NFER’s latest annual report on the teacher labour market in England, published today, shows that the teacher recruitment and retention challenge has significantly intensified since the pandemic.
Recruitment to initial teacher training (ITT) was considerably below target last year across a wide range of subjects. Our forecast from ITT applications up to February 2023 suggests that recruitment is likely to be little better this year. Bursaries have boosted applications in some subjects, but applications in subjects that did not receive a bursary increase are 10 per cent lower than last year.
The latest data on teacher leaving rates shows that fewer teachers left during the pandemic, but no data on the post-pandemic situation is yet available. However, data on teacher vacancies from TeachVac shows that schools posted significantly more jobs last year compared to the year before the pandemic. The number of vacancies schools have posted so far this year is even higher – nearly double the pre-pandemic level.
More job openings chasing fewer new teachers means that we have a worsening crisis. It may mean school leaders increasingly resorting to the use of non-specialist teachers to plug gaps, which will ultimately affect pupil attainment outcomes. Addressing recruitment and retention should be an urgent policy priority, to ensure schools have sufficient staff to provide a high-quality education for pupils.
