Scotland needs to improve teaching standards to compete globally, says expert

Scotland is falling behind other leading countries in its standards of teaching, a leading expert warned today.

More needs to be done to improve teacher training and the selection process if it is to compete on a global stage, former HM Inspectorate of Education Graham Donaldson said.

"We do have most of the conditions in place which suggest that we ought to have, not just an education system that is high quality generally, but that is producing the kind of high-quality outcomes that Finland produce, which Australia produce. We should be in that company and we're not," he told MSPs on Holyrood's education committee.

Mr Donaldson is the author of 'Teaching Scotland's Future', a report outlining ways in which the highest quality of teachering can be ensured.

The review suggests tests in reading, writing and maths, as part of the application process for teacher training places, with an established threshold for standards.

Today, he said he drew his conclusions on the issue needed after hearing the concerns of education professionals.

He added: "I have to say in the course of the review there was a very, very consistent set of concerns coming from headteachers, from employers, and evidence from HMIE which all raised issues to do with the level of literacy in the profession, in relation to the level of demand that Curriculum for Excellence requires from all teachers."

Mr Donaldson also called for a move towards assessment centres to ensure consistency in the selection process in his review.

More emphsasis should be attributed to interpersonal skills and social skills, he argued, as well as academic skills to recruit the most suitable student teachers.

The review recommended the creation of 'hub schools' for training placements and the opportunity for teachers to gain a masters degree during their career.

The report also said that up-to-date information on demand for teachers and projected retirements should be provided by local authorities to give information to trainees.