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Summary Results of the September 2002 School Census

26 August 2003

SUMMARY RESULTS OF THE SEPTEMBER 2002 SCHOOL CENSUS

Summary results from the September 2002 School Census are published today by the Scottish Executive Education Department in the Statistical Bulletin Summary Results of the September 2002 School Census.

The majority of these results relate to the national picture for Scotland for publicly funded schools (education authority, grant-aided and self-governing), although some statistics are provided for independent schools.

This latest publication updates the figures published in June 2002 in the statistical bulletin Summary Results of the September 2001 School Census, Edn/B1/2002/3, and provisional September 2002 pupil figures published in March 2003 in the statistical publication notice Provisional Pupil Information from the September 2002 School Census.

The main findings are:

All Schools :

At September 2002:

• There were 2,984 primary, secondary and special schools in Scotland, 26 fewer than in September 2001.
• There were 768,967 pupils based in schools in Scotland, a decrease of 6,496 from September 2001.
• The total number of full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in Scotland was 53,282, an increase from 52,142 at September 2001.
• The overall pupil/teacher ratio for publicly funded schools in Scotland was 14.8, a fall from 15.2 at September 2001. The overall pupil/teacher ratio for independent schools in Scotland rose from 9.3 to 9.4 over the same period.

Primary Schools (publicly funded) :

At September 2002:

• There were 413,713 pupils based in publicly funded primary schools, a decrease of 6,808 pupils since September 2001.
• The total number of full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in publicly funded primary schools was 22,980, an increase of 691 since September 2001.
• The pupil:teacher ratio in publicly funded primary schools was 18.0 compared with 18.9 at September 2001.
• The average class size in publicly funded primary schools was 24.0 pupils, a fall of 0.3 compared with September 2001.
• The pupil:modern computer ratio was 9:1 compared with 11:1 at September 2001.
• There were 12,462 pupils with a Record of Needs and/or an Individualised Educational Programme.

Secondary Schools (publicly funded) :

At September 2002:

• There were 316,903 pupils based in publicly funded secondary schools, an increase of 544 pupils since September 2001.
• The total number of FTE teachers in publicly funded secondary schools was 25,040, an increase of 488 since September 2001.
• The pupil:teacher ratio was 12.7 compared with 12.9 at September 2001.
• The pupil:modern computer ratio was 5:1, the same as at September 2001.
• There were 8,289 pupils with a Record of Needs and/or an Individualised Educational Programme.

Special Schools / Units (publicly funded) :

At September 2002:

• There were 7,981 pupils based in publicly funded special schools/units, a decrease of 202 pupils since September 2001.
• There were 2,028 FTE teachers in publicly funded special schools/units, a decrease of 1 since September 2001.
• The pupil:teacher ratio in publicly funded special schools/units was 3.9 compared with 4.0 at September 2001.
• The pupil:modern computer ratio in publicly funded special schools/units, was 3:1 compared with 4:1 at September 2001.

National Identity and Ethnic Background

• Information on pupil national identity and ethnic background was collected for the first time in September 2002. Of those pupils whose national identity was known Scottish accounted for 83.9 per cent of primary, 79.2 per cent of secondary and 77.3 per cent of special school pupils.
• The most common ethnic background for pupils was White - UK, representing 95.4 per cent of primary, 95.6 per cent of secondary and 94.9 per cent of special pupils.
• The ethnic background of teachers was also collected for the first time. Of those teachers whose ethnic background was known, 96.4 per cent in primary schools, 92.1 per cent in secondary schools and 90.5 per cent in special schools were recorded as being from a white ethnic background. The remainder were from minority ethnic backgrounds.

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

2. A census of schools in Scotland is conducted each year in September. This School Census represents a snapshot of schools during the Census Week i.e. the week beginning Monday 9 September 2002. Although the content of the School Census varies from year to year, a core dataset is collected annually on the number of pupils and teachers from each school.
4. In September 2002, the data was mainly collected electronically, through local authorities, from nearly all publicly funded schools as part of the Scottish Exchange in Educational Data (ScotXED) Programme. ScotXED supports and promotes effective and secure data exchanges so that key partners in school education in Scotland can benefit from access to information to monitor and improve education services. Further information can be found at www.scotxed.net.
6. The ScotXED data exchanged in September 2002 was collected at an individual pupil level, thus allowing a far greater range of analyses to be performed than previously available.
8. Data for some publicly funded schools, and for independent schools, were collected either on paper forms or on spreadsheets. There are currently no plans to involve the independent school sector in electronic census data exchanges as part of ScotXED.
10. There are current uncertainties surrounding the number of pupils who have a Record of Needs in publicly funded schools. This matter is currently under investigation and it is planned that a figure will be available in October 2003.
12. Ad hoc and unpublished tables are available on request. Also, analyses on a more local level of geographical detail are available via the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics website - www.sns.gov.uk.
14. This is a National Statistics publication. 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.

Enquiries

2. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Mal Cooke, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1A-West, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 1689 or email education.stats@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
4. Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed:

Rona Dunbar: 0131 244 2670

News Release

26 August 2003

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