The lack of candidates applying for vacant head teacher posts in Fife schools has raised concerns.
The issue was highlighted by Fife Council SNP group leader Peter Grant, who noted the limited numbers coming forward after a series of appointments to senior positions.
In a report to the executive committee, it was reported the recruitment of senior teachers was one of the issues being addressed as part of an overall “modernisation and re-design” of leadership of learning in Fife.
Mr Grant said: “Half of the eight appointments made only had one candidate.
“The job of head teacher is becoming so stressful, a lot of teachers simply don’t want to take it on.
“My concern is that if we have a number of appointments at the same time we might not be able to fill them.”
Donna Manson, head of education (west), said if not enough high-quality applications were received, the post was re-advertised, sometimes several times, until a suitable candidate could be appointed.
The council acknowledged there were challenges, particularly for primaries, in the recruitment of head teachers.
Applications for posts in areas of significant deprivation and smaller schools, mainly in rural areas, generally received fewer applications.
Teachers appointed as heads of smaller schools generally moved on to larger schools after a short time, resulting in concerns about the lack of continuity in leadership.
One way the council has been making head teacher posts of smaller schools more attractive has been by creating joint-headships. There are currently five of those in Fife.
Shelagh McLean, from the education directorate, said: “We have taken steps where possible to increase the number of joint headships.
“We do find they are successful in terms of outcomes for the children, but also in terms of stability for these schools.
“We will continue to look for opportunities to take this further.”