Summary statistics for schools in Scotland no. 9: 2018 edition

Results of the annual pupil census, annual teacher census, early learning and childcare provision and school estate survey data.


Chapter 3: School Teachers

51,138 teachers in publicly funded schools compared to 50,592 in 2017

13.6 pupil teacher ratio in local authority schools

87% of teachers on the 2017/18 probationer induction scheme were in employment in September 2018

Table 3.1: Teachers (Full Time Equivalents)

Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
Local Authority Primary School Secondary School Special School Centrally employed Total
Aberdeen City 838  716  33  48  1,636 
Aberdeenshire 1,356  1,206  48  40  2,650 
Angus 581  555  0 24  1,160 
Argyll & Bute 423  419  11  861 
Clackmannanshire 274  211  24  512 
Dumfries & Galloway 684  665  79  1,436 
Dundee City 625  607  58  31  1,321 
East Ayrshire 562  533  67  23  1,185 
East Dunbartonshire 532  629  52  35  1,248 
East Lothian 472  460  0 28  960 
East Renfrewshire 583  658  33  1,277 
Edinburgh City 1,630  1,462  160  94  3,346 
Na h-Eileanan Siar 161  157  0 327 
Falkirk 777  784  66  1,634 
Fife 1,751  1,587  82  83  3,503 
Glasgow City 2,660  2,141  319  143  5,263 
Highland 1,119  1,165  41  64  2,388 
Inverclyde 345  361  39  745 
Midlothian 454  416  34  26  930 
Moray 439  403  0 27  868 
North Ayrshire 674  636  39  45  1,393 
North Lanarkshire 1,668  1,593  219  64  3,545 
Orkney Islands 117  126  0 250 
Perth & Kinross 685  628  19  15  1,346 
Renfrewshire 810  759  86  21  1,676 
Scottish Borders 488  524  46  11  1,070 
Shetland Islands 159  153  0 10  322 
South Ayrshire 504  491  26  28  1,048 
South Lanarkshire 1,633  1,501  141  22  3,298 
Stirling 433  460  21  20  934 
West Dunbartonshire 460  430  49  17  956 
West Lothian 982  832  110  1,924 
All local authorities 24,877  23,269  1,827  1,039  51,012 
Grant aided  21  48  56  126 
Total 24,899  23,317  1,883  1,039  51,138 

Table 3.2 shows that total teacher numbers (including primary, secondary, special and centrally employed teachers) across all publicly funded schools in Scotland has risen consistently from 2014 to 2018. Although the total FTE for 2018 has increased since 2017, this is not the case for each local authority. In twenty-two local authorities the number of teachers has either been maintained or increased, with the largest increase being 5 per cent in Glasgow City. Ten local authorities saw a decrease this year, with the largest decrease being 2 per cent in Dumfries & Galloway.

Table 3.2: Teachers in schools (all sectors excluding ELC)(1)

Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
Local Authority 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Aberdeen City 1,592 1,606 1,623 1,632 1,603 1,624 1,636
Aberdeenshire 2,546 2,594 2,593 2,650 2,655 2,675 2,650
Angus 1,145 1,153 1,140 1,136 1,125 1,133 1,160
Argyll & Bute 863 859 866 844 841 825 861
Clackmannanshire 483 493 495 490 528 513 512
Dumfries & Galloway 1,532 1,488 1,481 1,479 1,466 1,470 1,436
Dundee City 1,414 1,393 1,372 1,375 1,367 1,330 1,321
East Ayrshire 1,149 1,139 1,139 1,151 1,149 1,189 1,185
East Dunbartonshire 1,159 1,184 1,191 1,204 1,217 1,245 1,248
East Lothian 909 903 902 920 913 935 960
East Renfrewshire 1,193 1,207 1,201 1,213 1,227 1,265 1,277
Edinburgh City 3,171 3,213 3,159 3,193 3,213 3,281 3,346
Na h-Eileanan Siar 344 340 323 324 321 327 327
Falkirk 1,564 1,568 1,578 1,581 1,605 1,620 1,634
Fife 3,491 3,507 3,469 3,476 3,494 3,498 3,503
Glasgow City 4,959 4,813 4,803 4,779 4,869 5,020 5,263
Highland 2,351 2,340 2,331 2,357 2,355 2,365 2,388
Inverclyde 747 733 725 734 735 738 745
Midlothian 812 832 847 866 873 892 930
Moray 893 877 881 874 848 856 868
North Ayrshire 1,312 1,333 1,325 1,332 1,371 1,396 1,393
North Lanarkshire 3,525 3,503 3,452 3,406 3,474 3,502 3,545
Orkney Islands 243 250 254 255 260 253 250
Perth & Kinross 1,337 1,339 1,337 1,337 1,329 1,329 1,346
Renfrewshire 1,600 1,582 1,576 1,596 1,633 1,656 1,676
Scottish Borders 1,118 1,098 1,063 1,049 1,052 1,055 1,070
Shetland Islands 341 332 322 323 318 323 322
South Ayrshire 1,096 1,082 1,062 1,063 1,043 1,056 1,048
South Lanarkshire 3,149 3,174 3,147 3,176 3,202 3,282 3,298
Stirling 924 934 932 921 942 925 934
West Dunbartonshire 898 909 911 921 928 961 956
West Lothian 1,856 1,868 1,868 1,880 1,899 1,924 1,924
All local authorities 49,713 49,645 49,368 49,538 49,858 50,464 51,012
Grant aided 153 145 153 141 127 127 126
Total 49,867 49,790 49,521 49,679 49,985 50,592 51,138

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

Table 3.3 shows pupil teacher ratios (PTRs) in publicly funded schools, giving a measure of the size of the workforce compared with the pupil population. The national PTR worsened between 2012 and 2014 from 13.5 pupils per teacher to 13.7. It was then stable between 2014 and 2016 and has improved in the last two years, falling to 13.6 pupils per teacher.

The Attainment Scotland Fund is an initiative to tackle the poverty related attainment gap. At the time of the census in September 2018, 962 FTE teachers were funded through this initiative compared to 666 FTE in September 2017. The PTR for all local authorities excluding these teachers is 13.8 , the same as September 2017.

Table 3.3: Pupil teacher ratios (PTRs) in schools (all sectors excluding ELC)(1)

Pupils per teacher
Local Authority 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Aberdeen City 13.5 13.5 13.6 13.6 14.0 14.0 14.1
Aberdeenshire 13.4 13.3 13.5 13.3 13.4 13.3 13.5
Angus 13.2 13.1 13.3 13.2 13.3 13.3 13.1
Argyll & Bute 12.5 12.4 12.2 12.4 12.3 12.5 12.0
Clackmannanshire 13.7 13.5 13.3 13.4 12.5 12.9 13.0
Dumfries & Galloway 12.5 12.7 12.7 12.7 12.7 12.8 13.1
Dundee City 12.3 12.6 12.9 13.0 13.2 13.7 13.8
East Ayrshire 14.0 14.0 14.0 13.9 13.9 13.3 13.5
East Dunbartonshire 13.7 13.6 13.6 13.6 13.5 13.4 13.6
East Lothian 14.8 15.1 15.2 15.1 15.4 15.2 15.1
East Renfrewshire 13.5 13.4 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.5 13.5
Edinburgh City 14.2 14.3 14.9 14.9 15.1 15.1 15.1
Na h-Eileanan Siar 10.2 10.1 10.4 10.3 10.5 10.3 10.2
Falkirk 13.4 13.4 13.5 13.5 13.5 13.5 13.4
Fife 13.7 13.7 14.0 14.0 14.1 14.1 14.2
Glasgow City 13.1 13.6 13.6 13.8 13.8 13.5 13.1
Highland 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.1 13.1 13.0 12.9
Inverclyde 13.6 13.8 13.8 13.5 13.5 13.4 13.2
Midlothian 14.6 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 13.8
Moray 13.4 13.7 13.7 13.7 14.1 13.9 13.7
North Ayrshire 14.0 13.7 13.7 13.6 13.3 13.1 13.1
North Lanarkshire 13.9 13.9 14.2 14.4 14.1 14.0 13.8
Orkney Islands 11.0 10.6 10.5 10.5 10.4 10.8 11.1
Perth & Kinross 13.1 13.1 13.3 13.3 13.6 13.5 13.3
Renfrewshire 14.6 14.8 14.7 14.6 14.3 14.2 14.1
Scottish Borders 13.2 13.3 13.7 13.8 13.8 13.8 13.6
Shetland Islands 9.5 9.7 10.0 10.0 10.2 10.0 10.1
South Ayrshire 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.2 13.4 13.3 13.3
South Lanarkshire 13.7 13.6 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.4 13.4
Stirling 13.4 13.1 13.2 13.4 13.2 13.5 13.5
West Dunbartonshire 13.7 13.6 13.6 13.5 13.4 13.1 13.1
West Lothian 14.1 14.0 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.0 14.1
All local authorities 13.5 13.5 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.6 13.6
Grant aided(2) 8.4 8.7 8.1 8.6 9.2 9.3 9.4
All publicly funded  13.5 13.5 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.6 13.6

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

(2) The pupil teacher ratio for grant aided schools in 2011-2016 was amended in October 2017. See background notes for details.

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 for 2004 shows a peak around age 50. However, in 2018 the age profile is relatively flat between age 23 (when most teachers qualify) and late fifties (when most teachers retire).

Chart 1: Age profile of school based teachers

Chart 1: Age profile of school based teachers

Table 3.4 shows that in both primary and secondary sectors the proportion of teachers who are female falls at each level of seniority. In primary schools, 90% of all teachers are female compared to 85% of headteachers. In secondary schools 64% of teachers are female compared to only 43% of headteachers. However the number does increase in special schools, where 76% of all teachers are female compared to 81% of headteachers.

The average (mean) age of primary, secondary and special school teachers was 41, compared to 44 in 2004, so teachers were, on average, younger in 2018 than in 2004.

The proportion of teachers who had temporary contracts (including probationers) was 16.4 per cent (compared with 16.7 per cent last year). 17.1 per cent of teachers were working part-time, with the rate higher amongst females (19.6 per cent) than males (9.3 per cent).

Table 3.4: Teacher characteristics

Percentage of Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
School Type
Local Authority Primary  Secondary  Special Centrally Employed Total
Gender
Female 90  64  76  85  77 
Male 10  36  24  15  23 
Unknown
Age (years)
Under 25
25 to 34 32  28  18  10  29 
35 to 44  26  27  29  22  27 
45 to 54  23  24  30  36  24 
55 or over  12  16  22  31  14 
Unknown
Average Age 39  42  45  49  41 
Ethnicity
White – Scottish 67  60  62  51  63 
White – Other British 24  28  25  27  26 
White – Other
Minority Ethnic Group
Not Disclosed 12 
Employment type
Permanent 82  85  87  84  84 
Temporary (non-induction)(1) 12 10  13  16  11 
Probationer induction scheme(1) 6
Grade
Head teacher
Percentage female 85  43  81  75  78 
Depute head teacher
Percentage female 88  56  74  91  74 
Principal teacher 23  11  11  15 
Percentage female 88  62  73  83  69 
Teacher 80  71  77  84  76 
Percentage female 90  65  76  85  79 
All - Percentage female 90  64  76  85  77 
Mode of working
Full-time 81  87  81  66  83 
Percentage female 88  61  74  82  75 
Part-time 19  13  19  34  17 
Percentage female 95  82  85  90  90 

(1) Figures for percentage of full time equivalents (FTE) in primary schools and total figures for teacher with employment type as temporary (non-induction) and probationer induction scheme were amended in January 2019. See background notes changes to teacher data for more details.

Table 3.5 shows the percentage of post-probationers from recent induction cohorts who were in publicly funded permanent or temporary posts at the time of the following year’s teacher census. The proportion has increased from 75 per cent in 2012 but has decreased from 88 per cent in 2017 to 87 per cent in 2018.

Table 3.5: Post-probationers in permanent or temporary employment in the following year’s teacher census

Percentage of Headcount
    Probationer cohort
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18
Full-time permanent 28 35 39 45 55 57 55
Full-time temporary 35 35 33 35 27 28 27
Part-time permanent 3 2 2 2 2 1 2
Part-time temporary 8 6 6 4 2 2 3
Other(1) 25 21 20 14 13 12 13
Number of teachers in cohort 1,944 2,044 2,215 2,448 2,524 2,630 2,852

(1) The “Other” category includes those teaching elsewhere, including in the independent sector, those who have found supply work, and those who are unemployed or who have left teaching, although this detail is not included in the census data.

Table 3.6 shows the percentage of probationers in publicly funded permanent or temporary posts in each year following their probation year. It shows that whilst these percentages have increased for the first year following probation, more recent cohorts have subsequently seen a reduction in those in permanent or temporary publicly funded posts. For example, the 2011/12 cohort had 75 cent of the cohort present in the September 2012 census but 2 years later this had risen to 79 per cent by September.  The 2015/16 cohort had 87% of the cohort present in the September 2016 census but this has reduced to 83% by 2018.

Table 3.6: Post-probationers in employment in a publicly funded school in Scotland

Percentage Headcount
  Sep-12 Sep-13 Sep-14 Sep-15 Sep-16 Sep-17 Sep-18
2011/12 cohort 75 77 79 77 78 77 76
2012/13 cohort 79 77 77 77 76 74
2013/14 cohort     80 81 79 78 77
2014/15 cohort     86 83 82 80
2015/16 cohort      87 84 83
2016/17 cohort        88 85
2017/18 cohort              87
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