A total of 380 teachers aged 65 and above (130 men and 250 women) retired in 2014-15, compared with 320 teachers (110 men and 210 women) in 2010-11.

These older retirements may remain a relatively small number compared to of the total of 15,760 retirements in 2015, but retirees aged 65 and above have steadily increased as a proportion.

The compulsory retirement age of 65 was abolished by the government in 2011 following the passing of an EU directive that aimed to reduce age discrimination in the workplace.

In 2014-15, 3 per cent of all male teacher retirees and 2.2 per cent of all female teacher retirees were aged 65 or above when they retired, compared with 1.8 per cent of men and 1.5 per cent of women in 2010.

In Scotland last year, 521 teachers aged 65 and over were still in employment - almost four times as many as in 2010, when the number of 65-year-old teachers totalled 133.

@willmartie