Computing science teaching path in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

In his August 2020 report for the Scottish Government, The Scottish Technology Ecosystem, Mark Logan set out a number of specific suggestions, as part of recommendation 5, to encourage more people into a career in computer teaching. My FOI questions relate to progress that has been made towards implementing those suggestions:

a) What work is the Scottish Government undertaking to encourage more people to become qualified computing teachers in school?
b) Has a rapid-access path into teaching for computing science graduates been created? If not, what progress is there toward this.
c) What active promotion of teaching as a career option to undergraduates on computer science courses is being undertaken?
d) What plans are there to give computing science teachers dedicated training time each year in order to ensure that they stay current and up to date due to the unique pace of change in the subject?
e) Would the Scottish Government consider salary enhancements to attract computing graduates to teaching to help compete with industry opportunities?”

Response

The answer to your question is:

a) What work is the Scottish Government undertaking to encourage more people to become qualified computing teachers in school?

The Scottish Government funds the Teaching bursary scheme which provides £20,000 for careerchangers wishing to undertake a one year PGDE in hard to fill in subjects such as Maths, Physics and Computing Science.

The Strategic Board for Teacher Education is also considering issues around the recruitment to initial teacher education programmes and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including geographical and subject specific issues together with work to improve the promotion of teaching as a valued career.

b) Has a rapid-access path into teaching for computing science graduates been created? If not, what progress is there toward this.

The GTCS is the independent, regulatory body for the teaching profession and is responsible for determining what constitutes a recognised teaching qualification for individuals seeking registration with them. Universities develop and provide programmes which are then accredited by the GTCS. In terms of current provision then the shortest route to achieving the Standard for Provisional Registration, which is awarded to graduating students, is the PGDE. PGDE programmes in computing science are currently offered by the Universities of Glasgow, Highlands & Islands and Strathclyde.

The PGDE programme is 36 weeks of full-time study with a minimum of 18 weeks developing professional practice in schools. It is not considered viable to develop a route shorter than the PGDE due to the need for extensive placement experience and to cover a substantial amount of content with the university.

c) What active promotion of teaching as a career option to undergraduates on computer science courses is being undertaken?

The Scottish Government has a Programme for Government commitment to “work with our partners on a joint campaign to promote teaching as a highly rewarding career with the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of children and young people, improving recruitment and retention and attracting more high quality individuals into teaching in areas where they are most needed” . We are actively working with the Strategic Board for Teacher Education is taking forward this commitment and agreeing a set of key messages to promote teaching as a valued career.

In 2018, a survey of CS undergraduates identified a fear of deskilling as a key reason for not entering the teaching profession, and the survey report proposed braided careers as a possible solution, where one person has two part-time jobs, one in industry and one in teaching. Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science (STACS) is involved in the scoping of a trial of the braided career concept, intending to draw both industry professionals and new graduates into the teaching profession.

d) What plans are there to give computing science teachers dedicated training time each year in order to ensure that they stay current and up to date due to the unique pace of change in the subject?

A minimum of 35 hours of professional development per year is required for teachers in Scotland. This is included in the SNCT Handbook, which sets out the aspects of teachers’ terms and conditions that have been negotiated nationally by the tripartite SNCT.More broadly Education Scotland has the strategic responsibility for Professional Learning and Leadership Development and aims to ensure that teachers and education professionals are supported by a streamlined and coherent professional learning offer. Central to this is the national Model of Professional Learning which provides guidance on what high quality, effective professional learning looks like for education professionals. It identifies the key principles and features of professional learning, and offers strategic guidance for education professionals and leaders on how to support, structure and plan for professional learning.

Teachers are supported in identifying areas for development within their Professional Review and Development process and they are required to undergo Professional Update sign-off every five years as part of their registration with the GTCS. Details of the Professional Update can be found at- https://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update/professional-update.aspx

e) Would the Scottish Government consider salary enhancements to attract computing graduates to teaching to help compete with industry opportunities?
The 2024-25 Budget further supports teachers with an investment of £390 million to protect teacher numbers and fund the teacher pay deal. Teachers in Scotland are the highest paid teachers within the UK.

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