Summary of key information for registration year 2024-25

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 registered individuals as some teachers are registered in more than one category of registration.

Both the total number of registrants and the total number of registrations have been relatively stable over the 2024-25 registration year. Although both the number of registrants and the number of registrations have reduced, this variation has been less than 1 percent with a decrease of 0.80% in number of registrants and decrease of 0.97% in number of registrations.

The Register continues to be an international register. Within registration year 2024-25, 803 individuals who qualified outside Scotland (QoS) applied to GTC Scotland to join the Register and with 83% of QoS applicants that completed the full application process offered registration.

The age of registrants shows that three fifths of the Register is under 46 years old (60%), just over one fifth of registrants is between 46 and 55 years old (24%), and almost one fifth is over 55 years old (17%).

The average (and median) ages of teachers registered in the category of Primary Education and/or Secondary (Subject) Education, and broken down by sex, are very similar with almost all averages for registrants in these categories falling within the 41-45 age bracket.

The average (and median) ages of teachers registered in the category of Further Education and Additional Support Needs broken down by sex, show that these average ages are older than the averages for Primary Education and Secondary (Subject) Education. The average ages for Additional Support Needs fall within the 46-50 age bracket with the average ages for Further Education mostly falling within the 51-55 age bracket.

2,891 registrants transitioned from being provisionally registered to holding Full Registration (General) status.

There was:

• a 0.80% decrease in all registrants
• a 0.53% decrease in Full Registered (General) registrants
• a 0.16% decrease in provisionally registered registrants
• a 13.62% decrease in Full Registered (Associate) registrants
• a 0.97% decrease in all registrations
• a 0.65% decrease in the number of Primary Education registrations
• an overall 1.43% decrease in Secondary (Subject) Education registrations with increases/decreases varying across secondary (subject) education registration subjects. Notable variations as follows:
  
  • Increase in Heritage Languages of 5.88% in 2024-25;
  • Increase in Psychology of 5.14% in 2024-25;
  • Decrease in Languages - Mandarin of 8.97% in 2024-25;
  • Further decrease in Languages - German of 5.74% in 2024-25, totalling an overall decrease of 11.07% since 2023; and
  • Further decrease in Economics of 7.91% in 2024-25, totalling an overall decrease of 13.1% since 2023.
• a 3.32% increase in ASN registrations
• a 1.13% increase in Further Education registrations
• a 1.03% decrease in Full Registrations (combined Full Registration (General) and Full Registration (Associate))
• a 0.48% decrease in Provisional Registrations
• a decrease of 1.30% in the number of registrants holding Professional Recognition with 3.28% of Registrants on the Register holding the Professional Recognition Award at 31 March 2025
• an increase of 1.01% in the number of registrants holding the Standard for Headship with data at 31 March 2025 showing 3,413 teachers holding the Standard for Headship

The results of the survey of registrants leaving the Register (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) show:

• 63% of those who responded left the Register due to retirement.
• The next largest group (21%) noted other reasons. The most common ‘other’ reason for leaving cited: problems with securing a post; lack of support; the effect of workload or unnecessary bureaucracy; pupil behaviour; violence; additional support needs and bullying from colleagues or leadership which had led to their choice.
• Retirement is the most common reason for leaving the Register for all those who were fully registered for 5 or more years. For respondents in the early career stage, the most common reason for leaving the Register was leaving the profession for other reasons with difficulties securing a post, lack of support and stress being cited.
• The second most common reason for leaving the Register for respondents in the early career phase was that they were leaving or had already left Scotland.
• For provisionally registered respondents, 59% of these respondents said they were leaving the profession for ‘other’ reasons citing lack of support, difficulties securing a post, and stress. A further 22% of these respondents said they were leaving due to leaving or having left Scotland.