The number of teachers working in England’s state schools has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to the annual school workforce census, which recorded 466,300 teachers this year – a drop of more than 1,900 since last year. The decline is concentrated in mainstream primary and secondary schools, with primary teacher numbers falling by 1.3 per cent and secondary by 0.4 per cent. Overall, the full-time equivalent school workforce has shrunk for the first time since 2019, standing at 984,610 compared with 986,125 the previous year.
Government’s recruitment pledge under scrutiny
The Department for Education (DfE) insists it is on track to deliver a manifesto commitment to recruit 6,500 additional teachers over the course of the current parliament. It says it has already added 4,654 teachers towards that target – about 71 per cent – comprising 3,008 in secondary and special schools and 1,646 in further education. The number of teachers in special educational needs and pupil referral units rose by 3.9 per cent. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We’re making real progress where it’s needed most: over two-thirds of our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers has already been met, fewer teachers are leaving the profession than at any point on record, and more are choosing to build long, rewarding careers in teaching.” The DfE separately argued that it had added 4,600 teachers compared with its 2023 baseline when primary teachers were excluded, including 1,000 in secondary, about 2,000 in special needs and pupil referral units, and 1,600 in further education – although the latter figure has not yet been published in official statistics.
Critics, however, question the government’s characterisation of the data. Jack Worth, education workforce lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), noted that the DfE’s count includes 2,300 additional teachers recorded in November 2024, only a few months after Labour took power, making it “highly unlikely that its policies could have had a meaningful impact on those figures”. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the overall fall in teacher numbers “makes a mockery of the government’s promise of 6,500 extra teachers”. The census reveals the fewest entrants to the profession for at least 15 years, with 41,000 new and former teachers joining state schools this year compared with 51,000 a decade ago. The number of newly qualified recruits is at its lowest since records began 30 years ago. Entrants fell by 800 to 41,012 between 2023‑24 and 2024‑25, while leavers dropped by 2,100 to 38,600. Teacher retention rates remain relatively stable at 89.7 per cent, and 89.7 per cent of those who qualified in 2023 are still teaching a year later – but between 10 and 15 per cent of newly qualified teachers leave the state sector in their first year, and figures for the 2022‑23 cohort show 11 per cent left within one year and 21 per cent within two. The majority – 91 per cent – of those who leave do so for a career change or to move to other education sectors rather than for retirement.
The government has offered tax-free bursaries and scholarships of up to £31,000 for subjects such as chemistry, maths, physics and computing, with additional payments for early career teachers in disadvantaged schools. Yet recruitment targets for secondary initial teacher training have been consistently missed, reaching only 62 per cent of the target in 2024‑25, particularly in STEM and modern languages. Teacher pay has fallen by 10.4 per cent in real terms between 2010‑11 and 2022‑23, though it has since risen by 5 per cent in real terms to 2024‑25. The DfE notes an average median pay of £51,048, a 4 per cent increase on the previous year. High workload is cited as a key factor by 90 per cent of teachers considering leaving the profession.
Non-specialist teaching and the cost to pupils
Jack Worth of the NFER warned that sustained progress is essential to reverse the damage caused by previous undersupply, “particularly in shortage secondary subjects, and particularly in schools serving the most disadvantaged communities”. He pointed out that one in six maths lessons in years 7 to 9 are still taught by non-specialist teachers. The impact on pupils is evident: a survey of UK students found that 63 per cent have fallen behind in a subject due to inconsistent teaching, and 62 per cent have missed important lessons because of teacher absence or mid‑year departures.
Meanwhile, the school census shows the number of pupils eligible for free school meals has risen by 45,000 to more than 2.2 million, meaning 26.5 per cent of all pupils now receive them. The north-east of England remains the worst‑affected region, with one in three pupils eligible; the rate is 31 per cent in the West Midlands, and 21 per cent in the east and south‑east of England. The NEU’s Daniel Kebede argued that falling pupil numbers present an opportunity to increase staffing levels and reduce class sizes, as the previous Labour government did 25 years ago. Class sizes remain near record highs, with over a million pupils taught in classes of 31 or more. The pupil‑teacher ratio now stands at 18.0 overall – 20.8 in primary schools, 16.7 in secondary schools and 6.6 in special schools and pupil referral units. Over 1.7 million pupils in England have special educational needs, an increase of 5.6 per cent since 2024, and the number of pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan has doubled since 2016. On the staffing side, the number of support staff has increased slightly, driven by a rise of 6,200 teaching assistants, although other support roles such as office staff have declined. Local authorities reported employing around 300 more educational psychologists in 2024‑25, up from 2,700 the previous year.
