English teacher numbers crater amid declining literacy levels

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today criticised the Scottish Government for doing next to nothing to promote teaching as a career after analysis by his party found that the number of English teachers has fallen by 12% since the SNP first came to power.

Scottish Government statistics published in March reveal that the number of English teachers in secondary schools across Scotland has fallen from 2,992 in 2008 to 2,632 - a decline of 12%.

The figures come as Scotland recorded its worst ever score in reading in the recent PISA international comparison of countries’ education systems, published in December 2023.

Mr Rennie said:

“With concerning literacy rates, a decline in English teacher numbers won’t help reverse the decline.

“On the SNP’s watch, both teachers and prospective teachers feel demoralised and disillusioned. Violence is becoming increasingly prominent in schools, support is being stripped out of classrooms and industrial disputes are a regular occurrence.

“If children don’t have teachers in core subjects like English, then we could all pay a heavy price in the long-term because Scotland needs the best skills and talent to compete for the best jobs and industries of the future.

“It’s time to stop asking our teachers to perform miracles; we need a real plan to get Scottish education back on track. That’s why Scottish Liberal Democrats would deliver a strategy to tackle poor behaviour in class, proper stable contracts for teachers to depend on and greater in-class support.”