How to read Scotland’s teacher workforce evidence

A teacher-workforce number becomes useful when its definition travels with it. Before sharing a headline, ask what was counted, where, when and in which unit. Those checks help explain why two apparently conflicting figures can both be accurate.

This guide uses the Scottish Government’s 2025 pupil and teacher statistics and the campaign’s published methodology. Sources were checked on 8 September 2026. It provides a way to read the evidence, rather than a ranking of councils.

Is the number people or staffing capacity?

Headcount counts people. Full-time equivalent, usually shortened to FTE, expresses working hours relative to a standard full-time week. As a simple illustration, two teachers each working half-time contribute two people to a headcount and one FTE of staffing. That example explains the unit; it is not a finding about a particular council. [1]

Before comparing totals, check whether both use the same measure. Ask whether the figures cover the same sectors and whether centrally employed teachers or early learning and childcare are included. A rise in staffing capacity does not, by itself, tell you how many people gained jobs.

Which date does a census describe?

The 2025 pupil and school staff censuses took place on 10 September 2025. The teacher total covers qualifying posts at that snapshot; vacant posts are excluded. Supply inclusion depends on the recorded status, including specific treatment of centrally employed supply. It is therefore not a complete account of everyone who worked, wanted work or appeared on a supply list during the year. [2]

A list total and a census total can address different questions. For claims about access to work, look for clearly defined information about actual engagements as well as list membership.

Does “temporary” describe the person’s contract?

The census employment classification relates to a teaching post. A teacher with a permanent employment contract can occupy a post recorded as temporary. The background notes also describe differences in how councils record temporary promotion and secondment. [2]

When a claim concerns contract security, check whether the source measures the underlying employment contract or the post occupied. Keep the source’s terminology in the headline. Do not silently substitute one for the other.

What can post-probation figures establish?

Post-probation reporting follows particular Teacher Induction Scheme cohorts into recorded school employment. The Scottish Government cautions that people outside the publicly funded school categories may teach elsewhere, work outside teaching or be unemployed. “Other” cannot be relabelled “unemployed”. Full-time permanent, part-time permanent and temporary categories also need to remain distinct. [3]

A useful question is: “What share of which cohort was recorded in which category at which census?” It is more precise than asking whether “teachers got jobs”, because the latter leaves both the population and the kind of work undefined.

Why can totals or percentages look inconsistent?

The bulletin rounds FTE figures. Totals and differences generally use the underlying unrounded values, so adding displayed figures may not reproduce a published total. Its symbols distinguish unavailable, inapplicable, suppressed and near-zero figures. None should be converted into an ordinary zero. [2]

Keep the denominator beside a percentage. In an illustrative group of 100 people, a move from 20 to 25 is five percentage points when expressed as shares of that group, and a 25% increase in the count. Those describe the same example from different angles.

How do corrections and FOI findings fit?

The 2025 bulletin carries a March 2026 notice about a small Fife reporting error. It says the bulletin figures were not revised because the assessed impact was negligible. Retaining the notice helps a reader understand exactly which published version is being used. [4]

Our methodology distinguishes a request summary from a finding checked against substantive material. It preserves dates, units, definitions and source references, and explains gaps. A request being sent does not establish the answer; a response from one council does not automatically establish a national pattern. [5]

What should I share with a claim?

Include its source link, period, geography, unit and essential caveat. Describe an interpretation as an interpretation. If a comparison cannot be made fairly, say which definition or period is missing.

Use the campaign’s methodology, topic pages and council comparison tool to explore the record. Clear distinctions make it easier for teachers, journalists and decision-makers to discuss stable employment using evidence that other people can check.