FOI Request - Ringfenced Teacher Numbers Funding
Request 101003977028
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) relating to the ringfenced funding allocated by the Scottish Government to local authorities for the purpose of protecting teacher numbers, beginning in financial year 2022/2023.
For the purposes of this request, this funding refers to the annual ringfenced allocation described by the Scottish Government as funding to "protect teacher numbers", which was set at £145.5 million nationally in 2022/2023, repeated in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, and increased to £186.5 million in 2025/2026. I understand each local authority received a proportionate share of this national total.
Please provide the following information for each financial year from 2022/2023 to 2025/2026 inclusive:
PART 1 — FUNDING RECEIVED
1. The total amount of ringfenced teacher numbers funding received by the council from the Scottish Government in each financial year from 2022/2023 to 2025/2026.
2. Any documentation — including, but not limited to, grant conditions letters, settlement letters, or accompanying guidance — received from the Scottish Government setting out the terms under which this funding was allocated and the conditions attached to its use.
3. Any documentation indicating whether this funding was presented to the council as new and additional funding, or whether the council was advised or understood it to have been incorporated from or replacing a pre-existing element of the local government finance settlement.
PART 2 — EXPENDITURE
4. A breakdown of how the council spent or allocated its share of this ringfenced funding in each financial year, including, but not limited to:
a) The specific budget lines or cost centres to which the funding was applied;
b) Whether it was used to fund teacher salaries, recruitment incentives (including, but not limited to, accommodation support, golden handshakes, or relocation allowances), supply cover, or any other specific purpose;
c) Whether any portion of the funding was used for purposes other than direct teacher employment costs, and if so, what those purposes were.
5. Any internal reports, budget monitoring documents, or council committee papers — including, but not limited to, finance committee minutes, education committee papers, or budget scrutiny reports — in which the use or allocation of this funding was discussed or recorded.
6. If the council did not spend its full allocation in any given year, what happened to the underspend — including whether it was returned to the Scottish Government, absorbed into general reserves, or carried forward.
PART 3 — RINGFENCING AND OVERSIGHT
7. Any written guidance, conditions, or directions — including, but not limited to, letters, circulars, or formal directions — received from the Scottish Government setting out what expenditure is and is not permitted under the ringfencing designation attached to this funding.
8. Any documentation showing how the council reported its use of this funding back to the Scottish Government, including, but not limited to, any returns, audit documents, or compliance statements submitted for this purpose.
9. Any documentation in which the council was asked by the Scottish Government to account for, justify, or provide evidence of how this funding had been spent.
10. Any documentation in which the Scottish Government indicated, formally or informally, that it would or would not seek to recover or claw back funding in circumstances where teacher number targets had not been met.
PART 4 — COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
11. All written communications — including, but not limited to, emails, letters, and meeting minutes or notes — between council officials and Scottish Government ministers or officials relating to:
a) The acceptable uses of this ringfenced funding;
b) The consequences for councils of not meeting teacher number targets set by the Scottish Government;
c) The consequences for councils of not spending the funding in accordance with its ringfenced purpose;
d) Any dispute or disagreement between the council and the Scottish Government about whether this funding was genuinely additional to the pre-existing local government settlement.
12. Any legal advice obtained by the council relating to the enforceability of the Scottish Government's ringfencing conditions or teacher number targets, or the council's liability in the event of non-compliance — to the extent that such advice is not covered by legal professional privilege.
SCOPE AND FORMAT
The request covers the period from 1 April 2022 to the date of this request.
1. Where documents are held electronically, please provide them in their original format where possible. Where information is held in spreadsheet or tabular form, please provide it in a machine-readable format such as .xlsx or .csv.
2. If any part of this request is refused, please specify which exemption or exception under FOISA applies to each part refused, and confirm whether a public interest test has been applied. I would ask that you provide any information that can be disclosed