23-24/77

I write with reference to your request for information (FOI 23-24 /77) dated 5 January 2024 which we have handled under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA). We requested clarification on 5 and 12 January to which you responded on 20 February.You asked for “available data pertaining to teacher numbers in Scotland over the past five years broken down by each council area.” In your clarification, you specified that you are looking for information based on subject.

Please note that the register operates as a current register, therefore, we are unable to report on information unless it was otherwise extracted at the time. As such, we have applied section 17(1)(b) to the first four years of records under your request.

However, as specified to you in our clarification via email on 20 February date, the Scottish Government collects, collates and publishes information and may be able to provide historic data per Local Authority through the link provided.

We have provided the current number of registrations as data extracted on 27 February 2024 in Table 1 of the attached enclosure labelled FOI 23-24_77_Records from a total Register of 94,194 registrations held by 81,793 Registrants. There are more registrations than Registrants as a single Registrant can hold multiple registrations in various subjects. Registration information contained in the enclosure has been included only for registrants who have self-reported local authority employment.

We rely on Registrants to self-report their employment information. Therefore, the information gathered in the enclosure may not reflect all current registrations in circumstances where there is misalignment between a registrant's actual employer and their self-reported employment information.

You will see that I have not provided the exact number where the number is fewer than five. This is because disclosing these low numbers could enable individuals to be identified. This would breach the data protection principles set out in data protection legislation. FOISA does not require us to provide this sort of information as it is exempt under section 38(1)(b).Please note that the registrations listed in the enclosure contain registration categories currently in use and historic registration categories that are no longer used by GTC Scotland. It may also be helpful for you to be aware that the Register of Teachers is a professional register, it is not a register of employment. Entry on the Register of Teachers indicates that individuals meet professional standards and requirements of the Registration and Standards Rules 2015.

Where there are no registrations held by teachers self-declaring employment in a local authority we have removed these categories from the enclosure. For clarity, removed categories include registration categories available only to teachers in restricted groups established as part of timelimited onboarding arrangements to facilitate the registration of new groups onto the Register, such as teachers employed in Independent Schools in Scotland.

I hope this information is helpful. If you are dissatisfied with this response, you may contact informationgovernance@gtcs.org.uk to request GTCS conduct a review of this decision. You should describe the original request and explain your grounds of review. You have 40 working days from receipt of this decision to submit a review request. When the review process has been completed, if you are still dissatisfied, you may use the Scottish Information Commissioner`s guidance on making an appeal to make an appeal to the Commissioner.

Enclosure: FOI 23-24_77_Records