The GTC Scotland Register - Registration Snapshot Report

Equality survey of provisionally registered teachers

Survey purpose and response rate

In Winter 2023 we took our first and significant step towards extending the range of equality data we gather from registrants. This is to ensure we can reflect on our work as the regulator of teachers and use data to influence broader change in the interests of trusted teaching.

We chose provisional registrants as a target group to better understand the demographic of those who are joining the profession, and to focus on one cohort of the Register in order to promote a higher response rate.

The table below shows the number of survey responses which were received.

*The figure is greater than the sum of TIS respondents and Flexible Route respondents because it includes three submissions where no answer was given. The response rate is calculated using the number of registrants on the TIS at the time the survey was issued, and the number of registrants on the Flexible Route who were sent a link by email.

The survey was open from 1 November 2023 until 10 January 2024. Overall, there was a healthy response rate to the survey, particularly among Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) provisionally registered teachers, who had the link embedded in their Interim 1 profile.

Participation was lower among the Flexible Route registrants, who received the survey link by email. Factors which may have contributed to the response rate include:

choosing a target group, rather than the entire register
embedding a link in a place where provisionally registered registrants on the TIS would see it
working with Probation Managers to raise awareness and promote participation
a reminder email to Flexible Route provisionally registered teachers three days before the survey closed
articulation of the purpose of the survey, with details included in FAQs
the voluntary and anonymous nature of the survey

The comparatively lower response rate among Flexible Route registrants should be taken into account when considering differences between that cohort and those who are on the TIS. The cohort will include registrants who have qualified outside or are living/working outside Scotland.

In order to mitigate the risk of individuals being identified, this report largely uses percentages rather than raw figures.

Route to full registration

Please select the route to full registration which you are taking

Equality survey, Chart 1: Respondents' route to full registration

Pie chart showing: Teacher Induction Scheme = 1699, Flexible Route 172

Employment status of registrants on the Flexible Route

Respondents who said they are on the Flexible Route were asked specific questions about their employment and reasons for being on the Flexible Route. This is a targeted question for only this group, since we already know that TIS probationers have a one-year placement in which to reach the Standard for Full Registration.

Please select the employment status that most accurately describes you

Equality Survey, Chart 2: Respondents' employment status at the time of survey

Pie chart showing: Currently working - I am satisfied with the number of hours I am working = 48%, Currently working - I am seeking additional hours = 17%, Not working - I am not currently seeking work = 6%, Not working I am seeking employment = 29%

Two-thirds of respondents reported having work, something which is crucial to achieving the Standard for Full Registration. 29% said they are looking for work.

What is your reason for following the Flexible Route to full registration?

Equality Survey, Chart 3: Respondents' reason for choosing the Flexible Route to gain Full Registration

Pie chart showing: I am not eligible to join the Teacher Induction Scheme = 48%, Another reason = 52%

Of those who gave another reason, the following themes were identified.

Caring responsibilities (18%)
Qualified outside Scotland* (15%)
Currently living or working outside Scotland (11%)
Negative experience on TIS (9%)
Offered an attractive contract by an employer (9%)
Relocated (8%)
Other personal circumstances (8%)
Preferred locality (7%)
College lecturer (7%)
Extension (4%)
Health reasons (2%)

* Some respondents who gave this reason could equally have chosen the option ‘I am not eligible for TIS’. Therefore, there is overlap between these groups.

Equality characteristics of provisionally registered teachers

Overall, the data from respondents shows a diverse group of provisionally registered teachers.

All respondents

The following charts show an equality profile of all respondents.

Equality Survey, Chart 4: Equality characteristics of all respondents - Sex

Bar chart showing: Female = 80%, Male = 20%

Equality Survey, Chart 5: Equality characteristics of all respondents – Sexual orientation

Bar chart showing: Straight/Heterosexual = 86%, Bisexual = 7.3%, Gay or lesbian = 5.4%, Other = 1.3%

Equality Survey, Chart 6: Equality characteristics of all respondents - Age

Bar chart showing: Under 25 = 39.2%, 25-34 = 37.8%, 35-44 = 15%, 45-54 = 6.2%, 55-64 = 1.5%, 65 and over = 0.2%

Equality Survey, Chart 7: Equality characteristics of all respondents – Ethnicity

Bar chart showing: White = 93.3%, Minority ethnic = 6.7%

Equality Survey, Chart 8: Equality characteristics of all respondents – Religion

Bar chart showing: None = 57.8%, Christian religions = 38.2%, Other religions = 4.0%

Equality Survey, Chart 9: Equality characteristics of all respondents – Disability and health

Bar chart showing: No = 71.6%, Yes = 28.4%

Equality Survey, Chart 10: Equality characteristics of all respondents – Caring responsibility

Bar chart showing: No = 76.6%, Yes = 23.4%

Teacher Induction Scheme

The following charts show an equality profile of respondents on the Teacher Induction Scheme.

Equality Survey, Chart 11: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Sex

Bar chart showing: Female = 81.8%, Male = 18.2%

Equality Survey, Chart 12: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Sexual orientation

Bar chart showing: Straight/Heterosexual = 86.3%, Bisexual = 7.6%, Gay or lesbian = 4.9%, Other = 1.1%

Equality Survey, Chart 13: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Age

Bar chart showing: Under 25 = 42.6%, 25-34 = 38.9%, 35-44 = 13.1%, 45-54 = 4.5%, 55-64 = 0.9%, 65 and over = 0.1%

Equality Survey, Chart 14: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Ethnicity

Bar chart showing: White = 94.5%, Minority ethnic = 5.5%

Equality Survey, Chart 15: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Religion

Bar chart showing: None = 59.1%, Christian religions = 37.2%, Other religions = 3.6%

Equality Survey, Chart 16: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Disability and health

Bar chart showing: No = 71.2%, Yes = 28.8%

Equality Survey, Chart 17: Equality characteristics of Teacher Induction Scheme respondents – Caring responsibility

Bar chart showing: No = 78.6%, Yes = 21.4%

Flexible Route

The following charts show an equality profile of respondents on the Flexible Route.

Equality Survey, Chart 18: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Sex

Bar chart showing: Female = 61.5%, Male = 38.5%

Equality Survey, Chart 19: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Sexual orientation

Bar chart showing: Straight/Heterosexual = 82.8%, Gay or lesbian = 10.1%, Bisexual = 3.6%, Other = 3.6%

Equality Survey, Chart 20: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Age

Bar chart showing: Under 25 = 5.8%, 25-34 = 27.3%, 35-44 = 34.3%, 45-54 = 22.7%, 55-64 = 8.1%, 65 and over = 1.7%

Equality Survey, Chart 21: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Ethnicity

Bar chart showing: White = 80.7%, Minority ethnic = 19.3%

Equality Survey, Chart 22: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Religion

Bar chart showing: Christian religions = 47.7%, None = 44.2%, Other religions = 8.1%

Equality Survey, Chart 23: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Disability and health

Bar chart showing: No = 74.7%, Yes = 25.3%

Equality Survey, Chart 24: Equality characteristics of Flexible Route respondents – Caring responsibility

Bar chart showing: No = 56.2%, Yes = 43.8%

Sex, gender and gender reassignment

The female/male split of 20% to 80% in this cohort can be compared to the whole register, where the split is 22% to 78%.

Respondents were able to specify if they identified with a gender which is different to their sex, including those with a trans history. The survey question was “if you identify with a gender which is different from your sex, please tell us which gender you identify with.” 127 individuals answered this question, of which the vast majority selected the same gender description as their sex (for example selecting female for sex, then entering ‘female’ for gender/gender reassignment), which may indicate that some respondents entered this information by mistake. Of those respondents who self-described a gender which is different to their sex, the majority entered non-binary.

Sexual orientation

The survey shows that this group of provisionally registered teachers is diverse in terms of sexual orientation. 86% of respondents identify as straight/heterosexual as compared with 14% who said they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or of another sexual orientation, which they had the option to self-describe in the survey. There is greater diversity of sexual orientation in the Flexible Route cohort than in the TIS cohort.

The table below shows the breakdown of sexual orientation for all respondents.

Age

The survey is aimed at provisional registrants who are entering the teaching profession. This is reflected in the age profile of this group, which is made up predominantly of under 25’s and those who are aged 25-34. Together, these two age brackets represent 77% of all respondents. There is significantly greater age diversity in the Flexible Route cohort than in the TIS cohort. For the cohort as a whole, 23% of respondents are aged 35 and over, whereas the same group comprises 38% of respondents on the Flexible Route. It is useful to consider this in conjunction with information about reasons for choosing the Flexible Route, and with information about respondents with caring responsibilities.

The table below shows the age breakdown for all respondents.

Ethnicity

The minority ethnic aggregated group making up 6.7% of respondents uses the same groupings as the teacher census, the national census and the Diversity in Teaching Annual Data report, but the figure is significantly higher here. Contributing factors may include the nature of this target group, a variance in sample size, and different attitudes towards declaration of ethnicity to an anonymous survey by GTC Scotland as compared to employer databases. It should be noted that the teacher census includes only information for teachers who are in work in Scotland on a specific date, while our register includes teachers who are not working and may be outside Scotland. There is greater ethnic diversity in the Flexible Route cohort than in the TIS cohort. The table below shows the ethnicity breakdown for all respondents.

*Ethnic groups which are marked with an asterisk are those which are includedunder Minority Ethnic in this report, in the teacher census and in the Diversity in Teaching Annual Data report.

Religion

The majority of respondents said they had no religion, while 38% said they belong to a Christian denomination (Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic and other Christian.) As well as choosing from a standard list of religions and denominations used in the national census, respondents were able to write in their self-described religion. There is greater religious diversity in the Flexible Route cohort than in the TIS cohort.

The table below shows a breakdown for all respondents.

Disability and health

In terms of health and disability, 28% of respondents said they had a condition which has lasted, or is expected to last, for 12 months or more. The figure is slightly lower in the Flexible Route cohort. Further analysis will be undertaken to identify if there are disparities between different types of condition. The table below shows a breakdown for all respondents.

Caring responsibilities

A quarter of all respondents indicated that they have caring responsibilities of some kind. Respondents were able to choose more than one type of commitment. 23.4% of respondents said they have one or more caring responsibility.

A significantly higher proportion (43.8%) of respondents on the Flexible Route reported that they have a caring responsibility when compared to the wider cohort. Females were slightly more likely to report a caring responsibility than males (24.8% as compared to 19.3%). Respondents who reported a disability or health condition lasting 12 months or more were slightly more likely to report a caring responsibility (25.8%). Two subgroups are far more likely to report a caring responsibility. They are Minority Ethnic registrants (39.8%) and over 35s (66.5%).

The table below shows a breakdown for all respondents.

Nationality

Responses to the survey show that our register is an international one.

The target group – provisionally registered teachers – includes those who have qualified outside Scotland and who are working towards full registration. It also includes some who are currently living or working outside Scotland.

Diversity of nationality is considerably greater in the Flexible Route cohort than for TIS provisionally registered teachers.

The table below shows the percentage of registrants with UK nationality compared to those of other nationality.

Other countries of origin included, in alphabetical order:

Australia 
Belgium 
Bolivia 
Brazil 
British National Overseas (BNO) 
Botswana 
Bulgaria
Canada 
China 
Colombia 
Croatia
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Ghana 
Hong Kong 
Hungary 
India 
Ireland 
Italy 
Japan 
Lithuania 
Macedonia
Namibia 
Nigeria 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovakia 
South Africa 
South Korea 
Spain 
Sweden
Switzerland

Respondents’ experience as provisionally registered teachers

Registrants were asked two qualitative questions about their experience as provisionally registered teachers. This was not an evaluative exercise. The questions were designed to take a snapshot of individuals’ experiences and attitudes to identify if any themes emerge when comparing different cohorts or equality groups.

A description of registrants’ teaching experience as provisionally registered teachers

Respondents were asked to enter three words to describe their teaching experience so far as provisionally registered teachers. Overall, respondents reported a positive experience, with ‘rewarding’, ‘challenging’ and ‘exciting’ the words most often used to describe it.

The top ten most frequently used words for each subgroup have been used to give a broad impression of what provisionally registered teachers said.

Most frequently used words to describe experience as a provisionally registered teacher broken down into subgroups

A number of subgroups have been chosen to compare the experiences of different registrants in a very broad way.

There is a great deal of commonality in the words which different groups have used to describe their teaching experience.

The tables below show the ten most frequently used words by all respondents and for a variety of subgroups.

*Lesbian, gay, bisexual and other: see the ‘Equality characteristics of provisionally registered teachers: Sexuality’ section. Respondents who selected ‘gay or lesbian’, ‘bisexual’ or ‘other sexual orientation’.

**Those who responded that they have one or more disability or health condition that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more.

† The number of respondents on the Flexible Route is lower, and identifying frequently used words was more challenging. Textual analysis of the responses showed that some comments related to the ability to find work so that they could start their teaching experience. Reading the comments also showed that teachers on the Flexible Route were more likely to report negative experiences compared to the wider cohort and those on TIS.

Bullying, harassment, racism or other discrimination in the teaching experience of provisionally registered teachers

Equality Survey, Chart 25: Respondents with experience of bullying, harassment, racism or other discrimination, organised by subgroups

Bar chart showing: All respondents = 11.5%, TIS Cohort 9.9%, Flexible Route cohort = 27.5%, Female = 11.7%, Male = 11.0%, Under 25 and 25-34 = 9.5%, 35+ = 18%, Minority ethnic = 31.1%, LGBO* = 21.8%, Disability/health condition = 17.9%, Caring responsibility = 18.1%, Religions other than Christianity** = 24.2%

**Where respondent selected any religion other than ‘none’, ‘Church of Scotland’, ‘Roman Catholic’ or ‘other Christian religion’. This figure compares with 10.5% for those selecting ‘none’ and 11.2% for those selecting Christian religions.

High-level themes emerging from the survey

The survey results show a snapshot of the register which is diverse across a number of equality characteristics. The register is also international.

Around a quarter of respondents have caring responsibilities. This proportion is significantly higher among registrants who:

are over 35
come from a minority ethnic background, or
who are on the Flexible Route.

There is greater diversity in the Flexible Route cohort across a number of equality characteristics, including age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion and caring responsibilities.

The percentage of respondents who identify as an ethnicity considered to be in the Minority Ethnic category is higher than the figure given in the Diversity in the Teaching Profession Annual Data Report.

In general, respondents reported a largely positive experience as provisionally registered teachers, especially among those on the Teacher Induction Scheme. The reported experience of those on the Flexible Route appears less positive.

11.5% of respondents reported experiencing bullying, harassment, racism or other discrimination in their work as provisionally registered teacher. This figure is higher across a number of equality characteristics.

Survey purpose and response rate

The table below shows the number of survey responses which were received.

Participation was lower among the Flexible Route registrants, who received the survey link by email. Factors which may have contributed to the response rate include:

choosing a target group, rather than the entire register
embedding a link in a place where provisionally registered registrants on the TIS would see it
working with Probation Managers to raise awareness and promote participation
a reminder email to Flexible Route provisionally registered teachers three days before the survey closed
articulation of the purpose of the survey, with details included in FAQs
the voluntary and anonymous nature of the survey

In order to mitigate the risk of individuals being identified, this report largely uses percentages rather than raw figures.

Route to full registration

Please select the route to full registration which you are taking

Employment status of registrants on the Flexible Route

Please select the employment status that most accurately describes you

Two-thirds of respondents reported having work, something which is crucial to achieving the Standard for Full Registration. 29% said they are looking for work.

What is your reason for following the Flexible Route to full registration?

Of those who gave another reason, the following themes were identified.

Caring responsibilities (18%)
Qualified outside Scotland* (15%)
Currently living or working outside Scotland (11%)
Negative experience on TIS (9%)
Offered an attractive contract by an employer (9%)
Relocated (8%)
Other personal circumstances (8%)
Preferred locality (7%)
College lecturer (7%)
Extension (4%)
Health reasons (2%)

* Some respondents who gave this reason could equally have chosen the option ‘I am not eligible for TIS’. Therefore, there is overlap between these groups.

Equality characteristics of provisionally registered teachers

Overall, the data from respondents shows a diverse group of provisionally registered teachers.

All respondents

The following charts show an equality profile of all respondents.

Teacher Induction Scheme

The following charts show an equality profile of respondents on the Teacher Induction Scheme.

Flexible Route

The following charts show an equality profile of respondents on the Flexible Route.

Sex, gender and gender reassignment

The female/male split of 20% to 80% in this cohort can be compared to the whole register, where the split is 22% to 78%.

Sexual orientation

The table below shows the breakdown of sexual orientation for all respondents.

Age

The table below shows the age breakdown for all respondents.

Ethnicity

*Ethnic groups which are marked with an asterisk are those which are includedunder Minority Ethnic in this report, in the teacher census and in the Diversity in Teaching Annual Data report.

Religion

The table below shows a breakdown for all respondents.

Disability and health

Caring responsibilities

The table below shows a breakdown for all respondents.

Nationality

Responses to the survey show that our register is an international one.

Diversity of nationality is considerably greater in the Flexible Route cohort than for TIS provisionally registered teachers.

The table below shows the percentage of registrants with UK nationality compared to those of other nationality.

Other countries of origin included, in alphabetical order:

Australia 
Belgium 
Bolivia 
Brazil 
British National Overseas (BNO) 
Botswana 
Bulgaria
Canada 
China 
Colombia 
Croatia
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Ghana 
Hong Kong 
Hungary 
India 
Ireland 
Italy 
Japan 
Lithuania 
Macedonia
Namibia 
Nigeria 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovakia 
South Africa 
South Korea 
Spain 
Sweden
Switzerland

Respondents’ experience as provisionally registered teachers

A description of registrants’ teaching experience as provisionally registered teachers

The top ten most frequently used words for each subgroup have been used to give a broad impression of what provisionally registered teachers said.

Most frequently used words to describe experience as a provisionally registered teacher broken down into subgroups

A number of subgroups have been chosen to compare the experiences of different registrants in a very broad way.

There is a great deal of commonality in the words which different groups have used to describe their teaching experience.

The tables below show the ten most frequently used words by all respondents and for a variety of subgroups.

**Those who responded that they have one or more disability or health condition that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more.

Bullying, harassment, racism or other discrimination in the teaching experience of provisionally registered teachers

High-level themes emerging from the survey

The survey results show a snapshot of the register which is diverse across a number of equality characteristics. The register is also international.

Around a quarter of respondents have caring responsibilities. This proportion is significantly higher among registrants who:

are over 35
come from a minority ethnic background, or
who are on the Flexible Route.

There is greater diversity in the Flexible Route cohort across a number of equality characteristics, including age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion and caring responsibilities.