Headteacher Recruitment Working Group: report and next steps

Considerations of issues relating to the recruitment and retention of headteachers in Scottish schools and recommendations to address the issues.


Annex B - 2017 Teacher Census data

Age of headteachers

Age of headteachers

Promoted Posts

Table 1 Teachers[12][13] in Promoted Posts
Full Time Equivalents (FTE)

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Promoted Posts

13,608

13,050

12,703

12,543

12,252

12,016

11,854

12,062

Total Teachers

49,785

48,783

48,691

48,620

48,335

48,395

48,746

49,463

% in Promoted Posts

27.3%

26.8%

26.1%

25.8%

25.3%

24.8%

24.3%

24.4%

The number of teachers in promoted posts fell each year from 2010 to 2016 before rising in 2017. The share of teachers who are in promoted posts has fallen from 27.3% to 24.4%

Table 2 Primary Teachers in Promoted Posts
Full Time Equivalents (FTE)

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Headteacher

1,914

1,889

1,867

1,833

1,770

1,741

1,701

1,695

Depute Headteacher

1,267

1,196

1,224

1,235

1,243

1,229

1,291

1,327

Principal Teacher

1,717

1,698

1,677

1,646

1,678

1,615

1,654

1,766

Total Promoted

4,897

4,784

4,768

4,714

4,691

4,586

4,646

4,787

Total Teachers

23,095

22,694

22,685

22,905

22,960

23,425

23,920

24,477

% Headteacher

8.3%

8.3%

8.2%

8.0%

7.7%

7.4%

7.1%

6.9%

% Depute Headteacher

5.5%

5.3%

5.4%

5.4%

5.4%

5.2%

5.4%

5.4%

% Principal Teacher

7.4%

7.5%

7.4%

7.2%

7.3%

6.9%

6.9%

7.2%

% Promoted

21.2%

21.1%

21.0%

20.6%

20.4%

19.6%

19.4%

19.6%

The number and proportion of teachers who have promoted posts has fallen in the primary sector. This has been most pronounced among headteachers. They represented 8.3% of primary teachers in 2010 but in 2017 this had fallen to 6.9%.

Table 3 Secondary Teachers in Promoted Posts
Full Time Equivalents (FTE)

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Headteacher

357

355

356

354

350

351

336

334

Depute Headteacher

1,242

1,194

1,164

1,153

1,126

1,118

1,093

1,108

Principal Teacher

6,617

6,234

5,933

5,857

5,626

5,511

5,329

5,392

Total Promoted

8,216

7,783

7,452

7,364

7,102

6,981

6,758

6,835

Total Teachers

24,776

24,120

23,980

23,695

23,401

23,059

22,957

23,150

% Headteacher

1.4%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

1.4%

% Depute Headteacher

5.0%

4.9%

4.9%

4.9%

4.8%

4.8%

4.8%

4.8%

% Principal Teacher

26.7%

25.8%

24.7%

24.7%

24.0%

23.9%

23.2%

23.3%

% Promoted

33.2%

32.3%

31.1%

31.1%

30.3%

30.3%

29.4%

29.5%

The Secondary sector has seen similar declines in the number and share of promoted posts (although they make up a greater share of posts then in primary). The major difference with primary is that principal teacher posts represent the biggest share of that decline.

Shared headship arrangements

Table 4 Headteachers by number of schools they work in
Headcount

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Change since 2010

Working in one school

2,288

2,248

2,229

2,186

2,081

2,061

2,028

1,989

-299

Working in more than one school

118

127

130

142

175

177

176

194

76

Table 5 Schools with shared headteacher by Urban Rural classification
Schools

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Change since 2010

Urban

29

27

25

29

44

43

42

48

19

Accessible Rural

89

91

101

113

138

151

142

157

68

Remote Rural

129

139

138

154

182

177

192

212

83

Table 6 Schools with shared headteacher by sector
Schools

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Change Since 2010

Primary

239

250

254

289

346

352

363

390

151

Secondary

4

1

4

4

7

5

6

15

11

Special

4

6

6

3

11

14

7

12

8

Contact

Email: Shirley Anderson

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