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Publication - Strategy/plan

Computing Science Summary Report: Scottish Government Computing Science Meeting Series: March 2026

Published
24 March 2026
From
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, +1 more … Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
Directorate
Education Reform Directorate, +1 more … Learning Directorate
Topic
Education
ISBN
9781807750008

This summary report by the Scottish Government represents recent engagement over the course of a short meeting series with key education stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities facing the delivery of Computing Science education in Scotland’s schools.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Annex D: Datasets

Computing Science Teacher Workforce Statistics

Computing Science Teacher Numbers (by main subject employed by a local authority)

Academic Year Total Teacher Number (FTE)*
2008/09 766
2009/10 728
2010/11 699
2011/12 675
2012/13 660
2013/14 649
2014/15 636
2015/16 601
2016/17 594
2017/18 582
2018/19 595
2019/20 577
2020/21 595
2021/22 595
2022/23 588
2023/24 578
2024/25 550

*This is taken from the Scottish Government Census Supplementary Statistics. Data on Teacher numbers for other subjects can also be found in this publication.

Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Target for Prospective Computing Science Teachers**

Academic Year Target* Intake % Achieved
2019/20 53 44 83
2020/21 47 44 94
2021/22 47 44 94
2022/23 52 26 50
2023/24 52 16 31
2024/25 52 16 31
2025/26 52 31 60

*ITE targets are proposed by the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group and agreed between the Scottish Funding Council and Initial Teacher Education Providers. The targets for 2026-27 remain unchanged ITE-Intake-Targets-for-AY-2026-27-Annex-B.xlsx

Computing Science National Qualification Results

National Courses

National 4  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 2,725 2,765 2,590 2,885 3,320 2,460 2,250 -475 -17.4% -210 -8.5%
Passes 2,420 2,525 2,385 2,515 3,060 2,140 1,975 -445 -18.4% -165 -7.7%
Pass Rate 88.8% 91.4% 92.1% 87.1% 92.1% 87% 87.8% -1pp n/a 0.8pp n/a
National 5 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 6,345 6,215 6,290 6,440 6,795 6,745 6,585 240 3.8% -160 -2.4%
Passes (A-C) 4,745 5,600 5,425 5,085 5,355 5,320 5,400 655 13.8% 80 1.5%
Pass Rate 74.8% 90.1% 86.3% 78.9% 78.8% 78.9% 82.0% 7.2pp n/a 3.2pp n/a
Higher 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 3,230 3,165 3,380 3,495 3,560 3,745 3,960 730 22.6% 215 5.7%
Passes (A-C) 2,070 2,825 2,910 2,540 2,490 2,725 2,990 920 44.4% 265 9.7%
Pass Rate 64.1% 89.3% 86.2% 72.7% 69.8% 72.7% 75.5% 11.4pp n/a 2.8pp n/a
Advanced Higher 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 615 490 565 695 665 705 770 155 25.2% 65 9.2%
Passes (A-C) 405 460 500 555 490 495 560 155 38.3% 65 13.1%
Pass Rate 66.3% 93.9% 88.7% 79.7% 73.5% 70.1% 73.0% 6.7pp n/a 2.9pp n/a

Female Data for National Courses

SCQF level 4-7 Combined Entries

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Female 2,345 2,365 2,400 2,605 2,890 2,940 2,810
Male 10,560 10,270 10,420 10,900 11,445 10,710 10,750
Total 12,915 12,635 12,825 13,515 14,340 13,655 13,565
Female % 18.2% 18.7% 18.7% 19.3% 20.2% 21.5% 20.7%
National 5 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 1,280 1,255 1,240 1,340 1,470 1,540 1,445 165 12.9% -95 -6.2%
Female % of Total 20.2% 20.2% 19.7% 20.8% 21.6% 22.8% 21.9% 1.8pp n/a -0.9pp n/a
Passes (A-C) 1,030 1,180 1,115 1,125 1,255 1,260 1,275 245 23.8% 15 1.2%
Pass Rate 80.4% 94.0% 89.8% 84.0% 85.1% 81.8% 88.3% 7.9pp n/a 6.5pp n/a
Higher 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 535 555 585 650 670 785 820 285 53.3% 35 4.5%
Female % of Total 16.6% 17.5% 17.3% 18.6% 18.8% 21.0% 20.7% 4.1pp n/a -0.3pp n/a
Passes (A-C) 385 515 530 505 510 600 670 285 74.0% 70 11.7%
Pass Rate 71.9% 92.3% 90.6% 77.3% 76.5% 76.1% 81.3% 9.4pp n/a 5.2pp n/a
Advanced Higher 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
Entries 90 85 100 115 135 150 155 65 72.2% 5 3.3%
Female % of Total 14.6% 17.3% 17.7% 16.5% 20.3% 21.3% 20.1% 5.5pp n/a -1.1pp n/a
Passes (A-C) 65 80 95 95 115 115 125 60 92.3% 10 8.7%
Pass Rate 75.3% [c] [c] 82.3% 83.1% 76.7% 80.9% 5.6pp n/a 4.2pp n/a

[c] indicates figures have been suppressed to protect confidentiality

Results for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher by SIMD Quintile.

National 5

Quintile/ Year A B C D No Result Total % of ‘A’ Grades
2025 2,803 1,118 897 582 556 5,956 47.1%
1 407 208 171 116 123 1,025 39.7%
2 393 213 168 132 130 1,036 37.9%
3 400 195 171 94 104 964 41.5%
4 655 223 217 112 86 1,293 50.7%
5 948 279 170 128 113 1,638 57.9%
2024 2,619 1,142 991 694 650 6,096 43.0%
1 315 220 208 162 140 1,045 30.1%
2 409 199 180 126 131 1,045 39.1%
3 407 178 182 122 140 1,029 39.6%
4 650 273 201 142 133 1,399 46.5%
5 838 272 220 142 106 1,578 53.1%
2023 2,461 1,232 1,082 719 651 6,145 40.0%
1 304 237 211 145 149 1,046 29.1%
2 332 191 189 145 158 1,015 32.7%
3 369 224 199 124 130 1,046 35.3%
4 579 281 217 157 117 1,351 42.9%
5 877 299 266 148 97 1,687 52.0%
2022 2,229 1,267 1,017 727 581 5,821 38.3%
1 242 234 231 163 138 1,008 24.0%
2 320 208 199 142 131 1,000 32.0%
3 365 224 189 138 130 1,046 34.9%
4 550 283 206 138 103 1,280 43.0%
5 752 318 192 146 79 1,487 50.6%
2021 2,446 1,260 1,173 519 311 5,709 42.8%
1 338 279 242 112 65 1,036 32.6%
2 421 212 247 96 56 1,032 40.8%
3 412 241 205 114 59 1,031 40.0%
4 563 235 222 109 65 1,194 47.2%
5 712 293 257 88 66 1,416 50.3%

Higher

Quintile/ Year A B C D No Result Total % of ‘A’ Grades
2025 1,413 684 547 375 540 3,559 39.7%
1 148 112 104 79 113 556 26.6%
2 209 99 111 87 111 617 33.9%
3 210 113 91 65 117 596 35.2%
4 357 171 121 87 93 829 43.1%
5 489 189 120 57 106 961 50.9%
2024 1,191 574 613 465 498 3,341 35.6%
1 118 98 105 94 118 533 22.1%
2 138 90 108 85 87 508 27.2%
3 192 85 119 73 93 562 34.2%
4 294 116 137 102 96 745 39.5%
5 449 185 144 111 104 993 45.2%
2023 1,073 563 520 494 535 3,185 33.7%
1 95 94 100 95 98 482 19.7%
2 129 100 92 90 126 537 24.0%
3 170 90 85 87 102 534 31.8%
4 287 124 106 101 108 726 39.5%
5 392 155 137 121 101 906 43.3%
2022 1,092 586 571 439 480 3,168 34.5%
1 119 95 115 97 96 522 22.8%
2 167 99 92 68 112 538 31.0%
3 162 113 112 95 103 585 27.7%
4 269 125 121 86 80 681 39.5%
5 375 154 131 93 89 842 44.5%
2021 1,443 640 546 259 195 3,083 46.8%
1 183 113 126 53 36 511 35.8%
2 190 123 102 50 37 502 37.8%
3 266 106 98 57 37 564 47.2%
4 336 132 114 44 39 665 50.5%
5 468 166 106 55 46 841 55.6%

Advanced Higher

Quintile/ Year A B C D No Result Total % of ‘A’ Grades
2021 187 108 95 31 29 450 41.6%
1 5 9 17 7 3 41 12.2%
2 17 8 9 5 1 40 42.5%
3 29 29 11 6 6 81 35.8%
4 44 24 25 6 7 106 41.5%
5 92 38 33 7 12 182 50.5%
2022 195 126 119 79 50 569 34.3%
1 13 7 14 14 6 54 24.1%
2 11 11 19 14 12 67 16.4%
3 25 24 14 19 6 88 28.4%
4 52 22 27 16 12 129 40.3%
5 94 62 45 16 14 231 40.7%
2023 146 128 110 83 82 549 26.6%
1 15 15 13 11 14 68 22.1%
2 18 16 18 13 14 79 22.8%
3 14 24 15 8 18 79 17.7%
4 44 32 28 24 18 146 30.1%
5 55 41 36 27 18 177 31.1%
2024 131 119 119 96 89 554 23.6%
1 6 8 8 13 14 49 12.2%
2 14 7 19 17 15 72 19.4%
3 13 20 23 12 14 82 15.9%
4 36 33 26 25 21 141 25.5%
5 62 51 43 29 25 210 29.5%
2025 138 157 148 106 85 634 21.8%
1 12 9 17 8 7 53 22.6%
2 10 19 17 20 14 80 12.5%
3 17 20 22 19 22 100 17.0%
4 48 39 41 20 18 166 28.9%
5 51 70 51 39 24 235 21.7%

Overview of National Progression Awards

Total Vocational and Technical Awards in Technology* Subjects 2019-2025

*These figures include vocational and technical subjects considered part of the Technology subject grouping (such as Computing Science, Business Education, and Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics)

All Awards 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
SCQF3 0 85 25 30 25 30 40 40 n/a 10 33.3%
SCQF4 565 890 1,340 1,270 1,535 1,845 1,865 1,300 230.1% 20 1.1%
SCQF5 1,370 2,075 2,110 2,640 3,420 4,155 5,190 3,820 278.8% 1,035 24.9%
SCQF6 645 1,060 1,255 1,420 1,745 2,320 2,880 2,235 346.5% 560 24.1%
Total 2,580 4,110 4,730 5,360 6,725 8,350 9,975 7,395 286.6% 1,625 19.5%

Computing Science-related National Progression Awards

While there are more National Progression Awards related to Computing Science than are displayed in the tables below, Computer Games Development and Cyber Security are two of the most popular ones and are shown to illustrate the rise in popularity since 2019.

Computer Games Development 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
SCQF4 160 215 285 350 290 300 290 130 81.3% -10 -3.3%
SCQF5 430 655 615 755 975 1,040 1,075 645 150.0% 35 3.4%
SCQF6 170 285 325 370 435 475 615 445 261.8% 140 29.5%
Total 760 1,155 1,225 1,475 1,700 1,815 1,980 1,220 160.5% 165 9.1%
Cyber Security 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2019-25 change 2019-25 %change 2024-25 change 2024-25 %change
SCQF4 40 55 55 45 40 65 50 10 25.0% -15 -23.1%
SCQF5 200 230 250 240 215 225 195 -5 -2.5% -30 -13.3%
SCQF6 125 210 230 255 305 320 320 195 156.0% 0 0%
Total 365 495 535 540 560 610 565 200 54.8% -45 -7.4%

Professional Learning Data

Education Scotland Professional Learning Data

Education Scotland run multiple sessions for Computing Science and closely related areas of interest, this reaches all 32 local authorities. A short, statistical overview is provided below.

Academic Year Number of Sessions Number of Educators Number of Learners Number of Schools
2022/23 144 5,171 24,963 1,001
2023/24 142 3,675 22,798 991
2024/25 166 6,276 44,972 1,908

Live Lessons Model

Since August 2020, there have been 110 live lessons, with over 5,800 educator participants from 5,380 schools reaching more than 122,000 learners. In the same period, there have been 806 virtual and in person professional learning sessions – 138 (17%) of these - specifically aimed at Computing Science/Cyber; with over 31,000 participants in attendance (3,850 for the Computing Science/Cyber sessions).

STACS Community & Professional Learning Data

Membership Statistics

Academic Year Local Authority Reach Number of Secondary schools reached, through membership, that deliver Computing Science Number of Computing Science teachers Number of secondary teachers across other subjects
2022/23 100% 64% 65% 61
2023/24 100% 88% 90% 85
2024/25 100% 94% 98% 96

Professional Learning Data

Academic Year Number of Sessions Number of Educators (in-person and online) Number of Schools
2022/23 (pilot year) 4 71 61 in 27 Local Authorities
2023/24 21 110 Est. 100
2024/25 8 83 Est. 70 in 27 LAs

In the academic year 2025/26 STACS also hosted their inaugural teacher conference in which 80 practitioners across early years, primary and secondary education attended from over 60 schools across Scotland. A total of 27 workshops were delivered throughout the day. For more information on this please consult: STACS Annual Conference 2025 - Open to Early Years, Primary Teachers and Secondary Teachers. Hosted at Stirling University, 29th Nov. — STACS - Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science

SSERC Professional Learning Data

Financial Year Number of Sessions Number of Educators Local Authority Engagement Number of Schools
2022/23 37 599 21 / 32 262
2023/24 40 509 27 / 32 220
2024/25 26 388 25 / 32 168

Contact

Email: haydon.christou@gov.scot

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