Scottish Teachers for Permanence · Campaign briefing
Stable work for
Scotland’s teachers.
Stable contracts. Predictable work. Secure incomes.
Why it matters
Teachers need contracts they can build a life around. Uncertainty about the next shift or contract makes it harder to plan work, income and life outside school. Good education needs continuity.
Scottish Teachers for Permanence campaigns for stability across teaching contracts. Permanent posts are one route; teachers on temporary and supply contracts need security and fair treatment too.
One national measure—with limits
23.5%
of the 2024/25 Teacher Induction Scheme cohort were in a full-time permanent post at the September 2025 teacher census.
This describes a particular cohort at a particular date. It does not measure every teacher’s work or income stability. Source: Scottish Government teacher census supplementary statistics, Table 1.6.
Our demands
What we’re calling for
- 01
One jointly funded plan for secure teaching jobs
The Scottish Government, COSLA and councils must publish a jointly funded delivery plan for secure teaching jobs, with named responsibilities, deadlines and regular public results.
Who must act: Government must commit sustainable funding. COSLA must coordinate the agreement. Councils must turn funded staffing needs into secure jobs and report delivery.
Success: A published joint plan identifies who funds and delivers each commitment, when it is due, and the secure posts actually created.
- 02
A fair route to permanent work for experienced teachers
Create stable employment, including permanent supply roles for recurring needs, with fair access for experienced teachers as well as those entering the profession. Publish clear routes from temporary work to permanence.
Who must act: Councils must identify recurring staffing needs and offer secure roles. Government and COSLA must agree the funding and conditions that make those routes sustainable.
Success: Recurring needs are met through secure jobs; routes to permanence are clear, accessible and reported across career stages.
- 03
Count every qualified teacher looking for work
Collect consistent information about qualified teachers seeking work: experience, contract categories, work offered and obtained, and the additional hours or days they want. Publish definitions and protect personal information.
Who must act: Government must agree and publish a consistent national framework with councils, COSLA and professional partners. Councils must collect and report the local information.
Success: A regular, comparable publication covers underemployment across career stages and makes gaps, definitions and denominators visible.
- 04
A jobs guarantee that includes teachers already seeking work
Redesign the announced three-year jobs guarantee inclusively: fund additional secure work, create fair routes for experienced teachers, protect induction and mentoring, and publish an assessment of possible displacement before implementation.
Who must act: Government, COSLA and councils must specify funding, eligibility, additional posts, protections for experienced teachers and the route to employment after the guarantee.
Success: Published scheme rules demonstrate additionality and fair access, protect induction, and track outcomes for entrants and the existing workforce.
Scottish Parliament: education statement · 16 June 2026
Programme for Government 2026–2031 · 1 September 2026
- 05
Train new teachers in line with funded jobs
Connect initial teacher education intake decisions to funded staffing needs, regional and subject requirements, employment outcomes and qualified teachers already seeking work. Publish the assumptions and review them regularly.
Who must act: Government and the Scottish Funding Council must explain intake planning with universities, councils and the profession; councils must provide reliable funded staffing forecasts.
Success: Each intake decision has transparent assumptions linking school needs and funded employment, with separate reporting of targets, enrolments and later outcomes.
A question for decision-makers
What steps will you take to support stable contracts, predictable work and secure incomes for teachers, including those on temporary and supply contracts? How will you follow up and keep constituents informed?
What you can do
Read the evidence, prepare a personal message to an MSP, or share your teaching experience.