Teacher numbers and the teacher workforce planning process: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

A number of questions relating to teacher numbers and the teacher workforce planning process.

Has the Strategy been published?

The role of University Deans in the teacher workforce planning process

Can you confirm the funding allocation and how many teachers were employed?

Has teacher workforce planning exercise been concluded and is it available to the public?

Response

The answers to your questions are given below.

Question 1

Has the Strategy been published?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has asked the Strategic Board for Teacher Education (SBTE) to progress work to look at workforce planning processes at a local level, and consider how we can encourage more people into teaching, particularly for certain hard to fill subjects, and address recruitment challenges in remote and rural areas. The Board are also progressing innovative work to support teacher education and development throughout their careers, which in the longer term has the potential to increase teacher recruitment and retention. The Cabinet Secretary met with the Board in September to discuss progress and will receive a report from them in due course. SBTE papers including minutes of meetings can be found at Strategic Board for Teacher Education - gov.scot

In addition the Scottish Government is also working with COSLA and the teaching unions through the SNCT to agree our approach to reducing class contact time, giving teachers more time out of the classroom.

Intake targets to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes are set following extensive consultation with various parties including the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group (TWPAG). This Group contains representatives from local authority employers and university providers of ITE.

The Group’s recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills are based upon Scottish Government statistical model which estimates the number of ITE students required to maintain teacher numbers. The model is based on a number of inputs including projections about the number of pupils in the education system at primary and secondary ages, churn in teacher numbers (recruitment, maternity, returners, etc) and the retention rates of ITE students. The Scottish Funding Council are ultimately responsible for setting intakes to ITE and write to universities setting targets for each academic year.

Question 2

The role of University Deans in the teacher workforce planning process

The Cabinet Secretary regularly meets with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE), and other relevant organisations, such as GTCS to discuss issues relating to the education workforce and other matters.

In addition, the SCDE are represented on the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group (TWPAG). They have a specific interest and role in teacher workforce planning and in determining the numbers needed at a national level. They bring knowledge and experiences that enables a full and proper consideration of issues affecting teacher workforce planning, alongside other TWPAG members.

You may be interested to note that intake targets for primary PGDE were reduced by 200 in 2023/24, in recognition of the challenges primary teachers are having in securing permanent contracts and this was agreed with SCDE.

Question 3

Can you confirm the funding allocation and how many teachers were employed?

The Scottish Government has made £145.5 million available to local authorities to help protect teacher numbers in 2023-24. This funding has been baselined into the local government settlement since 2021 to enable councils to retain the additional teachers recruited during the pandemic. The number of teachers employed by councils is measured through the annual teacher census. The commitment to increase the number of classroom assistants has already been exceeded, with 725 additional staff recruited in 2022-23 alone. In addition, since 2019 the number of teachers in Scottish schools has increased by 1,786 from 52,247 to 54,033.

Question 4

Has teacher workforce planning exercise been concluded and is it available to the public?

This is an annual exercise informed by teacher workforce planning model and takes place in partnership with key stakeholders through the TWPAG. The current planning process is being progressed and once this has been completed then the papers relating to the process will be made available at
https://www.gov.scot/groups/teacher-workforce-planning-advisory-group/

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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