Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023

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


Early learning and childcare (ELC)

Number of centres providing funded ELC

At the time of the 2023 census, there were 2,582 centres providing funded early learning and childcare (ELC), not including childminders. This is a decrease from 2,606 in 2022 and a continued decrease from 2,630 in 2021. As shown in Figure 24, the total number of centres is now slightly lower than in 2020. Only centres providing funded ELC at the time of the census are included; there may be additional centres able to provide funded ELC that are not counted here as they did not have any children registered for funded ELC between 11 and 15 September 2023, the reference week for the census this year.

Figure 24 Centres providing funded early learning and childcare during census week, 2017 to 2023

 

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Number of centres providing funded ELC

2,532

2,544

2,576

2,587

2,630

2,606

2,582

Registrations for funded ELC

Figure 25 shows that there were 92,182 child registrations for funded ELC in September 2023, a decrease of 0.5% since September 2022 when there were 92,615 registrations. Registrations dropped considerably in 2020 before increasing in 2021 and 2022. However, they have still not reached the levels seen between 2017 and 2019. A decrease in the number of child registrations is expected, given that National Records of Scotland projected the population of children of this age to be decreasing over this period and uptake has been close to 100% for children aged 3 and 4.

Figure 25 Funded registrations and proportion registered for funded early learning and childcare from 2017 to 2023 [Note 1]

Year

Under 2 year olds

% of population

2 year olds

% of population

3 + 4 year olds [Note 2]

% of eligible population [Note 3]

Deferred entry [Note 4]

% of eligible population [Note 5]

Total

2017

748

1

5,363

10

84,872

99

4,910

17

95,893

2018

539

0

5,701

10

85,425

99

4,884

17

96,549

2019

609

1

5,990

11

84,450

98

5,326

19

96,375

2020

425

0

4,863

9

78,898

95

5,940

21

90,126

2021

555

1

6,474

13

78,115

97

6,459

24

91,603

2022

582

1

7,042

14

77,974

99

7,017

27

92,615

2023

556

1

6,636

13

76,436

97

8,554

33

92,182

Note 1: This is a snapshot of registrations at census week (11-15 September 2023). It does not include children who were registered between census week and the end of December.

Note 2: Refers to academic year - 3 and 4 year olds were previously referred to as ‘ante pre-school’ and ‘pre-school’ respectively.

Note 3: Eligible children are estimated from National Records of Scotland population projections. Around a quarter of two year olds are eligible for funded ELC. For three year olds, only around half of children are eligible at the time of the census. For the majority of local authorities children are counted once for each centre they are registered with, so the same child may be counted multiple times if they attend more than one centre. These figures will also be affected by any inaccuracies in the projected population.

Note 4: Refers to children who are eligible to attend primary school but have deferred entry and remain in funded ELC.

Note 5: Eligibility figures for deferral are calculated on the assumption that all children born from September to February inclusive are eligible for funded ELC if they defer entry to primary school. Children born after school commencement date in mid-August can also defer entry to primary school, but they are not included in the calculation for the percentage of those eligible for deferred entry to avoid double counting with the 4 year old category.

Three and four year old registrations

The number of three and four year olds registered for funded ELC decreased to 76,436 in 2023 from 77,974 in 2022. This continues the trend of decreasing numbers of registrations since 85,425 in 2018. Children registered to receive funded ELC at more than one centre may be counted more than once, thereby slightly overestimating true uptake. Children may also attend centres outside of the local authority they live in, which will also affect uptake figures.

To calculate the proportion registered, the number of eligible children in each age group is estimated using the 2018-based National Records of Scotland population projection figures, the latest available projections. These projections are used to estimate the eligible population of each age group at the time of the census. These estimates may not be a truly accurate representation of the population within each age group and local authority, especially in areas that have experienced high population change in recent years. The most recent population projections available were produced in 2018. As the time from their production increases, the accuracy will decrease and projections could overestimate or underestimate the true population if, for example, immigration rates or birth rates differ from what was expected at the time the projections were made. This is one of the reasons uptake rates could look particularly low or high for an area (for example, over 100%), and means that these estimates should be interpreted with caution.

The estimated uptake rate (proportion of children registered) for eligible three and four year olds has decreased to 97% in 2023, from 99% in 2022. The proportion of three and four year olds registered for funded ELC remained broadly stable between 2017 and 2019, decreasing by less than 1%. It then decreased to 95% in 2020 (during the Covid-19 pandemic) but increased to the previous level by 2022.

Two year old registrations

The number of two year olds registered for funded ELC has decreased to 6,636 in 2023 from 7,042 in 2022. This represents 13% of all two year olds, a slight decrease from 14% in 2022. Before this year, both the number and proportion of two year olds registered had been increasing annually since 2017, with the exception of 2020 when both measures decreased.

This year, estimates of the two year old population eligible for funded ELC have been included for the first time, and uptake rates have been calculated based on these figures. Scottish Government now has access to aggregate data on households in Scotland in receipt of the majority of ‘qualifying benefits’ and with a child of the relevant age. Using this new data source, and combining it with information on children who are eligible due to non-economic reasons (see background notes for details on who is eligible), with an element of the overlap of criteria estimated, it has been possible to estimate the eligible two year old population at a national and local authority level. From this, the estimated uptake rate for eligible two year olds is 52% in 2023. Uptake rates calculated in this way are not available for previous years.

Deferred registrations

The number of deferred registrations for funded ELC increased by 22%, from 7,017 in 2022 to 8,554 in 2023. Of children eligible for a funded deferral place, 33% were registered for funded ELC in 2023, compared with 27% in 2022. Both the number and proportion of children eligible for deferred entry registered for funded ELC has increased every year since 2018. As of 1 August 2023, all children born before the start of the school year are eligible for an additional year of funded ELC if they defer entry to primary school. Prior to this, children born in January and February were entitled to additional funded ELC, while children born between September and December were funded at the discretion of the local authority.

A pilot scheme for the increased entitlement to funding was run in five local authorities in 2021 (Angus, Argyll & Bute, Falkirk, Scottish Borders, and Shetland Islands) with an additional five local authorities joining the pilot in 2022 (Aberdeen City, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Glasgow City, and Stirling). A further two local authorities (City of Edinburgh and East Lothian) agreed to fund an additional year outside the pilot scheme. Local authority variations in deferral rates may in part be as a result of whether a local authority was part of a pilot or was funding deferrals prior to the formal eligibility change. It does not, however, appear to be all these local authorities who have had the highest uptake in deferral in recent years, or the largest change in the proportion of children who defer entry to primary school.

A breakdown of child registrations by local authority is shown in Figure 26. As described above, estimates of uptake rates should be interpreted with caution due to the potential inaccuracies of the population estimates.

Figure 26 Funded registrations [Note 1] for early learning and childcare by age group, September 2023

 Local Authority

Under 2 year olds

All 2 year olds

% of all 2 year olds

% of eligible 2 year olds

3 & 4 year olds [Note 2]

% of eligible 3 & 4 year olds [Note 3]

Deferred entry [Note 4]

% of those eligible to defer [Note 5]

Total

Aberdeen City

0

143

7

33

3,154

98

405

39

3,702

Aberdeenshire

2

125

5

32

3,982

95

550

39

4,659

Angus

0

124

12

49

1,410

88

251

47

1,785

Argyll and Bute

0

54

9

47

1,165

120

144

46

1,363

City of Edinburgh

72

546

11

60

6,357

90

786

34

7,761

Clackmannanshire

0

144

28

94

690

90

45

18

879

Dumfries and Galloway

0

191

16

58

1,911

106

248

42

2,350

Dundee City

1

257

18

61

2,068

99

287

42

2,613

East Ayrshire

54

284

24

75

1,721

96

132

22

2,191

East Dunbartonshire

24

78

7

55

1,689

98

205

36

1,996

East Lothian

0

67

6

33

1,854

112

185

34

2,106

East Renfrewshire

24

86

9

66

1,603

101

166

31

1,879

Falkirk

0

201

13

52

2,159

93

231

30

2,591

Fife

0

570

16

56

5,143

97

589

33

6,302

Glasgow City

52

923

15

45

8,551

91

788

27

10,314

Highland

0

231

11

55

3,233

103

451

44

3,915

Inverclyde

20

143

21

65

923

91

86

26

1,172

Midlothian

25

123

11

51

1,833

106

251

44

2,232

Moray

0

78

9

43

1,391

112

142

35

1,611

Na h-Eileanan Siar

1

16

7

52

335

95

29

25

381

North Ayrshire [Note 6]

0

197

16

45

1,746

94

139

23

2,082

North Lanarkshire [Note 6]

80

357

11

37

5,028

96

447

26

5,912

Orkney Islands

0

17

10

85

304

109

56

61

377

Perth and Kinross [Note 6]

0

154

12

56

2,037

105

296

46

2,487

Renfrewshire

97

299

18

73

2,638

103

310

37

3,344

Scottish Borders

0

141

14

65

1,389

90

167

33

1,697

Shetland Islands

0

15

7

52

332

91

65

55

412

South Ayrshire

14

152

16

65

1,413

95

122

25

1,701

South Lanarkshire

34

387

12

50

5,017

104

484

31

5,922

Stirling

8

126

15

78

1,277

100

153

36

1,564

West Dunbartonshire

48

175

21

62

1,200

93

128

30

1,551

West Lothian

0

232

12

47

2,883

94

216

22

3,331

Scotland

556

6,636

13

52

76,436

97

8,554

33

92,182

Note 1: For Note 1, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4 and Note 5 see footnotes for Figure 25.

Child characteristics

Of the 92,182 children registered for funded ELC in 2023, 9,930 (11%) were recorded as having a home language other than English, Scots, Gaelic or Sign Language. This is an increase from 10% in 2022.

A total of 16,980 children registered for funded ELC (18% of child registrations) had an additional support need (ASN) recorded, the same proportion as in 2022. 1,620 (2%) of children registered were assessed or declared disabled, the same proportion as in 2022 when 1,410 children registered were assessed or declared disabled.

A total of 9,840 children registered (11% of child registrations) had a support plan in place at the time of the census, an increase from 10% in 2022.

Teacher and graduates delivering funded ELC

Figure 27 and Figure 28 show that the total full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers and graduates working to deliver funded ELC was 4,500 in 2023, an increase of 8% from 4,161 in 2022. This is an increase of 39% (1,264 FTE) since 2017.

The FTE of teachers working in funded ELC in 2023 was 702, compared with 734 in 2022, a decrease of 32 FTE (4%). The 2023 FTE is broadly similar to the FTE of teachers working in ELC in 2021.

In 2023 there were 3,798 FTE graduates, other than teachers, with degrees relevant to early years. This is an 11% increase compared with the 3,427 FTE recorded in 2022.

Since 2017, the FTE of teachers has decreased by 24% from 921, while the FTE of graduates has increased by 64% from 2,316. Figure 27 shows the annual change in the FTE of teachers and graduates working to deliver funded ELC from 2017 to 2023. Progression in professionalising the sector has resulted in an increase in the number of professionals with specialist ELC graduate level qualifications, with general trend in fewer teachers.

Figure 27 FTE of teachers and graduates working in funded early learning and childcare from 2017 to 2023

A group showing the FTE of teachers and graduates working in funded early learning and childcare from 2017 to 2023. The graph shows that graduates and the combined teacher graduate FTE has been increasing from 2018 to 2023. Teacher numbers alone have had little change but have had a small decrease from 2017 to 2023. Data and a detailed description is in the main body of the text.

There were also 1,406 FTE funded ELC staff working towards the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) benchmark degree level qualifications for registration as a manager or lead practitioner of a day care of children service in 2023. This is a decrease of 7% from 1,515 in 2022, and the lowest since 2018.

This gives a total of 5,906 FTE for teachers, graduates, and those working towards relevant degree level qualifications in 2023, an increase of 4% from 5,676 in 2022, and an increase of 40% from 4,230 in 2017.

Figure 28 Teachers, graduate staff, and staff working towards graduate qualifications at centres providing funded early learning and childcare, Full Time Equivalent (FTE), 2017 to 2023

 Year

Teachers [Note 1]

Graduates [Note 2]

Teachers and Graduates

Non-graduates working towards graduate qualifications [Note 3]

All graduates and those working towards graduate level qualifications

2017

921

2,316

3,236

994

4,230

2018

821

2,302

3,124

1,098

4,222

2019

798

2,535

3,333

1,448

4,781

2020

729

2,721

3,449

1,565

5,015

2021

704

3,150

3,854

1,533

5,387

2022

734

3,427

4,161

1,515

5,676

2023

702

3,798

4,500

1,406

5,906

Note 1: GTCS registered teachers and head teachers. Includes teachers in ELC centres, centrally employed teachers, and home visiting teachers.

Note 2: Includes staff that hold either: (i) a degree level benchmark qualification required by the SSSC for registration as a manager/lead practitioner (see background notes for list of benchmark qualifications); (ii) a degree level (SCQF level 9 or above) qualification relevant to early years and are working towards a degree level (SCQF level 9 or above) benchmark qualification required by the SSSC for registration as a manager/lead practitioner; or (iii) a degree level (SCQF level 9 or above) qualification sufficient to meet the registration standards of another regulatory body (e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Medical Council).

Note 3 Staff that do not hold degrees (SCQF level 9 or above) relevant to early years, but are working towards a SSSC benchmark degree level (SCQF level 9 or above) qualification required for registration as a manager/lead practitioner.

 

Figure 29 shows the FTE of teachers, graduates and those working towards degree level qualifications by local authority. Total FTE decreased in 13 local authorities. The largest percentage decreases were seen in Na h’Eileanan Siar (-28%), Orkney Islands (-16%) and Inverclyde (-15%) while the largest percentage increases were in Scottish Borders (34%), Midlothian (20%), Argyll and Bute (19%) and West Lothian (19%).

Figure 29 Teachers, graduate staff, and staff working towards graduate qualifications at centres providing funded early learning and childcare, by local authority, Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and percentage change since 2022, September 2023

 Local Authority

Teachers [Note 1]

Graduates [Note 2]

Working towards graduate qualifications [Note 3]

Total FTE

FTE change since 2022

% change since 2022

Aberdeen City

26

97

53

176

-7

-4

Aberdeenshire

18

123

104

245

23

11

Angus

15

65

26

106

-5

-5

Argyll and Bute

18

51

36

104

17

19

City of Edinburgh

48

383

135

566

25

5

Clackmannanshire

4

35

17

56

7

14

Dumfries and Galloway

20

111

13

145

1

1

Dundee City

36

80

47

164

2

1

East Ayrshire

9

159

40

207

-24

-10

East Dunbartonshire

35

105

37

176

-4

-2

East Lothian

8

47

11

66

-2

-3

East Renfrewshire

36

69

33

139

-1

-1

Falkirk

5

78

43

125

1

1

Fife

71

127

64

263

25

11

Glasgow City

42

747

212

1,001

94

10

Highland

37

39

12

88

-14

-13

Inverclyde

6

75

16

97

-17

-15

Midlothian

6

72

29

107

18

20

Moray

16

39

19

73

-9

-10

Na h-Eileanan Siar

5

10

3

17

-7

-28

North Ayrshire

12

122

32

165

3

2

North Lanarkshire

21

232

52

305

18

6

Orkney Islands

4

8

9

21

-4

-16

Perth and Kinross

44

118

48

210

18

9

Renfrewshire

15

163

63

242

2

1

Scottish Borders

25

51

31

107

27

34

Shetland Islands

10

10

4

23

-3

-13

South Ayrshire

35

73

46

154

-5

-3

South Lanarkshire

24

238

72

335

20

6

Stirling

7

91

33

131

1

1

West Dunbartonshire

26

79

31

136

4

3

West Lothian

16

103

36

155

25

19

Scotland

702

3,798

1,406

5,906

230

4

For Note 1, Note 2 and Note 3 see footnotes for Figure 28.

Contact

school.stats@gov.scot

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