PRIMARY teacher numbers in Fife have increased, it has been revealed.

Kinglassie MSP, Jenny Gilruth, has welcomed the news that numbers are at their highest level since 1980.

Scotland wide, the overall number of teachers rose to 52,247, an increase of 1,530 since 2015 and the highest level since 2009.

In Fife, there has been an increase of 61 teachers since 2014, with 3,530 employed in 2019.

Separate figures show the proportion of primary pupils assessed as achieving the expected levels in listening and talking, reading, writing, and numeracy has continued to improve.

Commenting on the figures, the MSP ofr Glenrothes and Mid Fife asserted: “I am delighted to hear that Fife has had a steady year-on-year increase in the number of teachers employed since 2014.

“The growth is very welcome and reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to closing the poverty related attainment gap and the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) framework.

“The implementation of the £750 million Attainment Scotland Fund has driven this increase in teacher numbers and shows the positive difference the Scottish Government is making on all children across Fife.”

Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP, said: “These latest statistics demonstrate that our reforms are working and education in Scotland is moving in the right direction.

“I am delighted to see teacher numbers continuing to increase, with levels at their highest in a decade and the number of primary teachers being the highest since 1980.

“We are consistently seeing steady, incremental gains in attainment across the broad general education. This is welcome progress but we know there is more to do and achieving equity and excellence is a long-term task.”