Scotland’s schools face a deepening crisis as fresh government figures reveal that fewer than one in four newly qualified teachers secured a permanent post last year, leaving hundreds drifting into temporary contracts or quitting the profession altogether.
The stark statistics for 2024-25, released just days ago, show that of the 2,294 teachers who completed their probationary year, only 568 (24.8 per cent) moved into permanent roles in Scotland’s public schools. The remaining 1,726 face an uncertain future, with 1,015 stuck on short-term contracts and 711 having already left teaching or moved south of the border.
Temporary Contracts Now the Norm for Young Teachers
The numbers confirm what classroom teachers have been warning about for years: permanent jobs have become the exception rather than the rule for new entrants.
More than 44 per cent of Scotland’s newest teachers are now trapped in temporary or fixed-term posts, contracts that conveniently allow cash-strapped councils to avoid paying salaries during school holidays.
Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) general secretary Andrea Bradley described the situation as “unsustainable”, pointing out that around one in five teachers across Scotland now works under temporary arrangements.
“Young teachers are being forced to live term-to-term, never knowing if they’ll have a job in August,” Bradley told BBC Radio Scotland. “Many are simply voting with their feet and leaving.”
The exodus is already visible. Official figures show 711 probationers, nearly a third of the cohort, have either quit teaching entirely or taken posts in England, where permanent contracts remain far more common.
Government Blames Pay Deals, Unions Point to Broken Promises
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, herself a former teacher, appeared to lay blame at the door of recent pay agreements, telling BBC Breakfast that teacher wage rises had cost the Scottish Government “in excess of £800 million since 2021”.
Yet critics were quick to highlight that teacher numbers have still fallen far short of the SNP’s 2021 manifesto pledge to recruit an additional 3,500 teachers and reduce class contact time to 21 hours per week.
Current staffing levels remain roughly where they were a decade ago, despite a growing pupil roll and increasingly complex classroom needs.
Gilruth advised newly qualified teachers to “apply to a range of different local authorities”, describing this as the same path she followed in her career.
The comment drew sharp criticism from those who pointed out that when Gilruth qualified, permanent posts were readily available, unlike the current generation facing the worst job market in living memory.
Strike Ballot Falls Short But Pressure Mounts
Teaching unions had hoped to force government action through the threat of national strike action.
Last week the EIS revealed that 85.9 per cent of members who voted backed walkouts over workload and job security. However, a turnout of just 46.6 per cent meant the ballot failed to meet the 50 per cent threshold required under controversial anti-trade union laws.
Union leaders immediately pledged to re-ballot members within weeks, with Bradley warning that “teachers have had enough of broken promises and being taken for granted”.
Separate research published this month by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools showed that private schools continue to snap up disillusioned state teachers, with applications from qualified state-sector staff rising by 38 per cent year-on-year.
Long-Term Damage to Scotland’s Education System
Classroom veterans warn that the reliance on temporary staff is already affecting education quality.
Schools report having to re-teach topics when temporary teachers leave mid-year, while the constant turnover disrupts relationships that research shows are crucial for pupil progress, particularly for disadvantaged children.
The crisis comes at the worst possible time, with Scottish education still struggling to close the attainment gap and recover learning lost during the pandemic.
One probationer teacher, who asked not to be named, told this reporter: “I spent five years training for this career, took on debt, worked unpaid overtime during my probation, and now I’m being told to just keep applying while living on benefits through the summer. It’s soul-destroying.”
The Scottish Government insists teacher numbers are rising thanks to protected funding, but insiders say much of this additional money has gone towards covering pay awards rather than creating new permanent posts.
With council budgets facing further real-term cuts and another challenging pay round looming, teaching leaders warn that without urgent action, Scotland risks losing an entire generation of talent from its classrooms.
The message to Holyrood is clear: value education properly, or watch the workforce that delivers it walk away.
What do you think should be done to fix Scotland’s teacher recruitment crisis? Share your views below, and if you’re on social media, use #SaveScottishTeaching to join the conversation.
