LEGISLATION to force all teachers in Scottish private schools to register with their professional body would prevent the sector recruiting international experts, a headteacher has warned.

 

Rod Grant, headmaster of Clifton Hall School, in Edinburgh, said the move would stop independent schools employing "Stephen Hawking to teach physics or Damien Hirst to take art classes.

"That is a ludicrous waste of talent, ability and resource," he added.

The attack follows the publication of the Scottish Government's Education (Scotland) Bill which says all teachers in private schools should be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

Currently, some 90 per cent of teaching staff in the independent sector are registered with the GTCS, but some schools employ teachers who have qualified elsewhere and who have not secured registration north of the Border.

In a letter to the Scottish Parliament's education committee, which is scrutinising the Bill, Mr Grant said: "I can think of no good reason to require independent schools to ensure all teachers are GTCS registered.

"All independent school teachers go through rigorous vetting procedures. Many teachers within independent schools come from England or further afield. It is not possible to register these teachers with the GTCS on appointment.

"The effect of this would be to stop any school in Scotland from employing anyone from outside its borders. If this Bill is progressed I for one am puzzled. I can see no justification for this change."

Mr Grant even suggested the Bill appeared "very anti English/non-Scottish nationals" because many of the teachers who struggled to secure registration came from south of the Border.

The Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS) also raised concerns about the legal provision suggesting the quality of teaching was already very high in the sector.

Its submission to the education committee said: "Registration would not lead to the acquisition of any further skills of teachers in independent schools who are already expected to be highly skilled and who are already supported in developing new skills as required.

"The compulsory registration of teachers will not have an impact on the attainment of the schools in question where a strong emphasis is already put on the attainment of pupils, alongside a deep commitment to the wellbeing of pupils and their personal development.

"In many cases, the outstanding teachers in independent schools who are not registered with GTCS because their subjects, qualifications or experience do not meet with registration requirements and categories laid out by GTCS, are well qualified in other ways and have proved themselves to be highly competent teachers."

However, Ken Muir, chief executive of the GTCS, said it was an "outrageous suggestion" that the organisation did not register teachers from England, with nearly 600 teachers from outside Scotland accepted in the last four years - many of whom from south of the Border.

And he said inspection reports from private schools highlighted the generally high standards of teaching, but said there were also example where greater consistency was required.