Summary Statistics For Schools In Scotland 2021
Headline statistics from the annual pupil and teacher census and early learning and childcare provision conducted in September 2021 and attendance, absence and exclusions for the 2020 to 2021 school year.
Chapter 2: Overview
91,603 registrations in 2,630 early learning & childcare centres (ELC)
704,723 pupils in 2,469 primary, secondary and special schools
54,285 teachers (full-time equivalent, including ELC)
13.2 pupil teacher ratio in schools
The overall number of pupils and teachers both increased in 2021. The pupil teacher ratio (PTR) in schools, which gives a measure of the size of the teaching workforce relative to the pupil population, decreased to 13.2.
Table 2.1: Schools, pupils, teachers and PTR
| 2015(1) | 2016 | 2017 | 2018(6) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELC(2) | 2,492 | 2,514 | 2,532 | 2,544 | 2,576 | 2,587 | 2,630 |
| Primary | 2,039 | 2,031 | 2,019 | 2,012 | 2,004 | 2,005 | 2,001 |
| Secondary | 361 | 359 | 360 | 357 | 358 | 357 | 357 |
| Special | 144 | 141 | 135 | 114 | 114 | 114 | 111 |
| 2015(1) | 2016 | 2017 | 2018(6) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELC(2) | 97,262 | 96,961 | 95,893 | 96,549 | 96,375 | 90,126 | 91,603 |
| Primary | 391,148 | 396,697 | 400,312 | 400,276 | 398,794 | 393,957 | 390,313 |
| Secondary | 281,939 | 280,983 | 281,993 | 286,152 | 292,063 | 300,954 | 306,811 |
| Special(3) | 6,871 | 6,668 | 6,654 | 6,823 | 7,132 | 7,286 | 7,599 |
| Total (excluding ELC)(3) | 679,958 | 684,348 | 688,959 | 693,251 | 697,989 | 702,197 | 704,723 |
| 2015(1) | 2016 | 2017 | 2018(6) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELC(2) | 1,038 | 985 | 921 | 821 | 798 | 729 | 704 |
| School based | 48,395 | 48,746 | 49,463 | 50,099 | 50,477 | 51,663 | 52,593 |
| Primary | 23,425 | 23,920 | 24,477 | 24,899 | 25,027 | 25,651 | 25,807 |
| Secondary | 23,059 | 22,957 | 23,150 | 23,317 | 23,522 | 24,077 | 24,782 |
| Special | 1,911 | 1,869 | 1,836 | 1,883 | 1,927 | 1,934 | 2,005 |
| Centrally employed (school) | 1,283 | 1,239 | 1,129 | 1,039 | 972 | 1,009 | 988 |
| Total school (excluding ELC) | 49,679 | 49,985 | 50,592 | 51,138 | 51,449 | 52,672 | 53,581 |
| Total (including ELC) | 50,717 | 50,970 | 51,513 | 51,959 | 52,247 | 53,400 | 54,285 |
| 2015(1) | 2016 | 2017 | 2018(6) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly funded schools(4) | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.3 | 13.2 |
| Total based in schools(5) | 14.0 | 14.0 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 13.4 |
| Primary | 16.7 | 16.6 | 16.4 | 16.1 | 15.9 | 15.4 | 15.1 |
| Secondary | 12.2 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 12.4 |
| Special | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
(1) The pupil teacher ratio for Total based in schools in 2015 was amended in October 2017. See background notes for details.
(2) ELC centre count includes local authority and partnership centres, and ELC teacher figures include ELC home visiting.
(3) Special and total pupil count were updated for 2011-2016 in October 2017. See background notes for details.
(4) Includes all school based and centrally employed teachers. Includes grant-aided pupils and teachers.
(5) Excludes centrally employed teachers.
(6) Prior to 2018, special schools with no pupils or where no pupils were on roll but pupils from other schools attended were included in school counts in this table. From 2018, they have been excluded.
The numbers of teachers increased in primary, secondary and special schools while the number of centrally employed and early learning & childcare teachers decreased. The decrease in primary pupils combined with the increase in primary teachers meant there were fewer pupils per teacher and consequently the primary PTR decreased to 15.1. This is the lowest ever PTR for primary schools. In secondary schools the increase in teachers was proportionally higher than the increase in pupils meaning there were fewer pupils per teacher, so the secondary PTR decreased slightly to 12.4. (Statistics pre-2015 are available from the supplementary statistics and historical time series).
Contact
Email: school.stats@gov.scot
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