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A spokesman stressed the Scottish Government was offering 150 bursaries of £20,000 for career changers to do teacher training in STEM subjects where staff demand is greatest.

He added: “Since the start of the pandemic we have provided £240 million of additional investment, over two financial years (2020/21 and 2021/22), specifically for the recruitment of more education staff and a further £145.5m of permanent funding from April 2022.

"We now have more teachers than at any time since 2008, and the ratio of pupils-to-teachers is at its lowest since 2009. There are over 2,000 more teachers in Scotland’s schools than before the start of the pandemic in 2019."