Scotland is facing a deepening teacher retention crisis, as new figures reveal the number of teachers leaving the profession has soared by almost a third in just four years. Scottish Labour has accused the SNP government of “incompetence” after Freedom of Information statistics obtained by the party highlighted a particularly sharp rise in young teachers quitting the classroom.
Labour’s education spokesperson, Pam Duncan-Glancy, said: “These figures are a damning indictment of SNP incompetence. We are seeing a generation of teachers being driven out of the profession by poor working conditions, job insecurity, and a lack of support. The SNP’s failure to address these issues is putting our children’s education at risk.”
The data shows a worrying trend: not only are more teachers leaving, but fewer new teachers are securing permanent jobs. According to the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), just 13% of new primary teachers managed to secure a permanent post by September last year. The proportion of permanent teaching contracts has plunged from 85% in 2019 to just 68% in 2023, with job insecurity and temporary contracts now widespread, especially among newly qualified staff.
Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS, commented: “The problem is not incompetent teachers, it is the systemic underfunding of our education system which is letting down our children and young people, and impacting on the health, safety and wellbeing of teachers”.
She added that many new teachers are “only being given short contracts” and urged the Scottish government to provide councils with ring-fenced funding for permanent jobs.
The Scottish Government insists it is taking action to address the crisis. A spokesperson said: “We are increasing funding for local authorities to £186.5m this year, as part of an agreement with Cosla to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels, freeze learning hours and make meaningful progress to reduce class contact time”.
The government also points to a package of £28m for more specialist staff and teachers to support additional needs, and a further £1m to help recruit and train more ASN teachers.
However, critics say these measures are not enough to stem the tide. Labour’s Duncan-Glancy warned: “Unless urgent action is taken to improve pay, conditions, and job security, Scotland risks losing even more talented teachers-and with them, the promise of a world-class education for our young people.”
