Hundreds of teachers left the profession in Scotland over a 19-month period for a wide variety of reasons, research shows.
The factors that led to them leaving teaching included that they: could not find work; felt unsupported; were struggling with workload and bureaucracy; could not cope with pupil behaviour and support needs; or had experienced bullying.
The research - published by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) this week - looks at why thousands of teachers did not renew their registration at some point between 16 August 2022 and 31 March 2024.
It finds that the most common reason for not renewing registration - which teachers in Scotland must have in place in order to work - is retirement.
However, the next largest group noted “other reasons”; these ranged from being unable to secure work to lack of support, workload and pupil behaviour.
New teachers struggling to find permanent posts
The findings come on the back of official Scottish government figures that show an ever-decreasing proportion of new teachers is securing permanent work immediately after completing the probationary year via the Teacher Induction Scheme.
In 2023, just 16.6 per cent of new primary teachers had secured a permanent post in the September following their probation; the equivalent figure for secondary post-probationers was 47.2 per cent.
However, secondary heads also report acute shortages in some parts of the country and in some subject areas, including: maths; computing; and craft, design and technology.
Teacher education institutions, meanwhile, are finding it increasingly difficult to fill places on their secondary courses.
Over the 19-month period examined by the GTCS research, 4,815 people left the register of teachers; just under a third (1,565) completed a survey asking them to provide information about why they had chosen to do so.
Some 58 per cent of respondents said they had left the register because they had retired. Another 11 per cent said they did so because they had left Scotland or planned to leave; 5 per cent for health reasons; and 2 per cent to take a career break.
However, the next largest group after those who had left due to retiral - a quarter of those who had allowed their registration to lapse and over 350 ex-teachers in total - noted “other reasons”.
Among this group, the most common reason for leaving (cited by 81 former registrants) was problems with securing a post. For some, this was about difficulty securing work after becoming fully qualified, for others it related to securing the experience in the classroom they needed in order to gain full registration.
Complaints about lack of support
Another 73 people who left the register cited a lack of support. Some had wanted more support during their provisional registration period; some specifically cited a lack of support from leadership teams and in the classroom, particularly in relation to pupils with additional support needs.
Some 69 said workload or unnecessary bureaucracy was a factor in their decision; 76 said it related to pupil behaviour, violence and/or additional support needs.
Bullying from colleagues or leadership was referred to by a total of 23 respondents.
The research finds that a third of the 1,565 individuals who left the register and responded to the survey were under the age of 55; 17 per cent were in the early phase of their career, either carrying out their probation or in the first four years after becoming fully qualified.
GTCS strategic director Victoria Smith said: “Gathering and analysing our data helps us to analyse patterns within the profession, as well as learn more about the career-long teacher experience.
“It also helps us with our statutory function of making recommendations to Scottish ministers about matters relating to teachers’ education, training, career development and fitness to teach, and the supply of teachers.”
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