The council says that the General Teaching Council for Scotland must become “more attuned to the primacy of pedagogical skills and abilities (gained by experience and continuing professional development) over academic qualifications (gained by many teachers prior to having any teaching experience whatsoever)”.

The system prevents the P7 teacher continuing to teach a group of children after they transfer to S1, or an S1 teacher teaching a P7 class, or “worse still” the S1 teacher teaching any subject other than “his own”.

Such rigidities in qualification have led to fragmentation in learning, the council declares. “To pigeon-hole talented and dedicated professionals in the current over-restrictive system cannot be in the best interests of the education service, and ways must be found to begin to break down the quite unnecessary barriers which have been erected.”

The Educational Institute of Scotland is “implacably opposed” to any “dilution” which would allow teachers to teach in subjects or sectors for which they have no formal qualifications.

The GTC would also “strongly oppose” any such move before a comprehensive review of teaching qualifications is undertaken, particularly for those working with the 10-14 stages.