Almost 3,000 drop off the teacher list

Alarm as droves leave ‘within a matter of years’

NEARLY 3,000 teachers have dropped or lost their professional registration in the past five years, according to new figures.

Statistics from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) showed 1,101 primary and 1,506 secondary teachers have unregistered since January 2016.

This compares with a total of 13,175 probationers who were awarded full registration via the Teacher Induction Scheme during the same period.

The GTCS said there were various reasons, such as retirement, that could explain why teachers came off the register.

But critics said the loss of so many from the official record in a relatively short period of time pointed to serious underlying issues around job security.

It comes after more than 1,700 teachers wrote an open letter to

Nicola Sturgeon claiming they were unable to secure permanent work because of local authority policies.

They also said colleagues had been driven away from teaching by ‘instability of employment’.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) warned that qualified teachers were being lost as they struggle to find permanent posts.

EIS general secretary Larry

Flanagan said: ‘It is quite scandalous that currently one in ten teachers are on temporary contracts or ‘zero hours’ supply staff lists.

‘This is one of the reasons why we lose qualified teachers who struggle to get permanent posts in their chosen career. From the 2020 graduation group, for example, over 500 newly qualified teachers are no longer registered with the GTCS.

‘Temporary funding streams inevitably lead to temporary posts. We need guarantees on teacher recruitment and teacher numbers.’

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘It is hugely concerning that thousands of teachers are leaving the profession within a matter of years.

‘Even before Covid, it was clear our hard-working teachers were overburdened with their workload, due to the failures of the SNP to cut class sizes and ministers ignoring their concerns.

‘Teaching is a fantastic career, but thousands of teachers leaving the profession is no record for Nicola Sturgeon to be proud of and one which ought to ring major alarm bells.’

A GTCS spokesman said: ‘There are a range of reasons as to why individuals may lapse or come off the register each year, including retirement.

‘The recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland is a complex and dynamic issue.

‘GTC Scotland is involved in a wide range of work with partner bodies... to seek to ensure we have an appropriate number of teachers in Scotland and that teachers are retained within the profession.

‘This includes working with universities and other providers to develop new and innovative routes into teaching and college lecturing, as well as working with partners to ensure there are opportunities to grow and develop within the profession.’

An SNP spokesman said: ‘We have had a recruitment drive and recruited an additional 1,400 teachers over the pandemic. The number of teachers in total is the highest it has been since 2008.’

‘Zero hours supply staff’