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Scottish Borders

Teaching posts, staffing and the campaign’s FOI evidence for Scottish Borders: 24 FOI requests, 10 datasets and 6 findings.

Teaching posts that are permanent · 2025
83.6%
13th of 32 · Scotland 81.6%
Teaching posts that are temporary · 2025
12.2%
19th of 32 · Scotland 13.7%
Teachers per 1,000 pupils · 2025
75.9
20th of 32 · Scotland 75.8
Permanent posts83.6%Temporary posts12.2%Teachers per 1,000 pupils75.9Teacher FTE since 2015−1.3%Pupils since 2015−6.2%
← RenfrewshireShetland Islands →

01 Contracts

How secure are Scottish Borders’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 83.5%Temporary (not induction) 12.2%Induction scheme 4.3%

02 Against the other 31

Where Scottish Borders ranks

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

Teaching posts that are permanent

83.6% · 13th 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

12.2% · 19th 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

4.3% · 19th 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

75.9 · 20th 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: 83.6%; Temporary posts: 12.2%; Teachers per 1,000 pupils: 75.9; Teacher FTE since 2015: −1.3%; Pupils since 2015: −6.2%.

03 Staffing

Teachers for every 1,000 pupils

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

  • Scottish Borders
  • Scotland
727476201020122014201620182020202220242025

04 FOI evidence FOI

What Scottish Borders 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.

Supply, relief and casual teachers

teachers

  • All
1601802002202402017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25
Definition and sources

Teachers held on supply, relief or casual lists. People on a list may work very little or not at all.

Contracted teachers who are temporary

% of permanent + temporary

  • All
0%5%10%15%20%2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25
Definition and sources

Temporary contracts divided by permanent plus temporary contracts, from the same council reply and period. Supply lists are excluded.

temporary ÷ (permanent + temporary) × 100

All reviewed datasets (10)

  • Supply teaching · harmonisedCasual supply by reporting periodcasual_supply · teaching staff
    207Tax Year 204/25 (snapshot 17/12/2024)Reply →
  • Contracts & job security · harmonisedFixed term by reporting periodfixed_term · teaching staff
    199Tax Year 204/25 (snapshot 17/12/2024)Reply →
  • Contracts & job security · harmonisedPermanent by reporting periodpermanent · teaching staff
    1,054Tax Year 204/25 (snapshot 17/12/2024)Reply →
  • Contracts & job securityGrand total by reporting periodgrand_total · teaching staff
    1,460Tax Year 204/25 (snapshot 17/12/2024)Reply →
  • Supply teachingLong-term supply hourslong-term supply hours · all
    86.92024-09-13Reply →
  • Supply teachingLong-term supply headcountlong-term supply headcount · all
    162024-09-13Reply →
  • Supply teachingShort-term supply hoursshort-term supply hours · all
    60.92024-09-13Reply →
  • Supply teachingShort-term supply headcountshort-term supply headcount · all
    162024-09-13Reply →
  • After probation · harmonisedScottish Borders primary NQT requestsNQT requested · primary
    422024/25Reply →
  • After probation · harmonisedScottish Borders secondary NQT requestsNQT requested · secondary
    272024/25Reply →
All 24 FOI requests to Scottish Borders
Where do you fit in Scottish Borders? →Council evidence pageOpen in the data explorer