Leaving the Register

Overview

In registration year 2024-25, 26 individuals were removed from the Register of Teachers for fitness to teach related reasons (2023-24: 29, 2022-23: 38 and 2021-22: 23). Of the 26, 9 were removed for reasons related to the professional competence of provisionally registered teachers who are at the early stage of their professional career and who have failed to maintain the Standard for Provisional Registration or demonstrate they meet the Standard for Full Registration through their period of provisional registration. In 2023-24, Provisional Registration was removed from 11 teachers (2022-23: 12, 2021-22: 8; and 2020-21: 4).

In registration year 2024-25, 433 individuals from the 2023-24 PU cohort were removed from the Register for non-completion of their PU by the final deadline of 31 October 2024.

Here is an overview of the individuals’ employment statuses at the time of lapsing:

• 254 individuals (58.66%) were employed
• 29 individuals (6.70%) were signed up to supply
• 19 individuals (4.39%) were unemployed

The remaining 131 individuals (30.25%) were grouped into ‘Other/not known’ (Other or Blank).

Here is a breakdown of where individuals were employed at the time of lapsing:

• 197 (45.50%) listed their employer as a Local Authority
• 14 (3.23%) listed their employer as in the Further Education sector
• 28 (6.47%) listed their employer as an Independent School

The remaining 194 (44.80%) individuals were grouped into ‘Other/not known’ (Non-UK Schools, Not Currently Working, Other, Supply Teaching, UK (Not Scotland), University or Blank).

The following local authorities had 10 or more individuals lapse due to non-completion of PU:

• South Lanarkshire Council (24)
• City of Edinburgh Council (23)
• Aberdeen City Council (13)
• Midlothian Council (13)
• Dumfries & Galloway Council (12)
• Glasgow City Council (12)
• Inverclyde Council (11)

Data at 31 March tells us that since the lapsing exercise was performed, 109 individuals have been reinstated to the Register (25.17% of the total number lapsed).

Data held indicates that the individuals’ employment statuses at the time of lapsing were:

• 100 individuals (91.74%) were employed
• 9 individuals (3.67%) were signed up to supply
• 0 individuals (0%) were unemployed

The remaining 5 individuals (4.59%) were grouped into ‘Other/not known’ (Other or Blank).

These individuals listed their employer as follows at the time of reinstatement to the Register:

• 81 listed their employer as a Local Authority
• 18.71% of all lapsed
• 41.12% of all Local Authority lapsed
• 5 listed their employer as in the Further Education sector
• 1.15% of all lapsed
• 35.71% of all Further Education lapsed
• 15 listed their employer as an Independent School
• 3.46% of all lapsed
• 53.57% of all lapsed whilst employed in an Independent School

The remaining 8 individuals were grouped into Other/not known (Non-UK Schools, Not Currently Working, Other, Supply Teaching, UK (Not Scotland), University or Blank).

• 1.85% of all lapsed
• 4.12% of all lapsed and grouped into ‘Other/not known’

The local authorities with the most individuals reinstated were:

• City of Edinburgh Council (11)
• Glasgow City Council (10)
• Midlothian Council (10)

Approximately 5% of registrants choose to leave the Register each year. GTC Scotland contacts everyone leaving the Register and asks them to provide information about why they have chosen to do so.

Table 27 shows the number of registrants who have left or been removed from the Register (and have not returned) since 1 January 2019, following completion of an induction period and within 5 years of gaining provisional registration.

For context, most teachers join the Register with provisional registration from mid-July to mid-August each year. Registrants generally leave the Register on a specific date (which changes each year) between mid-July and mid-August when they are lapsed for non-payment of their registration fee.

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Background, survey and response rates

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 4,272 individuals left the Register. This number represents all those who left the Register and had not returned at the point the data was extracted.

A total of 738 Leaving the Register of Teachers survey responses were submitted, representing 17.28% of all individuals leaving the Register in this period.

The survey asked the following:

1. Please select your reason for leaving the Register of Teachers from the list below:
   
   • I have retired
   • I am leaving or have left Scotland
   • I am taking a career break
   • I have left the profession for health reasons
   • I have left the profession for other reasons
     
     • If you are happy to tell us your reason for leaving, please briefly do so below:
2. How old were you when you left the Register?
   
   • 18-24
   • 25-34
   • 35-44
   • 45-54
   • 55-64
   • 65+
   • Prefer not to say
3. What was your registration status when you left the Register? Select all that apply.
   
   • Provisional Registration
   • Full Registration
4. In which registration category or categories were you registered when you left the Register? Select all that apply.
   
   • Primary Education
   • Secondary Education
   • Further Education
   • Additional Support Needs
5. What stage of your teaching career were you in when you left the Register?
   
   • Provisionally registered
   • Early career phase (first 4 years after becoming fully registered)
   • Fully registered for 5 or more years

Percentages shown in the ‘Reason for leaving’ to ‘Stage of career’ sections show the number of respondents as a percentage of the total who responded (738). Percentages shown in the ‘Reason for leaving’ section use varying denominators and this is explained in that section.

Reason for leaving

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63% (468) of those who responded left the Register due to retirement (58% in 2023-24). The next largest group (157, 21%) noted other reasons (24% in 2023-24). Of the 157 respondents who selected ‘other reasons’, 150 included additional text to support this. The most common additional reason for leaving (35) cited lack of support. This included:

• lack of support during their period of provisional registration
• lack of support from leadership teams, and
• lack of support in the classroom, particularly in relation to children and young people with additional support needs.

In addition, 34 registrants that left the Register cited problems with securing a post as their reason; be it a permanent post, sufficient work to achieve Full Registration requirements via the Flexible Route or gain a post once fully registered. A further 29 noted the effect of workload or unnecessary bureaucracy on their decision. 26 individuals who selected ‘other reasons’ for leaving the Register shared information that their decision related to pupil behaviour, violence and/or additional support needs. 10 respondents referred to bullying from colleagues or leadership had led to their choice.

Data previously gathered in 2023-24 where ‘other reasons’ were cited as the reason for leaving the Register indicated the most common reasons as lack of job opportunities, lack of support, the effect of workload or unnecessary bureaucracy, pupil behaviour, and bullying from colleagues or leadership.

Age at time of leaving

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72% of respondents were over the age of 55 when they left the Register. Chart 12 shows the percentage in each age group compared to the Register as a whole.

Registration Status

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94% of respondents (696 including those who selected both Full Registration and Full and Provisional Registration options) held Full Registration in at least one category.

Registration Category

Respondents were asked to select the registration categories in which they held registration; these are reported in table 31. As with all questions in this survey, the results are self-reported and cannot be checked for accuracy due to the anonymous nature of the survey.

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Of the 738 respondents, 664 (90%) held registration in one category; 66 (9%) in two categories; and eight (1%) in three or four categories.

Chart 14 shows the total number of registrations (820) held in each category by respondents to the survey. The greatest number of registrations were in Primary with Secondary the next biggest group.

Stage of Career

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The largest group were those who had held Full Registration for 5 or more years. 41 individuals (6%) lapsed before gaining Full Registration.

Table 27 in Section 8.1 gives information about all registrants who have left or been removed from the Register (and have not returned) since 1 January 2019, following completion of an induction period and within 5 years of gaining provisional registration. This data shows that since January 2021 an increasing number of these teachers have left the Register and have not returned.

Combined data

Tables 33a and 33b show the breakdown of reason for leaving by age group. Percentages in table 33a use the total number of respondents in that age group as the denominator e.g. the percentage shown in 33a for the registrants aged 18-24 who indicated that they left the Register because they are leaving or have left Scotland uses the total number of respondents in the age category 18-24 as the denominator. Percentages in table 33b use the total number of respondents across all age groups who gave that reason for leaving as the denominator. For example, in table 33a below, 2 individuals aged 18-24 said that they are leaving or have left Scotland. 40% of all 18-24 year-olds gave this as their reason for leaving the Register. Table 33b shows that 3% of everyone (of all ages) who gave ‘I am leaving or have left Scotland’ as a reason for leaving the Register were aged 18-24.

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Tables 34a and 34b show the breakdown of reason for leaving by stage of career. Percentages in table 34a the total number of respondents in that career stage, as the denominator. e.g. the percentage shown in table 34a for the registrants by stage of career who indicated that they left the Register because they are leaving or have left Scotland uses the total number of respondents in that stage of career as the denominator. Percentages in table 34b use the total number of respondents who gave that reason for leaving across all career stages, as the denominator (see example in Table 33 for further explanation if required).

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The most common reason for leaving the Register for registrants who were fully registered for 5 or more years was retirement (72%) with 98% of all those leaving due to retirement being in this career stage.

For those in the early career stage, the most common reason for leaving the Register was leaving the profession for other reasons (58%) with the second most common reason being that they were leaving or had already left Scotland (23%). Of the 35 respondents in the early career group who selected ‘other reasons’, 19 (54% of this group) mentioned difficulties securing a post, 6 cited lack of support (17% of this group) and 5 attributed it to stress (14% of this group).

There were similar reported results for those who left the Register who were provisionally registered with 59% of these respondents leaving the profession for other reasons and with a further 22% leaving due to leaving or having left Scotland. ‘Other reasons’ in this group (24 respondents) cited lack of support (5; 21%) and difficulty securing a post (7; 29%). 5 respondents in this group (21%) also cited stress as a factor.

It should be noted that respondents could give several ‘other’ reasons for leaving the Register and so multiple factors may be attributed to each individual.