Our Register in numbers
On 31 March 2025, the Register of Teachers in Scotland consisted of 81,148 individuals with 93,262 registrations. There are a greater number of registrations than registrants as some teachers are registered in more than one category of registration. Categories of registration matter as they inform associated teacher employment.
On 31 March 2024, 81,806 individuals were on the Register with 94,175 registrations. On 31 March 2023, 81,903 individuals were on the Register with 94,733 registrations – which is the highest level in over 10 years following steady increases since March 2016.
There has been a 0.8% decrease in the number of registrants over the period 31 March 2024 to 31 March 2025. There has been a 0.92% decrease in registrants over the period 31 March 2023 to 31 March 2025.
Qualified in Scotland
In registration year 2024-25, 2,886 registration applications were received from individuals who qualified in Scotland. Of these, 2,670 were registration applications for school education and 216 for further education. This compares with 3,237 registration applications received in registration year 2023-24 from individuals qualified in Scotland. Of these 2,679 were registration applications for school education and 558 for further education.
In registration year 2024-25, 2,355 of the 2,886 (81.60%) registration applications received from individuals qualified in Scotland led to the individual becoming registered by 31 August 2025. Of the remaining 513 registration applications which did not result in registration, 485 were due to withdrawal or deferral from the Teacher Induction Scheme. Many of these individuals are expected to complete the application process in 2025-26.
Of the 2,355 applications that led to the individual becoming registered:
- 2,177 applications were received from school teachers (92.44% of all applications), further broken down as follows:
- 1,268 were Primary Education applications (58.25% of all school teacher applications)
- 909 were Secondary Education applications (41.75% of all school teacher applications)
- 178 applications were received from college lecturers (7.56% of all applications).
As at 31 August 2024 (the start of the academic session), there were 4,031 registrants who held only Provisional Registration (3,984, August 2023). Of these teachers, 2,313 were working towards Full Registration through the Scottish Government’s Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) and 1,718 were taking the Flexible Route (FR) (TIS 2,649, FR 1,335, August 2023).
Qualified outside Scotland
Over the 2024-25 registration year, 803 individuals who qualified outside Scotland applied to join our Register and 1,247 applications were individually assessed for suitability to join the Register. The reason more applications were assessed than received is because many of the applications which were assessed in 2024-25 were received in the latter part of 2023-24.
Of the 1,247 applications assessed, 679 applicants went on to register with GTC Scotland (54.46% of all assessed). This is in line with individual assessment of 1,227 applications in registration year 2023-24 and 1,437 applications in registration year 2022-23, with 756 (62%) and 836 (60%) individuals joining the Register respectively.
There is a difference between assessment number and registration number for several reasons:
- some individuals choose not to complete the assessment process
- some choose not to register after registration is offered
- some applications are refused.
In the 2024-25 period 147 applications were refused after assessment as they did not meet the criteria to be a teacher in Scotland. 421 applications were closed because the individuals chose not to register.
83% of applicants that completed the full application process were offered registration. The most common reasons for registration refusal remain the same as in registration year 2023-24:
- the qualification is not comparable to a Scottish teaching qualification;
- the qualification does not meet the required SCQF level; and/or
- the applicant does not have sufficient subject related credits at the required SCQF level.
Any decision to refuse registration is appealable to the Court of Session.
Table 1 shows Qualified Outside Scotland applications fully assessed in 2024-25 by country of qualification. The top ten countries of qualification are shown with a percentage breakdown of those offered registration and those refused registration.
Data recording procedures were refreshed part way through registration year 2024-25 to ensure that the country of qualification origin is recorded for all processed applications.
{{fs-regreport-table1="/section-components"}}
On 31 March 2025, the Register of Teachers in Scotland consisted of 81,148 individuals with 93,262 registrations. There are a greater number of registrations than registrants as some teachers are registered in more than one category of registration. Categories of registration matter as they inform associated teacher employment.
On 31 March 2024, 81,806 individuals were on the Register with 94,175 registrations. On 31 March 2023, 81,903 individuals were on the Register with 94,733 registrations – which is the highest level in over 10 years following steady increases since March 2016.
There has been a 0.8% decrease in the number of registrants over the period 31 March 2024 to 31 March 2025. There has been a 0.92% decrease in registrants over the period 31 March 2023 to 31 March 2025.
Qualified in Scotland
In registration year 2024-25, 2,886 registration applications were received from individuals who qualified in Scotland. Of these, 2,670 were registration applications for school education and 216 for further education. This compares with 3,237 registration applications received in registration year 2023-24 from individuals qualified in Scotland. Of these 2,679 were registration applications for school education and 558 for further education.
In registration year 2024-25, 2,355 of the 2,886 (81.60%) registration applications received from individuals qualified in Scotland led to the individual becoming registered by 31 August 2025. Of the remaining 513 registration applications which did not result in registration, 485 were due to withdrawal or deferral from the Teacher Induction Scheme. Many of these individuals are expected to complete the application process in 2025-26.
Of the 2,355 applications that led to the individual becoming registered:
- 2,177 applications were received from school teachers (92.44% of all applications), further broken down as follows:
- 1,268 were Primary Education applications (58.25% of all school teacher applications)
- 909 were Secondary Education applications (41.75% of all school teacher applications)
- 178 applications were received from college lecturers (7.56% of all applications).
As at 31 August 2024 (the start of the academic session), there were 4,031 registrants who held only Provisional Registration (3,984, August 2023). Of these teachers, 2,313 were working towards Full Registration through the Scottish Government’s Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) and 1,718 were taking the Flexible Route (FR) (TIS 2,649, FR 1,335, August 2023).
Qualified outside Scotland
Over the 2024-25 registration year, 803 individuals who qualified outside Scotland applied to join our Register and 1,247 applications were individually assessed for suitability to join the Register. The reason more applications were assessed than received is because many of the applications which were assessed in 2024-25 were received in the latter part of 2023-24.
Of the 1,247 applications assessed, 679 applicants went on to register with GTC Scotland (54.46% of all assessed). This is in line with individual assessment of 1,227 applications in registration year 2023-24 and 1,437 applications in registration year 2022-23, with 756 (62%) and 836 (60%) individuals joining the Register respectively.
There is a difference between assessment number and registration number for several reasons:
- some individuals choose not to complete the assessment process
- some choose not to register after registration is offered
- some applications are refused.
In the 2024-25 period 147 applications were refused after assessment as they did not meet the criteria to be a teacher in Scotland. 421 applications were closed because the individuals chose not to register.
83% of applicants that completed the full application process were offered registration. The most common reasons for registration refusal remain the same as in registration year 2023-24:
- the qualification is not comparable to a Scottish teaching qualification;
- the qualification does not meet the required SCQF level; and/or
- the applicant does not have sufficient subject related credits at the required SCQF level.
Any decision to refuse registration is appealable to the Court of Session.
Table 1 shows Qualified Outside Scotland applications fully assessed in 2024-25 by country of qualification. The top ten countries of qualification are shown with a percentage breakdown of those offered registration and those refused registration.
Data recording procedures were refreshed part way through registration year 2024-25 to ensure that the country of qualification origin is recorded for all processed applications.
{{fs-regreport-table1="/section-components"}}
End of document
"
"
"
"
"
"
Contents
4
/
10