Question reference: S6W-26786
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 9 April 2024
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported concerns that, in 2023, the number of teachers in permanent, full-time employment fell to its lowest level since 2012, while the school role increased.
Answer
Over the past 10 years the number of teachers in permanent posts has remained stable at over 80%, and since 2014 the number of school teachers in post has increased by 8%, from 49,521 to 53,331 in 2023. Our overall teacher ratio is the lowest in the UK at 13.2.
Whilst the recruitment and employment of teachers is a matter for local authorities, we are committed to supporting the recruitment of teachers, and we are providing local authorities with £145.5m in this year’s budget to protect teacher numbers. This additional funding provides assurance of funding for councils and should remove this as a barrier to employing staff on permanent contracts.
The Strategic Board for Teacher Education, which is made up of a range of key education stakeholders, is looking at issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail.