MORE black, Asian and minority ethnic teachers are needed in schools, a Glasgow MSP has said.

Figures show only a fraction of school teachers in Scotland are BAME leading to calls for more action and particularly in promoted posts.

The statistics led to Kaukab Stewart, Glasgow Kelvin SNP MSP, to call on the Scottish Government to urge councils to do more work to get more people from minority backgrounds into the classroom.

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The latest statistics, highlighted by the MSP, show in 2017 there were 1.2% of primary teachers and 2.1% of secondary teachers from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

By 2021, those figures had risen to only 1.4% and 2.7% respectively.

In promoted posts only 0.6% in primary schools and 0.9% in secondary schools were black, Asian or minority ethnic.

Stewart said: “The statistics are stark."

She added that councils need to “actively explore positive action measures, as allowed under the Equality Act 2010, to address underrepresentation, particularly at senior levels”.

She gave a project in Glasgow as an example others could follow.

While nearly 25% of children and young people in Glasgow’s schools are from BAME backgrounds, only 3% of council staff come from those same backgrounds.

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Last year, Glasgow City Council began a project where it advertised five promoted posts to teachers from BAME backgrounds.

When it was approved, the council stated: “We recognise that our workforce is still not truly representative of the communities we serve. In particular, our promoted posts are dominated by those who identify as ‘white Scottish’.”

The project saw Glasgow advertising five promoted posts to BAME candidates fixed-term for one year.

The aim was to give teachers the experience they need to allow them to apply for permanent promoted posts.

The positions were ring-fenced to all Glasgow City Council teachers on a permanent contract who identify as BAME.

The council is evaluating the project and will consider whether to repeat it for 2022/23 school term.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, education secretary, said: “The positive action that Glasgow City Council has taken in this area is absolutely to be commended.

“The diversity in the teaching profession and education workforce sub-group is considering the ways in which to capture and measure such actions, so that it can support other local authorities to be similarly ambitious.

“I concur absolutely with Kaukab Stewart’s sentiments that those figures are unacceptable. The Scottish Government is determined and it will continue to work with all local authorities to ensure that we can, and will, do better.”