Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No.3: 2012 Edition

Data on pre-school, primary and total teachers along with associated pupil teacher ratios for 2010, 2011 and 2012 have been revised to remove teachers who were double counted as a result of working in both sectors. Therefore these figures have been superseded, please use revised figures in the 2013 publication.

Table 2.2 shows the pupil teacher ratios in publicly funded schools for all sectors (excluding pre-schools). PTRs give, on a comparable basis, a measure of the size of the workforce given the different sizes of the pupil population. Scotland saw an improving pupil teacher ratio in local authority schools, with less pupils per teacher between 2005 and 2008. Over the past 4 years the PTR in local authority schools has gradually increased, reaching 13.46 in 2012. This is partly due to the increase in the proportion of pupils in the primary sector, which has larger PTRs. Figures vary across local authorities over time. The largest increases in PTRs this year were seen in East Lothian and Eilean Siar, the largest decreases in PTRs were seen in Argyll & Bute and Renfrewshire.

Table 2.2: Pupil teacher ratios in publicly funded schools (all sectors excluding pre-schools), 2005 to 2012⁽¹⁾

(1) Includes teachers based in schools and centrally employed teachers.

One of the most important uses of the data collected in the teacher census is in modelling future changes in the workforce in order to provide guidance on the number of new teachers to train. Chart 1 shows the age profile of school teachers and the change since 2004. The age profile shows a peak at age 54 and 56, however the proportion of teachers aged 50+ has reduced since early in the last decade. There is also now a peak forming in the late twenties.