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3 Main Points
3.1 The following numbers will be partly affected by local authorities changing whether they record visiting specialists as centrally employed or in the schools where they teach.
3.2 There were 23,508 teachers in primary schools (23,501 in 2006), giving a pupil teacher ratio of 16.0 (16.3 in 2006). Ninety-two per cent of teachers were female, the same as in 2006.
3.3 There were 26,365 teachers in secondary schools (26,083 in 2006), giving a pupil teacher ratio of 11.7 (12.0 in 2006). Sixty per cent of teachers were female, an increase from 2006.
3.4 There were 2,020 teachers in special schools (2,075 in 2006), giving a pupil teacher ratio of 3.3 (3.4 in 2006). Eighty-one per cent of teachers were female, the same as in 2006.
3.5 There were a further 1,078 teachers reported as centrally employed (1,160 in 2006). The fall is due to changes in reporting practices.
3.6 The average (mean) age of teachers again fell slightly, from 43.6 to 43.5. There was an increase in the proportion of teachers aged under 40 (37 per cent compared to 35 per cent in 2006) and in those aged 55 or over (19 per cent compared to 18 per cent in 2006). The age profile shows a major peak at age 54, and increasing numbers in the late twenties.
3.7 The proportion of teachers who were male dropped from 30 per cent in 1996 to 25 per cent in 2004, but has remained fairly stable since. The proportion amongst younger teachers has risen in recent years. In promoted posts the proportion who were male was 34 per cent (down from 36 per cent in 2006), with the figure being 29 per cent for head teachers and deputes (the same as in 2006).
3.8 In primary schools there were 154 teachers whose main subject was physical education, 110 whose main subject was music and 76 whose main subject was art & design. There were 605 who reported learning support as their main subject, and 292 gave additional support needs related subjects.
3.9 In secondary schools, the largest numbers of teachers were in English (2,887) and maths (2,726). These were both increases of three per cent and were related to the cut in S1 and S2 class sizes. Technical education was the subject with the highest proportion of male teachers (87 per cent), with home economics being nearly all female teachers. Music and drama teachers had the youngest average age, with additional support needs teachers being on average the oldest.
3.10 Where ethnic background data was given, 2.3 per cent of teachers were from non-UK, white backgrounds, and 1.4 per cent from other minority ethnic groups. In promoted posts the proportion was 1.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively, though the minority ethnic group teachers have not, on average, been in the workforce for as long as white-UK teachers.
3.11 There were 109 teachers currently teaching Gaelic language (down from 131 in 2006), 244 providing Gaelic medium education (240 in 2006), and 402 teachers reported being able to teach through the medium of Gaelic (399 in 2006).
3.12 There were 3,558 teachers in the probation induction scheme (3,549 in 2006), of which 1,887 were in primary schools and 1,671 were in secondary schools.
3.13 There were 3,755 students who graduated from initial teacher training in 2007, a four per cent decrease compared to 3,905 in 2006. In primary, the proportion graduating through PGCE/PGDE has increased from 31 per cent in 1998 to 71 per cent in 2007.
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