The GTC Scotland Register - Registration Snapshot Report

Leaving the Register

In registration year 2023-2024, 29 individuals were removed from the Register of Teachers for fitness to teach related reasons (2022-2023: 38 and 2021-2022: 23). Of the 29, 10 were removed for reasons related to the professional competence of provisionally registered teachers who are at the early stage of their professional career and who have failed to maintain the Standard for Provisional Registration or demonstrate they meet the Standard for Full Registration through their period of probationary service. In 2022/23, provisional registration was removed from 12 teachers (2021/22: 8; and 2020/21: 4).

Approximately 5% of registrants choose to leave the Register each year. GTC Scotland contacts everyone leaving the Register and asks them to provide information about why they have chosen to do so.

Previously, we have considered data using the academic year as our time period. We are now moving to considering our data using the registration year. For this reason, the following information covers a 19 month period between 16 August 2022 and 31 March 2024. This will allow us to include information for each 12 month registration year from this point onwards.

Background and survey

Between 16 August 2022 and 31 March 2024, 4,815 individuals left the Register. This number represents all those leaving the Register and may including those that left the Register and have since returned.

1,565 surveys were successfully completed representing 32.5% of all individuals leaving the Register in this period

Percentages shown in section 9.2 to 9.6 show the number of respondents as a percentage of the total who responded (1,565). Percentages shown in the ‘Registration category: Combined data’ section of this document use varying denominators and this is explained in that section.

Chart 9: Reason for leaving the Register

Pie chart showing: I have retired = 58%, I have left the profession for other reasons = 24%, I am leaving or have left Scotland = 11%, I have left the profession for health reasons = 5%, I am taking a career break = 2%

8% (903, 58%) of those who responded left the Register due to retirement (57% in 2021/22). The next largest group (369, 24%) noted other reasons (20% in 2021/22). Of the 369 respondents who selected ‘other reasons’, 351 included additional text to support this.

The most common additional reason for leaving (81) was problems with securing a post; be it a permanent post, sufficient work to achieve full registration requirements via the flexible route or gain a post once fully registered.
73 registrants that left the Register cited lack of support as their reason. This included lack of support during their provisional registration period, lack of support from leadership teams and lack of support in the classroom, particularly in relation to children and young people with additional support needs.
A further 69 noted the effect of workload or unnecessary bureaucracy on their decision.
76 individuals who selected ‘other reasons’ for leaving the Register shared information that their decision related to pupil behaviour, violence and/or additional support needs.
23 respondents referred to bullying from colleagues or leadership which had led to their choice.

Data previously gathered in 2021/22 where ‘other reasons’ were cited as the reason for leaving the Register indicated the most common reasons as workload, dissatisfaction with changes to the Scottish education system, lack of job opportunities and registration no longer being required due to a change in role.

Age at time of leaving

Chart 10: Age at time of leaving

67% of respondents were over the age of 55 when they left the Register. Chart 10 shows the percentage in each age group compared to the Register as a whole.

Registration status

Chart 11: Registration status

Pie chart showing: Full Registration = 93%, Provisional Registration = 7%, Full Registration and Provisional Registration = <1%

93% of respondents (1,451 including those who selected both Full Registration and Full and Provisional Registration options) held full registration in at least one category.

Registration category

Respondents were asked to select the registration categories in which they held registration; these are reported in table 19. As with all questions in this survey, the results are self-reported and cannot be checked for accuracy due to the anonymous nature of the survey.

Of the 1,565 respondents, 1,411 (90%) held registration in one category; 134 (9%) in two categories; and 20 (1%) in three or four categories.

Chart 12: Registrations

Bar chart showing: Primary Education = 823, Secondary Education = 735, Further Education = 66, Additional Support Needs = 107

Chart 12 shows the total number of registrations (1,731) held in each category by respondents to the survey. The greatest number of registrations were in Primary with Secondary the next biggest group.

Stage of career

Chart 13: Stage of career

Pie chart showing: Fully registered for 5 or more years = 83%, Early career phase (first 4 years after becoming fully registered) = 10%, Provisionally registered = 7%

The largest group were those who had held full registration for 5 or more years. 115 individuals (7%) lapsed before gaining full registration.

Combined data

Tables 21a and 21b show the breakdown of reason for leaving by age group.

Three respondents aged between 18 and 34 have stated their reason for leaving is retiral – it is unclear whether this has been selected in error.

Table 21a uses the total number of respondents in that age group as the denominator e.g. the percentage shown for the registrants aged 18 to 24 who indicated that they left the Register because they are leaving or have left Scotland uses the total number of respondents in the age category 18 to 24 as the denominator. For example, in table 21a below, 6 individuals aged 18 to 24 said that they are leaving or have left Scotland. 22% of all 18- to 24-year-olds gave this as their reason for leaving the Register

Table 21b uses the total number of respondents across all age groups who gave that reason for leaving as the denominator. For example, 3% of everyone (of all ages) who gave ‘I am leaving or have left Scotland’ as a reason for leaving the Register were aged 18-24.

Tables 22a and 22b show the breakdown of reason for leaving by stage of career. Table 22a uses the total number of respondents in that career stage, as the denominator. e.g. the percentage shown in table 22a for the registrants by stage of career who indicated that they left the Register because they are leaving or have left Scotland uses the total number of respondents in that stage of career as the denominator. Table 22b uses the total number of respondents who gave that reason for leaving across all career stages, as the denominator (see example in 9.7.1 for further explanation if required).

The most common reason for leaving the Register for registrants who were fully registered for 5 or more years was retirement (68%) with 98% of all those leaving due to retirement being in this career stage.

For those in the early career stage, the most common reason for leaving the Register was leaving the profession for other reasons (51%) with the second most common reason being that they were leaving or had already left Scotland (33%). Of the 78 respondents in the early career group who selected ‘other reasons’, 31 (40% of this group) mentioned difficulties securing a post, 15 cited lack of support (19.2% of this group) and 14 attributed it to stress (17.9% of the group).

There were similar reported results for those who left the Register who were provisionally registered with 63% of these respondents leaving the profession for other reasons and with a further 21% leaving due to leaving or having left Scotland. ‘Other reasons’ in this group (72 respondents) cited lack of support (24; 33.3%) and difficulty securing a post (21; 29.2%). 13 respondents in this group (18.1%) also cited stress as a factor.

It should be noted that respondents could give several ‘other’ reasons for leaving the Register and so multiple factors may be attributed to each individual.