Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023

Headline statistics on teachers, pupils, attendance, exclusions and early learning and childcare provision in Scotland.


Classes and pupils

The overall average class size for primary has decreased from 23.3 in 2022 to 23.2 in 2023 (Figure 18). Between 2022 and 2023 the average class size for P1-P3 decreased from 23.1 to 23.0 while the average class size for P4-7 remained the same at 25.7. Statistics on class sizes in the secondary sector are not collected as class size varies widely across subjects.

Figure 19 shows that the number of P1-P3 pupils taught in classes of 26 or more decreased from 40,441 in 2022 to 38,888 in 2023. The number of pupils taught in classes of 18 or fewer decreased from 20,235 in 2022 to 19,979 in 2023. However, the reduction in the number of pupils in P1-P3 meant that the proportion of pupils taught in classes of 18 or fewer increased slightly from 12.6% in 2022 to 12.7 in 2023.

Legislation limits class sizes to 25 for P1 pupils and to 30 for P2 and P3. However, classes may exceed these limits due the inclusion of one or more ‘excepted pupils’ (see background notes for more information).

In 2023 the number of P1 pupils in classes of 26 or more was 264; this was a decrease from 409 in 2022 (Figure 20). In 2023, there were 11 classes with 26 or more pupils and at least one P1 pupil, compared to 17 such classes in 2022 (data not shown).

Figure 21 shows that the percentage of P1-P3 pupils in classes of 18 or fewer varied considerably between local authorities and years. One of the main reasons for this was the differing number of small schools between local authorities.

Figure 22 shows pupils broken down by characteristics used in equalities monitoring. In 2023, 79.6% of pupils were recorded as being White-Scottish or White-other British. The next largest proportions of ethnic backgrounds were White-Other (3.7%), White-Polish (2.4%), Asian Pakistani (2.2%) and mixed (1.8%).

In 2023, 37% of all pupils (259,036 individuals) had an additional support need (ASN) (Figure 23). This is 2.8 percentage points higher than 2022 when 34.2% of pupils had an additional support need.

The number of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN) has increased markedly since 2010 and there continue to be year on year increases (see table 1.5 of the supplementary tables). These increases were likely due in part to continued improvements in recording and the introduction of the additional need types 'Child plans' and ‘Other’ in 2011.

Statistics on additional support needs include pupils in special schools and those in mainstream schools who are assessed or declared disabled, or have a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP), Individualised Education Programme (IEP), Child Plan or another type of support. Pupils may have more than one type of ASN, therefore the total for ASN types do not equal the sum of individual types of ASN.

Figure 18 Average class size of primary school pupils by stage, Scotland, 2017 to 2023 [Note 1]

Stage

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

P1

21.0

20.9

21.0

20.8

20.9

20.9

20.8

P2

23.9

23.9

23.9

23.8

23.7

23.8

23.6

P3

24.7

24.6

24.7

24.2

24.4

24.5

24.5

P4

26.0

25.7

25.7

25.3

25.3

25.5

25.4

P5

26.1

26.1

26.0

25.5

25.6

25.7

25.8

P6

26.1

26.0

26.0

25.5

25.6

25.7

25.7

P7

25.9

26.0

25.9

25.6

25.5

25.7

25.8

P1-P3

23.2

23.2

23.2

22.9

23.0

23.1

23.0

P4-P7

26.0

25.9

25.9

25.5

25.5

25.7

25.7

Primary

23.5

23.5

23.5

23.1

23.2

23.3

23.2

Note 1: Data refers to the average class size of pupils in each stage, not the average class size of single stage classes. The total primary average class size is calculated on a different basis to all the other class sizes shown, see background notes for details.

Figure 19 P1-P3 pupils by class size, Scotland, 2017 to 2023 [Note 1]

Class Size

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

0 - 18

20,997

20,613

20,591

22,899

20,328

20,235

19,979

19 - 25

106,023

104,453

103,326

100,948

102,233

99,925

99,080

26 - 30

44,340

44,362

43,410

39,874

39,626

40,250

38,729

31 or more

625

350

224

190

97

191

159

% in classes of 18 or fewer or in two teacher classes of 36 or fewer

12.2

12.1

12.3

14.0

12.5

12.6

12.7

Note 1: The percentage of P1-P3 pupils in classes of 18 or fewer includes two-teacher classes with 36 or fewer. Classes taught by two teachers at all times are treated as two classes of half the size.

Figure 20 P1 pupils by class size, Scotland, 2017 to 2023

Class size

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

0 - 18

11,925

11,326

11,393

12,570

11,017

10,936

11,064

19 - 25

44,195

43,254

43,525

40,551

41,724

40,906

38,729

26 or more

631

511

267

188

293

409

264

Figure 21 P1-P3 pupil in classes of size 18 or fewer or in two teacher classes with a pupil teacher ratio of 18 or fewer, local authority, 2017 to 2023 (percentage)

Local Authority

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Aberdeen City

13.0

9.9

13.5

12.8

5.7

8.7

8.6

Aberdeenshire

17.7

16.0

20.0

18.6

15.0

13.1

13.2

Angus

16.5

20.1

19.2

17.7

18.2

16.7

14.2

Argyll and Bute

27.1

34.6

28.5

39.1

37.9

42.1

37.4

City of Edinburgh

6.0

5.2

4.5

6.0

5.8

5.3

5.3

Clackmannanshire

14.1

11.8

16.5

13.1

12.9

13.5

24.5

Dumfries and Galloway

22.0

20.2

17.7

16.8

13.9

17.6

20.6

Dundee City

4.4

3.1

5.9

7.1

6.3

10.0

9.5

East Ayrshire

9.9

8.3

12.0

17.0

17.8

12.8

8.0

East Dunbartonshire

10.3

10.5

9.3

10.1

8.1

12.6

17.3

East Lothian

6.5

8.8

6.1

12.2

10.7

15.0

16.1

East Renfrewshire

12.6

11.9

18.3

9.5

13.6

9.6

6.3

Falkirk

7.9

8.8

10.6

15.2

14.1

8.6

10.7

Fife

11.6

7.1

3.7

7.1

4.1

4.8

5.9

Glasgow City

5.5

6.5

8.0

10.9

9.7

9.2

8.4

Highland

18.1

18.8

16.7

21.0

20.5

22.2

20.9

Inverclyde

5.0

6.1

8.0

4.8

7.1

10.6

8.9

Midlothian

11.2

16.2

9.4

11.4

8.3

13.7

15.0

Moray

8.1

9.0

11.0

9.0

15.3

14.6

12.8

Na h-Eileanan Siar

52.3

56.4

60.4

55.3

65.9

57.4

55.7

North Ayrshire

9.9

10.9

16.4

14.6

11.9

17.0

13.2

North Lanarkshire

11.4

8.9

9.4

13.7

13.3

11.2

12.8

Orkney Islands

24.7

24.8

30.6

36.8

31.8

26.9

41.3

Perth and Kinross

11.0

11.8

16.7

17.5

17.9

17.9

16.2

Renfrewshire

14.4

16.1

13.7

15.4

12.2

11.1

10.3

Scottish Borders

14.4

12.5

10.6

13.0

10.8

10.7

12.3

Shetland Islands

32.2

36.2

31.3

46.7

42.1

34.3

43.2

South Ayrshire

20.1

15.4

14.1

19.2

16.2

17.3

18.2

South Lanarkshire

16.8

19.2

18.1

16.9

12.1

11.3

12.5

Stirling

11.3

10.0

13.9

17.0

11.6

13.5

12.4

West Dunbartonshire

14.0

19.2

15.7

16.4

21.8

15.7

16.8

West Lothian

14.7

17.1

13.6

17.1

17.4

19.4

18.2

Scotland [Note 1]

12.2

12.1

12.3

14.0

12.5

12.6

12.6

Note 1: The statistics for Scotland include one grant-aided mainstream school.

Figure 22 Pupil ethnicity by sex, Scotland, 2023

Ethnicity

Female

Male

Total

Total Pupils

345,698

359,830

705,528

White - Scottish

252,784

262,541

515,325

White - Other British

22,408

23,748

46,156

White - Irish

718

759

1,477

White - Polish

8,382

8,787

17,169

White - Gypsy/Traveller

703

753

1,456

White - Other

12,822

13,455

26,277

Mixed

6,470

6,443

12,913

Asian - Indian

4,615

4,895

9,510

Asian - Pakistani

7,609

7,803

15,412

Asian - Bangladeshi

754

762

1,516

Asian - Chinese

2,723

2,777

5,500

Asian - Other

2,823

2,966

5,789

Caribbean/Black - Scottish/British

514

504

1,018

Caribbean/Black - Other

314

327

641

African - Scottish/British

4,203

4,143

8,346

African - Other

4,013

4,116

8,129

Arab

2,281

2,506

4,787

Other

2,968

3,174

6,142

Not known

6,926

7,489

14,415

Not disclosed

1,668

1,882

3,550

Figure 23 Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) and English as an additional language by sex, Scotland, 2023 [Note 1]

Additional Support Need

Female

Male

Total

English as an Additional Language

27,422

29,840

57,262

CSP (Co-ordinated Support Plan)

507

811

1,318

IEP (Individualised Education Programme)

10,918

22,404

33,322

Child Plans

19,384

32,632

52,016

Assessed/Declared Disabled

7,447

14,509

21,956

Other [Note 2]

95,613

117,172

212,785

All pupils with ASN [Note 3]

112,552

146,484

259,036

All pupils with ASN (excluding Other type)[Note 3]

30,519

52,839

83,358

Note 1: Statistics for English as an Additional Language do not include grant-aided special schools as this information is not collected. There were 108 pupils at grant-aided special schools in 2023.

Note 2: See the background notes for further information on what the other category includes.

Note 3: Pupils may have more than one type of ASN, therefore the totals for ASN may not equal the sum of individual types of ASN.

Contact

school.stats@gov.scot

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