25-26/041

We refer to your request for information (FOI 25-26/041) dated 19 September 2025 which we have handled under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).

You asked:

The number of Physical Education (PE) teachers registered as working in Scotland in the calendar years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Please break this down – where possible – by secondary and primary schools, local authorities, and gender.

Our response:

As data extracted on 24 September 2025, there were 4070 teachers on the GTC Scotland Register of Teachers who held registration in Physical Education. Of the 4070 registrants, 3696 recorded a Scottish employer as their primary employer. Please note these teachers may not necessarily be teaching in this category as they may hold a second registration.

We should also make you aware that GTC Scotland keeps a professional register and not an employment based one. Registrants self-declare their employment and may appear on the Register of Teachers without being employed by a Local Authority.

Please see our response to your queries below, as data extracted on 24 September 2025.

You asked for the information to be presented for the calendar years of 2021 through to 2024. However, please note that the Register operates as a current register and not a historical one. We are unable to provide information from previous versions unless reported at the time. We have applied section 17(1)(b) to this query.

However, we do hold the number of registrations in Physical Education at the end of each Registration Year for GTC Scotland since 2023. Please note this runs from the April to the end of March of the following year. We have provided this information in Table 1 below.

You also asked for information on “primary and secondary schools” which we do not hold.

We have also applied section 17(1)(b) of FOISA to this query.

However, we do hold the self-declared Local Authority of registrants as information within Table 2 below. The reference to ‘Other’ in the table refers to further education colleges or independent schools.

Right to review and appeal

You may request a review of how we have dealt with this information request if you are dissatisfied with this response. You may contact informationgovernance@gtcs.org.uk, describing your original request and explaining the basis for your dissatisfaction. You have 40 working days from receipt of this response to submit a review request.

Once the review process has been completed, if you are still dissatisfied, you can apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision. See the Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance on making an appeal for information about how to do this.