Pupils are to benefit from extra teachers and support staff within the next month.

More than 1,250 teachers and 155 support staff will be distributed in schools across Scotland.

Gil Paterson, MSP for Clydebank, welcomed the extra help.

He said: “It’s absolutely vital that local authorities are fully supported to ensure that our schools remain safe for pupils, teachers and staff.

“These additional teachers and support staff will not only bring much needed resilience to Scotland’s education system, but they will help compensate for the loss of learning suffered by pupils during lockdown.”

Figures showed that the number of newly-qualified teachers going straight into employment has risen by nearly 30 per cent.