Schools Statistics Published

Over the year to 2019 teacher numbers increased by 288 to 52,247. This coupled with a rise in pupils of 4,738 has meant that the pupil teacher ratio has remained at 13.6. Primary class sizes have also remained broadly stable.

Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland. This release provides the latest information on early learning and childcare, pupils, teachers, pupil attendance and exclusions.

In 2019, the overall pupil teacher ratio (PTR) in all publicly funded schools was 13.6, the same as the previous year. The PTR shows the number of pupils per teacher so gives a measure of the size of the teaching workforce compared with the pupil population.

An increase in the number of teachers in primary schools, combined with a decrease in the number of pupils has resulted in a reduction in PTR to 15.9 (from 16.1 in 2018). In secondary schools the number of pupils grew at a faster rate compared to the number of teachers, meaning the PTR increased to 12.4 (from 12.3 in 2018).

The total full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers based in all sectors (early learning and childcare, primary, secondary, special schools, centrally employed) was 52,247 which is 288 more than 2018.

There was a small decrease in the number of funded registrations for early learning and childcare (ELC) from 96,549 in 2018 to 96,375 in 2019. An estimated 11% of two year olds were registered for funded ELC, an increase from 10% in 2018. The number of teachers, graduate staff and staff working towards graduate level qualifications in funded ELC was 4,781, an increase of 559 FTE since 2018.

The average class size for pupils in primary schools was 23.5, unchanged since 2016.

The attendance rate for the 2018/19 school year was 93.0%, down slightly from 93.3% in the 2016/17 school year.

There were 21.6 cases of exclusion per 1,000 pupils in 2018/19. This continues a recent downward trend which has seen cases of exclusion reduce by almost half since 2010/11 where there were 40.0 cases of exclusion per 1,000 pupils.

Background

Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland brings together a wide range of information on school education and early learning and childcare provision in Scotland and covers: pupils, teachers, early learning and childcare, attendance, absence and exclusion.

Supplementary tables from the school staff census and the pupil census will be published in March 2020. Additional Early Learning and Childcare Tables were published today.

Data on attendance and absence and exclusions is collected and published biennially and was last collected for 2016/17.

Further information on school statistics within Scotland is available online.

Official statistics are produced in accordance with professional standards.