Teachers being ‘driven out of schools by SNP incompetence’, Labour says

Scotland’s teachers are being “driven out” of schools due to SNP “incompetence”, Labour has said, after figures suggested the numbers leaving the profession have soared.

Between 2021-22 and 2024-25, the number of teachers de-registering in Scotland increased by almost a third, according to Labour’s analysis of freedom of information (FOI) request data from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

The figures suggest an increasing number of young educators are leaving the industry.

The number of teachers aged 55 or younger leaving teaching has risen by 66% since 2021.

There was a 96% rise in leavers aged 21-25, while those leaving aged between 21-45 surged by 106%.

Overall, half of the teachers who de-registered in Scotland in 2024-25 were under the age of 56.

Scottish Labour said the figures showed that Scotland’s pupils and teachers were being failed by the Scottish Government.

The party pointed to a previous GTCS report that found some teachers were leaving the sector because they struggled to find permanent posts, while others left due to excessive workload and violence in schools.

NASUWT Scotland warned last week that some schools in the country are becoming a “battleground for blame and violence”

The union warned that misogynistic and racist rhetoric online is leading to real-world violence.

In the same week, the head of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association said Scotland’s “education is broken”.

Stuart Hunter said schools had “passed the tipping point leading to crisis”, with teachers overwhelmed by an “explosion” in the number of children with additional support needs (ASN).

Labour says that despite this, the number of ASN teachers has been cut.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, the party’s education spokesperson, said: “These damning figures tell the story of the SNP’s failure in our schools.

“Qualified teachers are being driven out of Scottish schools by the SNP’s incompetence – whether it’s their shambolic workforce planning, their cuts to ASN, or their failure to tackle the rising tide of violence in our classrooms.

“Despite the best efforts of teachers, our education system is in decline and young people are being badly failed.

“It’s time for a change in direction to repair the damage the SNP has done to Scotland’s once world-class education system.

“Scottish Labour will properly support teachers, improve workforce planning and ASN provision, tackle violence in schools, and work to reform our education system.”

A spokesperson for education secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “The SNP Government has delivered an uplift of almost £200m to increase teacher numbers, as well as £29m for the Additional Support Needs (ASN) workforce.

“It was extremely disappointing that the Labour Party did not vote for the SNP Budget and therefore did not vote for this additional funding for children and young people.

“We continue to maximise teaching posts, protect learning hours, and increase teacher numbers.

“The pupil-teacher ratio in Scotland continues to be the lowest of anywhere in the UK.”