A fall in teacher numbers in Scotland is “unacceptable” and shows that school staff need a “properly funded pay increase”, union chiefs have said.
Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, hit out after figures last month showed a small decline in the number of teachers in Scotland’s classrooms.
Scottish government statistics for 2022 showed that the number fell by 92 full-time equivalents (FTE) to 54,193.
This is the first drop since 2016 and it comes at a time when pupil numbers in Scotland have risen and when the government has pledged to increase teacher numbers by 3,500 over the course of the 2021-26 Parliament.
Increasing the number of teachers is also integral to the delivery of another key government pledge to reduce the time teachers spend in front of classes by 90 minutes a week.
The government statistics show that, although the national pupil-teacher ratio did not change from 2021, remaining at 13.2 pupils per teacher, teacher numbers decreased in 21 local authorities and increased in just 11 councils.
The largest decrease was of 5 per cent in Argyll and Bute - equivalent to 45 full-time teachers - followed by Dumfries and Galloway and West Dunbartonshire, with decreases of 4 per cent, which equate to 51 and 34 full-time teachers respectively.
The biggest proportional increases were of 4 per cent in Aberdeen City - or 70 full-time teachers - and Midlothian, where it was equivalent to 42 full-time members of staff.
In 2022 the authority with the highest pupil-teacher ratio was East Lothian with 14.7 pupils per teacher. The authority with the lowest pupil-teacher ratio was the Shetland Islands. with 10 pupils per teacher.
Drop in teacher numbers ‘particularly worrying’
Ms Bradley said the fall in the number of teachers was a “cause of significant concern” to the union.
The EIS general secretary added that the drop in teachers showed that “Scotland’s teachers deserve and need a properly funded pay increase, since salary levels and job security are currently insufficient to recruit teachers for the long term”.
She was speaking after teachers rejected a pay deal that would result in most staff in classrooms receiving a 5 per cent pay rise, although the lowest earners would get a 6.85 per cent increase.
Members of the EIS and two other unions are now due to strike on 10 and 11 January, with the action coming just days after pupils return to school following the Christmas break.
Meanwhile, the EIS is also planning 16 days of industrial action spanning January and February.
Ms Bradley said issues with staffing were “particularly acute” in primary schools, and added: “With the overall increase in the number of pupils in our schools, any decline in teacher numbers is unacceptable.”
She described the situation as “particularly worrying” because ministers had allocated an additional £145 million to councils to recruit more teachers, while the number of children with additional support needs has risen.
“We need more teachers in our schools in order to provide education and support young people,” Ms Bradley said.
“It is, in this context, quite remarkable that we now have fewer teachers despite the funding that was specifically provided to support the employment of more teachers.”
Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “In Scotland we still have the most teachers-per-pupil compared to the rest of the UK, and education spend per person is higher than England and Wales.
“Last year we announced that local authorities would be given £145.5 million of annual funding to ensure the sustained employment of additional teachers and classroom assistants - which was the biggest increase to support teacher recruitment since 2007.”
On the issue of teacher pay, she stressed that ministers “remain committed to a fair, sustainable settlement”, and would continue to engage with teaching unions and the local government body Cosla to try to reach a deal.
Ms Somerville added: “We will continue to work with Cosla and local authorities to ensure that we maximise the value from that spend, including the number of jobs available for teachers.”
