Summary statistics for schools in Scotland no. 8: 2017 edition

Results of the annual pupil census, annual teacher census, and data on early learning and childcare, school estates, attendance, absence and exclusions.


Chapter 4: Classes and pupils

  • 12.2% of P1-P3 pupils were taught in classes of 18 or fewer compared to 12.7% in 2016
  • 23.5 Average class size for pupils in primary school – this remains the same as 2016

Table 4.1 shows the average class size for pupils in P1-P3 and overall primary school. In 2017 the average for primary was unchanged from 2016 and remained at 23.5. The average class size for P1-P3 was 23.2 which is a slight decrease from 23.3 in 2016. Class size data are not collected in the secondary sector as class size varies widely across subjects.

Table 4.1: Average class size of primary school pupils(1)

Stage 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
P1 20.5 20.6 21.2 21.2 21.1 21.2 21.0
P2 23.3 23.3 24.0 23.9 24.1 24.0 23.9
P3 23.9 24.0 24.5 24.7 24.8 24.7 24.7
P1-P3 22.5 22.6 23.2 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.2
Primary 22.7 22.7 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.5

(1) Data refer to the average class size of pupils in each stage, not the average class size of single stage classes. The total average class size is calculated on a different basis than the P1 to P3 class sizes, see background notes for details.

Table 4.2 shows the number of P1-P3 pupils in publicly funded schools in various class sizes. It is a Scottish Government aspiration to reduce P1-P3 class sizes to 18 or fewer. In 2017, 20,997 (12.2 per cent) of P1-P3 pupils were taught in classes of 18 or fewer. This is down from 21,906 (12.7 per cent) in 2016. The number of pupils taught in classes of 26 or more decreased from 46,293 in 2016 to 44,965 in 2017. This represents 26.1 per cent of pupils, a smaller proportion than the 26.8 per cent recorded in 2016.

Table 4.2: P1-P3 pupils by class size(1)

Headcount

Class size 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 - 18 32,580 31,101 22,992 22,138 20,999 21,906 20,997
19 - 25 91,620 95,898 102,849 103,968 104,426 104,517 106,023
26 - 30 36,679 37,805 42,908 45,539 46,489 45,486 44,340
31 or more 757 473 736 470 658 807 625
% in classes of 18 or fewer or in 2 teacher classes of 36 or fewer 20.2 18.8 13.6 12.9 12.2 12.7 12.2

(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.

Legislation was introduced in November 2010 to limit class sizes for P1 pupils to 25. Table 4.3 shows the number of P1 pupils by class size. Some P1 pupils may be in classes of over 25 due to the inclusion of one or more 'excepted pupil' (see background note). In 2017 the number of pupils in classes of 26 or more was 631; this is lower than in 2016 (698).

Table 4.3: P1 pupils by class size

Headcount

Class size 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 - 18 16,208 15,713 11,968 11,558 11,213 11,737 11,925
19 - 25 38,376 40,468 44,864 45,544 45,307 45,102 44,195
26 or more 609 503 560 451 637 698 631

Table 4.4 shows that the percentage of P1-P3 pupils in classes of 18 or fewer varies considerably between local authorities and years. One of the main reasons for this is the differing proportions of schools with a small number of pupils between local authorities.

Table 4.4: P1-P3 pupils in classes of size 18 or fewer or in two teacher classes with a pupil teacher ratio of 18 or fewer

Percentage Headcount

Local Authority 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Aberdeen City 16.6 16.4 16.1 11.2 10.6 11.0 13.0
Aberdeenshire 11.1 13.1 14.9 13.3 12.4 14.7 17.7
Angus 25.5 20.4 21.0 23.1 22.4 19.6 16.5
Argyll & Bute 44.6 45.5 45.4 34.9 24.2 27.2 27.1
Clackmannanshire 22.0 19.0 16.1 17.8 11.8 19.7 14.1
Dumfries & Galloway 20.6 20.4 12.0 16.4 13.6 17.1 22.0
Dundee City 27.0 28.5 9.4 2.8 3.4 2.6 4.4
East Ayrshire 43.4 19.5 7.6 13.0 9.5 11.1 9.9
East Dunbartonshire 22.2 21.2 21.8 11.3 10.6 12.9 10.3
East Lothian 7.5 4.0 4.3 6.3 6.0 4.2 6.5
East Renfrewshire 38.1 35.6 7.6 15.7 9.5 16.5 12.6
Edinburgh, City of 15.3 15.3 7.0 7.2 6.1 5.7 6.0
Na h-Eileanan Siar 62.8 51.7 39.8 48.0 51.3 57.8 52.3
Falkirk 7.7 8.5 4.9 6.3 8.5 5.6 7.9
Fife 26.7 27.4 24.1 22.9 20.8 20.8 11.6
Glasgow City 6.2 10.1 3.8 3.7 3.6 4.2 5.5
Highland 23.2 20.3 18.4 18.1 20.5 19.1 18.1
Inverclyde 16.8 12.3 9.3 10.0 7.5 6.5 5.0
Midlothian 15.3 5.0 7.7 11.7 10.3 16.7 11.2
Moray 19.7 20.6 8.9 14.1 10.8 8.0 8.1
North Ayrshire 7.7 11.6 7.2 7.6 10.8 13.0 9.9
North Lanarkshire 10.0 8.0 8.1 7.7 8.6 9.8 11.4
Orkney Islands 44.8 33.4 27.2 29.6 22.6 19.8 24.7
Perth & Kinross 26.6 20.7 15.7 15.1 14.3 14.7 11.0
Renfrewshire 34.6 36.5 6.9 10.8 11.9 13.3 14.4
Scottish Borders 23.1 22.6 21.6 12.7 14.3 10.3 14.4
Shetland Islands 31.6 24.5 26.5 31.2 25.5 33.9 32.2
South Ayrshire 28.4 23.4 20.2 17.8 24.6 19.5 20.1
South Lanarkshire 25.3 23.9 22.9 17.7 16.1 15.5 16.8
Stirling 26.7 24.9 17.4 15.2 17.4 14.9 11.3
West Dunbartonshire 22.6 15.9 9.9 13.3 13.6 16.2 14.0
West Lothian 26.0 24.4 20.3 17.0 13.6 16.3 14.7
Scotland(1) 20.2 18.8 13.6 12.9 12.2 12.7 12.2

(1) The statistics for Scotland include one grant-aided mainstream school.

Table 4.5 shows the pupil characteristics primarily used in equalities monitoring. In 2017, 85.4 per cent of pupils were recorded as being White-Scottish or White-other British. The largest other ethnic backgrounds include White-Other (5.2 per cent), Asian Pakistani (1.9 per cent) and mixed (1.3 per cent).

183,491 pupils (26.6 per cent of all pupils) had an additional support need (ASN) recorded. This includes pupils in special schools and those in mainstream schools with a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP), Individualised Education Programme (IEP), Child Plan or some other type of support.

Table 4.5: Pupil characteristics(1)

Headcount

  Female Male Total
Total Pupils 338,004 350,955 688,959
Ethnicity
White – Scottish 270,603 280,634 551,237
White – Other British 18,133 18,936 37,069
White – Gypsy/Traveller 551 570 1,121
White - Other 17,367 18,133 35,500
Mixed 4,487 4,413 8,900
Asian – Indian 2,796 2,980 5,776
Asian – Pakistani 6,559 6,771 13,330
Asian – Bangladeshi 511 511 1,022
Asian – Chinese 2,022 1,974 3,996
Asian – Other 1,863 1,925 3,788
Caribbean/Black 534 578 1,112
African 3,570 3,666 7,236
Other 2,877 3,223 6,100
Not known / not disclosed 6,091 6,546 12,637
English as an Additional Language 19,789 21,735 41,524
Additional Support Needs (ASN)
CSP (Co-ordinated Support Plan) 788 1,394 2,182
IEP (Individualised Education Programme) 11,056 24,108 35,164
Child Plans 11,433 20,576 32,009
Assessed/Declared Disabled 5,257 11,485 16,742
Other(2) 60,030 83,726 143,756
All pupils with ASN(3) 73,641 109,850 183,491
All pupils with ASN (excluding Other type)(3) 22,328 42,946 65,274

(1) Statistics for ethnicity and English as an Additional Language do not include grant-aided special schools as this information is not collected. There were 135 pupils at grant-aided special schools in 2017.

(2) See the background note for further information on what this category includes

(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.

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