OECD education report raises ‘significant questions’ for Government, says union

Scotland’s largest teaching union has said there are “significant questions” for the Scottish Government to answer on its support for education.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has called for greater investment from the Government and local authorities in quality education.

It follows the publication of the annual Education at a Glance report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It compares education across countries within the OECD and using this data the EIS has noted some concerns when applying it to Scottish education.

The report says average class sizes across the OECD are 21 for primary education and 23 in lower secondary. Class sizes can be up to 33 pupils, at all stages, in Scotland.

The report also highlights that pupil-to-teacher ratios are higher than average across the UK.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “The OECD Education at a Glance report is a major piece of work, which presents a range of interesting comparisons in education systems across the globe.

“While the amount of Scottish-specific data in the report is limited, the overall trends identified in the report do offer up some significant questions for the Scottish Government and local authorities to answer on their support for Scottish education.

“High workload in Scotland’s schools continues to be a major issue, with teachers consistently facing excessive workload burdens. Scotland’s large class sizes and the long time that teachers spend in the classroom, compared to peers in other countries, are significant factors in the workload strains that our teachers face.

“This is an issue that the Scottish Government and local authorities must tackle if the working conditions of teachers and the learning conditions of pupils are to be improved.”

For pupil-teacher ratios in early years settings, the average ratio across the OECD is 13 pupils per teacher. Across the whole of the UK, the figure is 32 pupils per teacher.

Specific Scottish figures on early years are not included in the report. However, the known average pupil-teacher ratio in Scottish early years establishments is at 133 pupils per teacher, according to the summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2024.

Ms Bradley said: “Particularly glaring from a Scottish perspective are the figures for pupil-to-teacher ratios in early years settings. Across the OECD, there are an average of 13 pupils per teacher, and 32 pupils per teacher across the UK. Staggeringly, in Scotland, the average figure is 133 pupils per teacher in early years.

“Given the importance of quality early years education to young people’s future life chances and bearing in mind the Scottish Government’s stated focus on combating child poverty and closing its associated achievement and attainment gap, this is an area where significant additional investment in teachers is desperately needed.”

Across all OECD countries, an average of 6.5% of qualified teachers left the profession over the year studied, with almost one third of them leaving within the first five years of their career.

The OECD covers 38 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

Ms Bradley said: “The OECD report identifies a downward trend in investment in education globally, something that has been felt particularly acutely in Scotland’s schools in recent years.

“The reality is that both the Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities must step up their support for our schools, and their commitment to investing in quality education for all our young people.

“This will require more teachers and more support staff employed in our schools, and a renewed focus on investing in young people to ensure a better future, both for those young people themselves and also for the future of Scottish society as a whole.”

Scottish Government has been approached for comment.