The proposal by councils has been broadly welcomed by unions, with the caveat that it is carefully managed and “flexibility” does not end up meaning overwork.
Primary teachers often lack knowledge and understanding of maths and science, and consequently confidence in those areas, according to a report by the Science and Engineering Education Advisory Group in 2012.
Languages are also of particular concern in Scotland, given the government’s stated ambition that all primary pupils learn two languages as well as English, the European Union’s so called 1+2 policy.
Budget cuts and a drop in the number of classroom and support staff have reinforced the argument for allowing local authorities more flexibility across different sectors, the council group Cosla said.
“We support local authorities and schools having the flexibility necessary to deliver on the aims and ambitions of the curriculum,” a Cosla spokesman said.
“Whether this is delivering greater equity within education under the national improvement framework, ensuring Scotland is a science and technology powerhouse or a leader in modern languages, greater flexibility does not mean a reduction in cooperation.”
It was not about flexibility “without structure or purpose”, he added, but ensuring increasingly scarce resources could go to meet the needs of local children.
John Stodter, general secretary of the Association of Directors of Education for Scotland (Ades), backed the proposal: “There is a call for a more strategic approach to budget cuts and greater flexibility in staffing, but this would also have educational benefits.”
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said many primary and secondary teachers already worked across the divide, such as in the transition phase.
“Supporting specialist teachers to enable them to work more readily across sectors is a worthy idea, but would require to be carefully managed and coordinated,” he said.
“It is essential that professional standards are maintained so that teachers have the appropriate qualifications and registration for the subject and sector in which they are deployed.”
Mr Flanagan also said safeguards would be vital to prevent teaching staff being “overstretched” and to stop flexibility from being “abused”.
Councils lost about seven per cent in real terms from finance secretary John Swinney’s 2016/17 budget, announced at the end of last year. Cosla said then that the budget left councils facing “very unpalatable options such as compulsory redundancies and education cuts”.