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Orkney Islands

Teaching posts, staffing and the campaign’s FOI evidence for Orkney Islands: 24 FOI requests, 8 datasets and 5 findings.

Teaching posts that are permanent · 2025
84.2%
11th of 32 · Scotland 81.6%
Teaching posts that are temporary · 2025
13.3%
16th of 32 · Scotland 13.7%
Teachers per 1,000 pupils · 2025
90.8
3rd of 32 · Scotland 75.8
Permanent posts84.2%Temporary posts13.3%Teachers per 1,000 pupils90.8Teacher FTE since 2015−4.3%Pupils since 2015+0.9%
← North LanarkshirePerth and Kinross →

01 Contracts

How secure are Orkney Islands’s teaching posts?

Teaching-post FTE by contract type at each September census. Induction-scheme posts are the probation year.

Sector
  • Permanent
  • Temporary (not induction)
  • Induction scheme
0%20%40%60%80%100%202020212022202320242025
2025Permanent 84.2%Temporary (not induction) 13.3%Induction scheme 2.5%

02 Against the other 31

Where Orkney Islands ranks

Each dot is a council. The dashed line is Scotland.

Teaching posts that are permanent

84.2% · 11th of 32 · 2025

Scotland 81.6%Angus: 88.3%Aberdeenshire: 88.0%Clackmannanshire: 87.6%Perth and Kinross: 86.6%Aberdeen City: 86.2%Argyll and Bute: 86.2%South Lanarkshire: 86.1%Dundee City: 85.7%North Ayrshire: 84.9%Dumfries and Galloway: 84.7%Orkney Islands: 84.2%City of Edinburgh: 84.0%Scottish Borders: 83.6%Moray: 83.3%Stirling: 83.0%East Dunbartonshire: 83.0%Midlothian: 82.4%East Lothian: 82.2%Shetland Islands: 81.5%West Lothian: 81.5%North Lanarkshire: 81.1%East Ayrshire: 80.4%Highland: 80.0%Falkirk: 79.7%Renfrewshire: 78.2%South Ayrshire: 77.9%West Dunbartonshire: 77.6%East Renfrewshire: 77.2%Glasgow City: 75.7%Fife: 74.1%Na h-Eileanan Siar: 73.7%Inverclyde: 73.2%72%90%

Teaching posts that are temporary

13.3% · 16th of 32 · 2025

Scotland 13.7%Na h-Eileanan Siar: 24.3%Fife: 22.0%Inverclyde: 21.3%Glasgow City: 18.8%West Dunbartonshire: 18.1%Renfrewshire: 17.7%South Ayrshire: 16.0%Highland: 15.5%East Renfrewshire: 14.6%Shetland Islands: 14.6%East Ayrshire: 14.0%North Lanarkshire: 13.9%Falkirk: 13.9%Midlothian: 13.4%West Lothian: 13.3%Orkney Islands: 13.3%Moray: 13.1%East Lothian: 12.3%Scottish Borders: 12.2%Argyll and Bute: 12.1%North Ayrshire: 12.0%Dumfries and Galloway: 11.3%City of Edinburgh: 11.1%Stirling: 10.8%Dundee City: 9.9%Perth and Kinross: 9.8%South Lanarkshire: 9.7%Aberdeen City: 9.4%East Dunbartonshire: 9.3%Angus: 9.0%Aberdeenshire: 8.9%Clackmannanshire: 8.1%8%26%

Teaching posts held by probationers

2.5% · 30th of 32 · 2025

Scotland 4.7%East Renfrewshire: 8.3%East Dunbartonshire: 7.7%Falkirk: 6.4%Stirling: 6.2%South Ayrshire: 6.1%East Ayrshire: 5.7%Inverclyde: 5.6%Glasgow City: 5.5%East Lothian: 5.5%West Lothian: 5.2%North Lanarkshire: 5.0%City of Edinburgh: 4.9%Highland: 4.5%Dundee City: 4.4%Aberdeen City: 4.4%West Dunbartonshire: 4.3%Clackmannanshire: 4.3%South Lanarkshire: 4.3%Scottish Borders: 4.3%Midlothian: 4.1%Renfrewshire: 4.1%Dumfries and Galloway: 4.1%Shetland Islands: 4.0%Fife: 3.9%Moray: 3.6%Perth and Kinross: 3.6%North Ayrshire: 3.1%Aberdeenshire: 3.1%Angus: 2.8%Orkney Islands: 2.5%Na h-Eileanan Siar: 2.0%Argyll and Bute: 1.8%2%9%

Teachers per 1,000 pupils

90.8 · 3rd of 32 · 2025

Scotland 75.8Shetland Islands: 102.3Na h-Eileanan Siar: 100.9Orkney Islands: 90.8Clackmannanshire: 86.9Argyll and Bute: 84.9South Ayrshire: 83.7North Ayrshire: 80.7East Dunbartonshire: 79.4Inverclyde: 79.4Angus: 78.8Highland: 78.4Stirling: 78.2Falkirk: 78.0Glasgow City: 77.9Dumfries and Galloway: 77.4Perth and Kinross: 77.4East Renfrewshire: 76.9North Lanarkshire: 76.8Moray: 76.3Scottish Borders: 75.9West Dunbartonshire: 75.4South Lanarkshire: 75.0East Ayrshire: 74.5Midlothian: 74.4West Lothian: 74.3Fife: 74.3Dundee City: 73.1Aberdeen City: 72.5Aberdeenshire: 72.4Renfrewshire: 72.4East Lothian: 67.9City of Edinburgh: 67.165105

Fingerprint: Permanent posts: 84.2%; Temporary posts: 13.3%; Teachers per 1,000 pupils: 90.8; Teacher FTE since 2015: −4.3%; Pupils since 2015: +0.9%.

03 Staffing

Teachers for every 1,000 pupils

A staffing ratio across all school sectors, not class size. Scotland includes grant-aided schools.

  • Orkney Islands
  • Scotland
708090100201020122014201620182020202220242025

04 FOI evidence FOI

What Orkney Islands told us

Figures from the council’s own replies to campaign FOI requests. Each council counts things its own way, so read definitions before comparing.

No council figures have been harmonised for Orkney Islands yet. The reviewed datasets are listed below.

All reviewed datasets (8)

  • Funding & workforce planningOrkney primary teaching-staff fundingprimary school teaching staff funding · primary
    4,0692024/25Reply →
  • Funding & workforce planningOrkney secondary teaching-staff fundingsecondary school teaching staff funding · secondary
    5,6112024/25Reply →
  • Funding & workforce planningOrkney teachers-pay fundingteachers pay · all
    2,2602024/25Reply →
  • Funding & workforce planningOrkney education-recovery granteducation-recovery grant · all
    293,6002024/25Reply →
  • Funding & workforce planningOrkney £80m education-recovery granteducation-recovery grant · all
    322,5002024/25Reply →
  • After probationOrkney primary probationer requestsprobationers requested · primary
    42024Reply →
  • After probationOrkney secondary probationer requestsprobationers requested · secondary
    22024Reply →
  • After probationSeptember employment outcomespermanent/temporary/supply/no-longer-with-council · all
    2no-longer-with-councilReply →
All 24 FOI requests to Orkney Islands
Where do you fit in Orkney Islands? →Council evidence pageOpen in the data explorer