FOI Request - Supply Teachers

Request 101003662707

I am requesting information regarding the use and cost of supply teachers within schools in your local authority area over the last five financial years. For clarity, in this request, a ‘supply teacher’ refers to a qualified teacher employed on a temporary or short-term basis to cover staff absences or vacancies.

Specifically, I would like the following information:

1.  The total number of supply teachers employed in each of the last five financial years.

2.  The total annual cost associated with employing supply teachers, broken down by financial year.

3.  If possible, a breakdown of the subjects for which supply teachers were engaged each year, to show areas where supply teacher support was most frequently utilised.

Please provide a breakdown by financial year and by (a) primary and (b) secondary school levels.

Response 20-11-2024

1. 19/20 - as at 10/4/19, 285 supply teachers on the supply lists
20/21 – information not available
21/22 - as at 4/3/22, 355 supply teachers on the supply lists
22/23 - as at 29/8/22, 382 supply teachers on the supply lists
23/24 - as at 14/3/24, 416 supply teachers on the supply lists

2. Not held. The cost is allocated in Devolved School Management (DSM) budgets and not held centrally. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

3. Given that schools manage their own supply staff from their DSM budget, there is no central record of each supply teacher employed and the hours that they have undertaken. This would be in each supply teacher’s payroll listing. We would need to check every supply teacher’s monthly pay record to get this information. This task would cost the Council in excess of £600 of staff time. In accordance with section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (excessive cost), we are therefore unable to comply with this request. which would be excessive cost.