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 4: Classes and pupils

12.1%  of P1-P3 pupils were taught in classes of 18 or fewer compared to 12.2% in 2017.

23.5 Average class size for pupils in primary school – this remains the same as 2016 and 2017.

Table 4.1 shows average class sizes for pupils in primary school alongside the overall primary school average. In 2018 the overall average for primary remained at 23.5, unchanged from 2017 and 2016. The average class size for P1-P3 also remained the same as 2017 at 23.2. The average class size for P4-7 decreased slightly from 26.0 in 2017 to 25.9. Data on class sizes in the secondary sector are not collected as class size varies widely across subjects.

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

Headcount
Stage 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
P1 20.6 21.2 21.2 21.1 21.2 21.0 20.9
P2 23.3 24.0 23.9 24.1 24.0 23.9 23.9
P3 24.0 24.5 24.7 24.8 24.7 24.7 24.6
P4 25.3 25.7 25.9 26.0 26.0 26.0 25.7
P5 25.3 25.7 25.8 26.0 26.1 26.1 26.1
P6 25.2 25.3 25.5 25.8 26.0 26.1 26.0
P7 25.0 25.2 25.4 25.4 25.8 25.9 26.0
P1-P3 22.6 23.2 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.2 23.2
P4-P7 25.2 25.5 25.7 25.8 26.0 26.0 25.9
Primary 22.7 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.5 23.5

(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.

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 2018, 20,613 (12.1 per cent) of P1-P3 pupils were taught in classes of 18 or fewer. This is down from 20,997 (12.2 per cent) in 2017. The number of pupils taught in classes of 26 or more decreased from 44,965 in 2017 to 44,712. However, this represents 26.3 per cent of pupils, a higher proportion than the 26.1 per cent recorded in 2017.

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

Headcount
Class size 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
1 - 18 31,101 22,992 22,138 20,999 21,906 20,997 20,613
19 - 25 95,898 102,849 103,968 104,426 104,517 106,023 104,453
26 - 30 37,805 42,908 45,539 46,489 45,486 44,340 44,362
31 or more 473 736 470 658 807 625 350
% in classes of 18 or fewer or in 2 teacher classes of 36 or fewer 18.8 13.6 12.9 12.2 12.7 12.2 12.1

(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 2018 the number of pupils in classes of 26 or more was 511; this is a reduction from 631 in 2017.

Table 4.3: P1 pupils by class size

Headcount
Class size 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
1 - 18 15,713 11,968 11,558 11,213 11,737 11,925 11,326
19 - 25 40,468 44,864 45,544 45,307 45,102 44,195 43,254
26 or more 503 560 451 637 698 631 511

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 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Aberdeen City 16.4 16.1 11.2 10.6 11.0 13.0 9.9
Aberdeenshire 13.1 14.9 13.3 12.4 14.7 17.7 16.0
Angus 20.4 21.0 23.1 22.4 19.6 16.5 20.1
Argyll & Bute 45.5 45.4 34.9 24.2 27.2 27.1 34.6
Clackmannanshire 19.0 16.1 17.8 11.8 19.7 14.1 11.8
Dumfries & Galloway 20.4 12.0 16.4 13.6 17.1 22.0 20.2
Dundee City 28.5 9.4 2.8 3.4 2.6 4.4 3.1
East Ayrshire 19.5 7.6 13.0 9.5 11.1 9.9 8.3
East Dunbartonshire 21.2 21.8 11.3 10.6 12.9 10.3 10.5
East Lothian 4.0 4.3 6.3 6.0 4.2 6.5 8.8
East Renfrewshire 35.6 7.6 15.7 9.5 16.5 12.6 11.9
Edinburgh, City of 15.3 7.0 7.2 6.1 5.7 6.0 5.2
Na h-Eileanan Siar 51.7 39.8 48.0 51.3 57.8 52.3 56.4
Falkirk 8.5 4.9 6.3 8.5 5.6 7.9 8.8
Fife 27.4 24.1 22.9 20.8 20.8 11.6 7.1
Glasgow City 10.1 3.8 3.7 3.6 4.2 5.5 6.5
Highland 20.3 18.4 18.1 20.5 19.1 18.1 18.8
Inverclyde 12.3 9.3 10.0 7.5 6.5 5.0 6.1
Midlothian 5.0 7.7 11.7 10.3 16.7 11.2 16.2
Moray 20.6 8.9 14.1 10.8 8.0 8.1 9.0
North Ayrshire 11.6 7.2 7.6 10.8 13.0 9.9 10.9
North Lanarkshire 8.0 8.1 7.7 8.6 9.8 11.4 8.9
Orkney Islands 33.4 27.2 29.6 22.6 19.8 24.7 24.8
Perth & Kinross 20.7 15.7 15.1 14.3 14.7 11.0 11.8
Renfrewshire 36.5 6.9 10.8 11.9 13.3 14.4 16.1
Scottish Borders 22.6 21.6 12.7 14.3 10.3 14.4 12.5
Shetland Islands 24.5 26.5 31.2 25.5 33.9 32.2 36.2
South Ayrshire 23.4 20.2 17.8 24.6 19.5 20.1 15.4
South Lanarkshire 23.9 22.9 17.7 16.1 15.5 16.8 19.2
Stirling 24.9 17.4 15.2 17.4 14.9 11.3 10.0
West Dunbartonshire 15.9 9.9 13.3 13.6 16.2 14.0 19.2
West Lothian 24.4 20.3 17.0 13.6 16.3 14.7 17.1
Scotland1 18.8 13.6 12.9 12.2 12.7 12.2 12.1

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

Table 4.5 shows the pupil characteristics primarily used in equalities monitoring. In 2018, 84.7 per cent of pupils were recorded as being White-Scottish or White-other British. The largest other ethnic backgrounds include White-Other (5.4 per cent), Asian Pakistani (2 per cent) and mixed (1.4 per cent).

199,065 pupils (28.7 per cent of all pupils) had an additional support need (ASN) recorded. This is an increase of 2.1 percentage points on 2017 (183,491 pupils with an ASN record, 26.6 per cent of all pupils).  This includes 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 some other type of support. Pupils may have more than one type of ASN, therefore the totals for ASN may not equal the sum of individual types of ASN.

Table 4.5: Pupil characteristics(1)

Headcount
  Female Male Total
Total Pupils 340,258 352,993 693,251
Ethnicity      
White – Scottish 269,082 278,651 547,733
White – Other British 19,145 20,120 39,265
White – Gypsy/Traveller 631 689 1,320
White - Other 18,333 18,961 37,294
Mixed  4,741 4,739 9,480
Asian – Indian 2,995 3,153 6,148
Asian – Pakistani 6,719 6,970 13,689
Asian – Bangladeshi 542 563 1,105
Asian – Chinese 2,047 2,030 4,077
Asian – Other 1,942 2,008 3,950
Caribbean/Black 564 621 1,185
African  3,921 3,989 7,910
Other 3,193 3,560 6,753
Not known / not disclosed 6,363 6,848 13,211
English as an Additional Language 21,103 23,208 44,311
Additional Support Needs (ASN)      
CSP (Co-ordinated Support Plan) 746 1,240 1,986
IEP (Individualised Education Programme) 11,217 24,349 35,566
Child Plans  14,451 24,985 39,436
Assessed/Declared Disabled 5,526 11,921 17,447
Other(2) 65,751 89,307 155,058
All pupils with ASN(3) 81,373 117,692 199,065
All pupils with ASN (excluding Other type)(3) 25,176 46,724 71,900

(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 131 pupils at grant-aided special schools in 2018.

(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.

Back to top