Scottish schools are suffering from the loss of invaluable experience as more “worn-down” teachers take early retirement.
The head of a leading teaching union said it used to be “unusual” for staff to leave the profession early, but it is now “increasingly common” in an era of rising pupil violence and high workloads.
Figures, obtained by Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, also show the number of teachers accessing their pensions before normal pension age has soared in Scotland in the past few years.
In 2019, a total of 677 members of the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (STSS) and Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 (STPS 2015) “opted to retire” before normal pension age.
By 2022, the number had more than doubled to 1,481, before falling slightly last year to 1,338 teachers.
The figures may double-count some staff who took pension benefits from both schemes before normal pension age. The Scottish Government also said the statistics do not represent the number of teachers retiring early, but the number claiming their pension early, with the increase coming at a time when the state pension age has risen to 66.
The data has emerged just weeks after figures showed a huge increase in the number of teachers quitting the profession within five years of starting their careers.
Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union, said: “We know that teachers are increasingly leaving the profession early, often as a result of being worn-down by a combination of excessive workload, rising pupil violence and aggression, and the huge increase in the number of young people with unsupported additional support needs in classrooms.
"In the past, it was unusual for teachers to leave the profession early. Now it is becoming increasingly common, denying schools and young people of the invaluable experience that these teachers offer.
