LABOUR has blamed SNP incompetence for driving teachers out of Scottish schools, as numbers leaving the profession soar.

Analysis by Scottish Labour of figures revealed by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) under freedom of information shows that the number of teachers deregistering has leapt by almost a third since 2021.

The figures show a staggering 106 per cent rise in leavers aged between 21 and 45; and a 96 per cent rise among 21- to 25-year-olds. The number of teachers aged 55 or younger leaving teaching has risen by 66 per cent over the same period.

Pointing to an earlier GTCS report which found that teachers were leaving for other careers amid growing violence in the classroom and a dearth of permanent posts in a landscape dominated for decades by collapsing council budgets, Scottish Labour says the figures show that pupils and teachers are being failed by the Scottish government.

The party’s education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “These damning figures tell the story of the SNP’s failure in our schools. Qualified teachers are being driven out of Scottish schools by the SNP’s incompetence — whether it’s their shambolic workforce planning, their cuts to additional support needs or their failure to tackle the rising tide of violence in our classrooms.

“Despite the best efforts of teachers, our education system is in decline and young people are being badly failed.

“It’s time for a change in direction to repair the damage the SNP has done to Scotland’s once world-class education system.”

The Scottish government was approached for comment.