Anonymous survey answerSurvey Nº 109

I come from a family of teachers, I’m 3rd generation. From our combined experience we feel that schools have never been in such a difficult place – greater need and fewer teachers.

12 classes instead of 14 at my local school

Published 5 October 2026 · 1 min read

Employment situation: On a supply list, no work
Sector: Primary

I come from a family of teachers, I’m 3rd generation. From our combined experience we feel that schools have never been in such a difficult place – greater need and fewer teachers.

My local school has historically been dual stream but this year has 12 classes instead of 14, which means classes are full. The falling birth rate should have meant smaller class sizes, which would have benefitted everyone.

This is answer 109 of the 269 written answers that teachers let us quote anonymously in the Scottish Teacher Employment Survey 2026. It answers the survey’s last question: what do the people who make decisions about teacher employment need to know?

We have corrected spelling, added paragraph breaks and removed details that could identify anyone. Words in square brackets are ours.

Every answer in the report (PDF) Survey results

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