A Tes Scotland analysis has found that approximately 9,500 teachers - equivalent to one in five teachers working in schools - are on temporary contracts
Data published by the Scottish government in December shows that 16 per cent of primary teachers were in temporary posts when the teacher census was conducted in September, as well as 11 per cent of secondary teachers and 14 per cent of special school teachers.
Across the three sectors, this equates to approximately 7,000 staff on temporary contracts, or 13.5 per cent of all teachers working in Scottish state schools.
However, this figure does not include new teachers undertaking their probation year on the Teacher Induction Scheme. If these teachers - who are guaranteed a job for a year but then typically move on - are included, the total number of temporary teachers working in Scottish schools sits at around 9,500 staff.
This means that approximately 18 per cent of staff working in Scottish schools do not have a permanent contract.
The Tes Scotland analysis comes as the Scottish Conservatives hit out today at the government over figures collated by the party using freedom of information (FOI) requests.
These show that 5,453 teachers were employed on temporary contracts as of June 2023, while 5,557 school support staff were on temporary contracts.
The Conservatives said the true number of school staff on temporary contracts was likely to be higher, given that not all councils responded to the FOI request.
Tes Scotland has found that the Scottish government’s own data supports this, and that the Tory figures actually underestimate the number of temporary teaching posts in schools.
Conservative shadow education secretary Liam Kerr said job insecurity was exacerbating “the intolerable strain” that teachers and school staff were already under and “denying pupils stability and continuity”.
He said that the Scottish Conservatives’ New Deal for Teachers would “put an end to this culture of temporary contracts”, giving teachers and school staff more security.
Responding to the figures a Scottish government spokesman said that over the past ten years, the number of teachers in permanent posts had remained stable at over 80 per cent.
He added: “The Scottish government is supporting councils in next year’s budget (24/25) with £145.5 million to protect teacher numbers, providing assurance for councils and removing this as a barrier to employing staff on permanent contracts. This funding was also provided this year (23/24) and last (22/23), a total of approaching £440 million over three year to protect teacher numbers.
“It is the hard work and dedication of Scotland’s teachers which has delivered record levels of attainment across primary school and significant improvements in secondary.”
