PISA shows almost two thirds of pupils suffering from lack of assisting staff

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Duncan Dunlop MSP has today said that reports in the 2025 PISA study of a shortage of teachers and school staff is directly linked to the mess the SNP have made of teacher training, which is “preventing children from reaching their full potential and getting on in life.”

The PISA study is an international comparison of 91 countries’ education systems.

It showed that in Scotland in 2025:

• 50.9% of pupils attended schools where headteachers reported that a lack of teaching staff hindered instruction to some extent or a lot- this compares with just 39% across other PISA countries.
• Almost two thirds of pupils attended schools where headteachers reported that a lack of assisting staff hindered instruction to some extent or a lot- this compares with just 38.5% across other PISA countries.

Duncan Dunlop MSP said:

“This is directly related to the mess the SNP have made of teacher training. It’s preventing children from reaching their full potential and getting on in life.

“The fundamental problem is that we are not recruiting enough teachers in the subjects we need, including STEM.

“The government is also continuing to train far more primary teachers than schools need, with thousands of primary teachers either unemployed or sitting on short-term contracts for years on end. It doesn’t make any sense.

“One practical solution would be to make it much easier for primary school teachers to requalify and go to work in our secondary schools. Ministers should also listen to our plans to recruit 2,000 more pupil support assistants, and 370 additional speech and language therapists across the country, making sure that children who need extra help are able to receive it.”