COVID-19 recruitment has pushed teacher numbers in Scotland up to more than 53,000, the latest figures show.
Statistics from the Scottish Government reveal the number of teachers in 2020 rose by 1153 to 53,400.
Adaptations due to the pandemic are a "major contributing factor", along with the reduction in the pupil-to-teacher ratio to 13.3 and an increase in the number of educators on temporary contracts.
The Scottish Government pledged to recruit an extra 1400 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 2000 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."
On average primary school class sizes, which went to 23.1 to 23.5, Swinney added: "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."
But the Scottish Children's Services Coalition has revealed its concerns about provision for pupils with additional support needs.
The number of pupils with autism, dyslexia, mental health problems and more reached a record high of 226,838 this year, with one third of the pupil population known to have some form of additional support needs (ASN).
Sixty per cent of this group are boys.
The coalition said: “While it is promising that this increase tells us that more young people with ASN are being identified, it is against a worrying background of damaging cuts to services."
It went on: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, which is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation. This is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN."
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