TEACHER numbers in Scotland have increased by more than 1,000 as the sector looks to deal with the effects of coronavirus.

Statistics released by the Scottish Government on Tuesday show the number of teachers in 2020 rose by 1,153 to 53,400.

A report released alongside the figures states Covid-19 recruitment is a “major contributing factor” to the increase, along with the reduction in the pupil-to-teacher ratio to 13.3 and an increase in the number of educators on temporary contracts.

“Additional teachers have been recruited in the 2020/21 school year to support the recovery of education following the disruption caused by Covid-19,” the report said.

“These additional teachers are likely to be a major contributing factor to the increase in teacher numbers, reduction in overall PTR, decrease in average primary class sizes, increase in proportion of teachers on temporary posts and the overall proportion of the 2019/20 cohort of teacher induction scheme (TIS) probationers in teaching posts.”

The Scottish Government pledged to recruit an extra 1,400 teachers to deal with the effects of the pandemic, as well as to reduce class sizes and allow for social distancing, but opposition parties have said that does not go far enough.

The ruling party lost a vote in the Scottish Parliament, with opponents pushing for a further 2,000 teachers to be hired.

Education Secretary John Swinney said: “I welcome this significant rise in teacher numbers, which is the largest annual increase since equivalent statistics began in 2006.

“The Covid-19 pandemic led us to take action to help pupils catch up with learning having been out of school and we have invested an additional £80 million to recruit more than 1,400 additional teachers and 200 support staff this year – all of whom are now in place.”

As well as the reduction in the pupil-to-teacher ratio, average class size in primary school has also fallen.

At every stage, there has been a reduction in class size, with an average decline to 23.1 from 23.5 in 2019 in Scotland.

Mr Swinney added: “A drop in class sizes is also welcome news as it is a crucial element in our ambition to close the attainment gap between the most and least deprived.

“As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, our focus will steadfastly remain on delivering equity and excellence.”