New data shows Fife and Perth & Kinross losing teachers while supply spending skyrockets.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Roz McCall, has warned that new figures reveal a deeply alarming decline in teacher numbers across Fife and Perth & Kinross - while councils are being forced to pour millions into supply staff just to keep classrooms running.
Official teacher census data shows that Perth and Kinross has lost 17 teachers since 2021, falling from 1,426 to 1,409. Fife has seen an even steeper drop, losing 55 teachers over the same period, from 3,708 down to 3,653. Across Scotland, teacher numbers have fallen by 873in the last three years.McCall says these figures expose the gulf between SNP rhetoric and reality - and show pupils and teachers paying the price.
Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative FOI requests reveal councils have been forced to spend staggering sums to plug gaps with supply staff.
• Fife Council has spent over £21.5 million on supply teachers since 2020-21.
• Perth and Kinross Council has spent almost £15 million in the same period.
• Nationally, almost £280 million has been spent on supply teachers in just the last three years.
The Scottish Conservatives will continue to hold the SNP to account and push for a national plan to rebuild teacher numbers, support local authorities, and deliver the stable, well-resourced education system families deserve.
Roz McCall MSP said:
“These figures lay bare the crisis unfolding in our classrooms. Teacher numbers are going down, demand is going up, and councils are being forced to throw millions at supply cover just to keep schools functioning
“Fife has lost 55 teachers. Perth and Kinross has lost 17. Scotland as a whole has lost 873. Yet the SNP still claims education is a top priority. Families and staff across Mid Scotland and Fife know that simply isn’t true.
“The soaring supply bill - over £21 million in Fife and almost £15 million in Perth and Kinross - is a direct result of the SNP’s failure to recruit, retain and support teachers.
“This is money that should be going into permanent posts and supporting pupils, not crisis firefighting. Schools are under enormous pressure, teachers are stretched to breaking point, and pupils are losing out. The SNP government must urgently get a grip.”
