The UK government has promised to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers by the end of its parliamentary term, supported by increased VAT on private school fees. However, a report from the National Audit Office highlights that this goal is unlikely to be met, as pupil numbers are expected to rise quicker than the recruitment efforts can accommodate. The education sector, particularly further education colleges, faces significant recruitment challenges, necessitating 12,400 teachers by 2028-29. The Department for Education's past performance in meeting recruitment targets raises concerns about the feasibility of this plan, urging a comprehensive approach to address these issues.
A projected increase in secondary schools' pupil numbers is likely to outpace Labour's recruitment ambitions, leaving teacher vacancies unfilled.
The number of newly qualified teachers who started in state secondary schools in 2023-24 fell to 8,700, the lowest number since 2010-11.
The Department for Education has missed its recruitment target for secondary teacher training in all but one of the past 10 years.
There needs to be a new cross-sector approach to recruiting and retaining enough high-quality teachers. Otherwise, the situation may worsen.
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