THE alarming findings from The TES’s survey on teacher shortages south of the border (page six) should not tempt us on to grounds for complacency north of Hadrian’s Wall. The latest figures for entry into teacher education in Scotland show, to put it at its lowest, that the profession is not suffering from mass desertion (page four). National priority targets for secondary subjects are being exceeded - just. In any case, these are targets determined by the Executive and are not necessarily based on classroom realities.

The fact that Aberdeen feels compelled to persuade teachers from England to move north (page three) is a salutary reminder that national averages disguise local difficulties: the council cannot find enough teachers for some subjects and, equally significantly, for some schools.

It would be another whammy for England’s schools if, in addition to all their other woes, they had to worry about border reivers as well.