This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Independent Schools Census
25/04/2006
The results of the annual census of independent schools in Scotland, conducted in September 2005, are published today.
The main findings are:
- There were 30,321 pupils in independent schools in Scotland, 67 more than in 2004. This net difference consists of an increase of 24 in primary and 43 in secondary schools, with the number in special schools remaining constant from 2004
- Four per cent of all school pupils in Scotland were in independent schools. Numbers in independent schools have remained fairly steady in recent years, compared to a decrease in the population
- There were a total of 3,354 teachers, an increase of 52 over the 2004 figure. The average (mean) age of teachers was 44. The age profile shows a slight peak in the early fifties, with 18 per cent of teachers aged 55 or over. Of those who returned information, 88 per cent of teachers were registered with the General Teaching Council - Scotland
Primary schools
- There were 60 independent primary schools in 2005 compared with 63 in 2004 and 62 in 2003
- There were 11,592 pupils in independent primary schools in 2005, an increase of 0.2 per cent from 2004. Numbers have fluctuated between 11,559 and 11,844 in recent years
- There were 906 teachers (FTE) in independent primary schools in 2005, an increase of 3 from 2004. This equates to 12.8 pupils per teacher in 2005, the same as in 2004
Secondary schools
- There were 57 secondary schools in 2005, compared to 55 in 2004. The number of independent secondary schools had previously decreased from 63 in 1999
- There were 17,597 pupils in independent secondary schools in 2005, an increase of 0.2 per cent from 2004. The number of pupils has remained fairly steady in recent years
- There were 2,119 teachers (FTE) in independent secondary schools in 2005, an increase of 54 from 2004. There were 8.3 pupils per teacher in 2005, compared with 8.5 in 2004
Special schools
- There were 33 independent special schools in 2005, compared to 34 schools in 2004, and 33 in 2003
- There were 1,132 pupils in independent special schools in 2005, the same as in 2004 (table 23). Most pupils in independent special schools are funded by local authorities
- There were 330 teachers (FTE) in independent special schools in 2005, a slight decrease from 2004. There were 3.4 pupils per teacher in 2005, the same as in 2004
Special Educational Needs
- In primary and secondary schools there were 462 pupils (1.6 per cent) with a Record of Needs and/or an Individualised Educational Programme. This compares with 300 in 2004, the increase being mainly due to an improvement in reporting. The largest categories of main difficulty of learning were specific learning difficulties in language and/or mathematics - including dyslexia (11.2 per 1,000 pupils) and moderate learning difficulties (2.7 per 1,000 pupils)
- In special schools the largest categories of main difficulty of learning were social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (66 per cent) and autistic spectrum disorder (15 per cent)