Lowest number of high school teachers

THE number of high school teachers in Dundee has fallen almost 12% since 2008.

A decrease of more than 90 teachers has been recorded in the last nine years in the city’s secondary schools, with most dropping off from 2011 onward.

The figures show staff numbers have dropped continuously for half a decade, reaching a low of 678 this year.

Children and families services committee convener Stewart Hunter said: “The reason is that the number of secondary schools has gone down from about 10 to eight.

“The ratio (of students to teachers) has gone up slightly, although we still have the lowest figure in mainland Scotland — the only places lower are rural and island authorities.

“There have been issues and staff have done an amazing job. Obviously vacancies have been an issue. We are in a better position than last year.”

Primary school teacher numbers have risen by 4% since 2008, according to the data obtained under freedom of information legislation.

As of last November there were 21 teacher vacancies in the city. The council is advertising for six secondary school teachers on its website.

A huge gender split still exists in teaching in the city.

Male teachers account for just 8.75% of primary teachers and 34.66% of secondary teachers. However, men outweigh women as high school headteachers, holding more than half of the positions.