Local Authority funding for teacher numbers: FOI release

Information requested

During a Parliamentary education committee on Jan 17, 2024, Ms Gilruth said to members: "We administer the £145 million in such a way that we hold some of it back so that, if a local authority does not meet the requirement to ring fence that funding for teacher numbers, we will not pay it out. I retain the power to do that and to hold on to that additional funding."

She also said: " From memory, I think that there has been a significant fall in teacher numbers in four or five authorities. I have asked all those authorities for an explanation as to why that might be the case. I have not yet made a decision on that challenge, but I retain the right to recoup some of the funding."

Request 3

• Please provide the written instructions given to local authorities on how their portion of the £145.5 million should be "ring fenced" and spent, as referenced in the above statement.
• Please identify the "four or five authorities" mentioned in the above statement where there has been a "significant fall in teacher numbers" and which have been contacted by the government
• Please provide the letter sent from Ms Gilruth or her office to these local authorities, as well as the explanations (referenced in the statement above) that they provided in response.

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested.

The Scottish Government wrote to fifteen local authorities, of which six were identified as having a significant fall in teacher numbers. These authorities were East Ayrshire, Fife, Glasgow City, Moray, North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400399239 - Information Released - Annex

File type

38 page PDF

File size

498.8 kB