Teacher numbers and vacancies

Request data on teacher numbers, vacancies, and use of supply teachers.

Teacher shortages affect the quality of education children receive. If you want to know how many posts are unfilled and how often supply teachers fill the gaps, this is the request to use.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information as at [DATE e.g. September 2025]: 1. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers employed by the authority. 2. The number of teacher vacancies currently advertised or unfilled. 3. The number of days of supply teacher cover used in [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25], broken down by school. 4. The total spend on supply teachers in the same period. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local council’s education department. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • The Scottish Government publishes an annual school staff census, based on a snapshot in mid-September. This request goes further by asking for supply teacher usage, which is not in the census.
  • FTE is more useful than headcount because many teachers work part-time.
  • If you want data for a single school, name it in the request. This reduces the work for the council and makes it less likely to hit the cost limit.