A teaching union has warned the First Minister not to implement education reforms similar to those in England.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Nicola Sturgeon said that she has looked at the Teach First programme in England and Wales. Originally the programme used non-teaching graduates as teachers; however she was clear that she would not be interested in a programme which did so also.

Scotland’s largest teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland however responded to the First Minister’s comments by restating their opposition to any employment of those without a teaching qualification. The EIS also states that its members need more resources from the Scottish Government to close the attainment gap.

Nicola Sturgeon said: “When you’re talking about children and what gives them the ability to get on in life my ideology or my political beliefs are secondary to doing that. Let’s not get caught up in how we’ve always done things but let’s not make it a turf war between national and local government or the public and private sectors.

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“If anybody decides to be a block to making sure we’ve got the best education system then they should be moved out of the way. I’ll be confrontational with anybody if it’s about improving the educational experience of kids that come from the kinds of communities that I grew up in. I don’t want it to be a lottery in life as to whether you get the chances to do what I did or not.’

She continued: “I’m interested in different routes into teaching and I’ve been speaking to the General Teaching Council (GTC) about the changes they’re making because they’re looking at [that]. But how do we get the best graduates in to our schools? I’m open to anything that does that. One of the things I have learned about Teach First is that they’ve changed what they do quite dramatically. Now they take all of the entrants through getting a teaching qualification where they didn’t previously, so there’s been a lot of evolution. Whether we would bring in Teach First as an organisation or just find our own ways of doing the same thing, that’s a different discussion.”

The suggestion that the First Minister would be “confrontational” to opponents of reforms and is interested in Teach First drew a strong response from the EIS.

The union’s assistant secretary Angela Bradley said: “The EIS wants all children to achieve their full potential and is committed to closing the attainment gap caused by socio-economic inequality. We have repeatedly stated our willingness to work with the Scottish Government and all other relevant partners to tackle poverty and reduce its damaging impact on the lives of young people across Scotland.

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“Whilst we do not doubt the First Minister’s commitment to achieve this end, the EIS is clear that the issue must be tackled with adequate and sustained investment in Scotland’s schools. Adequate numbers of teachers, smaller class sizes, the expansion of free nursery education with minimum access to a qualified teacher for all 2, 3 and 4 year olds, and appropriate levels of additional support for pupils who need it, are what is required to improve the educational and life chances of all our young people, and particularly those living in poverty.”

She continued: “One of the great strengths of the comprehensive education system in Scotland is that all our pupils are taught by qualified teachers. There continues to be a very high level of support from parents, teachers and others with an interest in education for the current system which is designed to ensure that all young people, no matter their background, have equal access to a quality educational experience delivered by fully qualified, GTCS registered, teachers. The EIS does not support any erosion of that provision, nor does it believe that placing unqualified graduates in schools in areas of deprivation to teach Scotland’s least advantaged children will lead to better, more equal outcomes for those children.”

The First Minister’s interest in the Teach First initiative was welcomed by the Scottish Conservatives.

Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “Teach First will address a real issue regarding teacher recruitment in Scotland and it is good to see the SNP have listened and taken our advice. “We were the only party to raise growing concerns about an attainment gap, lack of testing and Teach First – which the SNP has all taken action on.

Scottish Labour opportunity spokesperson Iain Gray however reiterated his party’s opposition to non-qualified teachers.

Gray said: “One of the greatest strengths of Scottish education for many years has been a fully graduate, fully professionally qualified teaching force. Education policy should build on and strengthen that, making teaching a profession to the highest standard to which people commit for their careers, rather than the Teach First approach.”

The Scottish Liberal Democrats responded to the comments by stating their belief that to close the attainment gap “further investment in education” is needed.

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A party spokesperson said: “To stop the attainment gap growing any more in Scotland, we need to make a transformational investment in education. That’s why the focus should be on the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ penny for education – to expand nursery care, restore our college budgets and create a pupil premium paid directly to schools to buy extra resources specifically for disadvantaged children.”