This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Census of independent schools
01/06/2004
The results of the September 2003
census of independent schools are published today. This
is the first time results of the independent school census
have been published separately.
The main findings of the National Statistics publication
are:
- There were 30,344 pupils in independent schools in
Scotland. This is about four per cent of pupils in
Scotland, a proportion which has remained fairly
constant over the past decade
Primary schools
- There were 62 independent primary schools in 2003.
This figure has been declining steadily in recent years
- There were 11,686 pupils in independent primary
schools in 2003, a slight decrease from 2002. Numbers
have fluctuated between 11,000 and 12,000 in recent
years
- There were 901 teachers in independent primary
schools in 2003, a four per cent increase from 2002 but
a similar level to 2001. There were 13.0 pupils per
teacher in 2003, compared to 13.7 in 2002 and 13.0 in
2001
Secondary schools
- There were 55 secondary schools in 2003, the same
as in 2002. The number of independent secondary schools
has declined from 63 in 1999
- There were 17,605 pupils in independent secondary
schools in 2003. Numbers have stayed roughly the same
since 2002
- There were 2,071 teachers in independent secondary
schools in 2003, the same as in 2002
- There were 8.5 pupils per teacher in 2003, a
similar level to 2001 and 2002
Special schools
- There were 33 independent special schools in 2003,
compared to 32 schools in 2002
- There were 1,053 pupils in independent special
schools in 2003, an increase of five per cent from 2002
- There were 286 teachers in independent special
schools in 2003. There were 3.7 pupils per teacher in
2003, an increase from 3.3 or 3.2 in recent years
Under The Registration of Independent Schools
(Scotland) Regulations 1957 as amended, independent schools
are required each year to supply certain statistics to the
Scottish Executive. This census covers independent
primary, secondary and special schools.
Where a school has more than one department, for
example a secondary school with a primary department, these
are counted as separate schools. Where numbers of
pupils/students are given, these relate to pupils based at
the school. Pupils/students who are attending the school
but are based at another centre (for example, students from
a Further Education College who are taking some classes at
a school) are not included.
A class is a group of pupils normally supervised by
one teacher. The group may occasionally be supervised by
more than one teacher, for example, when pupils are
receiving learning support from a teacher who is not the
class teacher.
A composite class is a class of pupils from two
stages, multi-stage composites include pupils from more
than two stages. In 2003, there were a small number of
multi-stage composites, mostly in the very smallest primary
schools. Mainstream classes do not include the small
number of classes for pupils with learning difficulties.
Three joint primary/secondary schools did not provide
a sector split of their teachers (95 teachers in total). In
these cases an estimate of the FTE number of teacher in the
primary sector was obtained from the class information,
with one teacher per class assumed unless stated otherwise
by the school. Teachers from these schools were then
excluded from the tables relating to grade.
National Statistics are produced to high professional
standards set out in the National Statistics Code of
Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews
to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced
free from any political interference.