Schools with the highest rates of pupils who receive free school
meals (FSM) have larger teacher recruitment and retention
challenges. These schools grapple with higher teacher attrition
(leaving), turnover and vacancy rates, and spend twice as much on
supply teachers. At secondary level they have a shortage of
specialist teachers in key subjects, including, maths, English
and science.
These are just some of the insights highlighted in an expanded
teacher recruitment and retention data dashboard for England
created by NFER and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
The dashboard now includes three additional years and covers the
period 2015/16 to 2023/24. Users can access data on a number of
key workforce indicators, such as teacher leaving rates,
shortages, specialist teachers in key subjects, and initial
teaching training (ITT) - to help better understand staffing
challenges in English primary and secondary schools. All of the
data is broken down geographically.
The tool also now includes the parliamentary constituencies for
the 2024 general election. For example, it shows the three
English constituencies with the highest rate of teacher turnover
in secondary schools in 2023/24 were: West Bromwich, Hampstead
and Highgate, and Beckenham and Penge.
The dashboard features data about Teaching School Hub areas for
the first time, using the areas that came into effect in
September 2024. Teaching School Hubs are school-led centres of
excellence focused on professional development for teachers in a
specific geographic area.
The tool aims to increase understanding of the nature of the
teacher supply challenge, inform stakeholders by highlighting
specific challenges, and support policymakers and decision-makers
to take action to address teacher shortages in the areas where
they are most prevalent.
Also broken down by local authority, the data compares regional
data with national averages.
To highlight some of the key insights available through the
dashboard, NFER senior economist Michael Scott has written a
blog focusing on the
disadvantage gap and how this relates to workforce issues.
Other insights gained from the dashboard include:
- While Covid-19 presented schools with many challenges, some
key teacher recruitment and retention outcomes improved during
the pandemic. For example, spending on supply staff reached a low
point, since at least 2015/16. This has now been reversed, with
supply staff spending rapidly accelerating after 2020/21.
- The proportion of teaching in key secondary subjects like
maths, English and science by a teacher with a relevant
qualification has been declining over recent years. For maths,
this has been true since around 2016.
- London has the highest rate of teacher shortages in both
primary and secondary schools, and this has been consistently
true over the last nine years. Teachers in London schools are
also more likely to leave their school and the sector each year
too.
- Outside of London, recruitment and retention challenges
appear to be spread across the country relatively evenly. For
example, the local authority districts with the highest rate of
vacancies or temporarily filled roles in secondary schools in
2023/24 were: Bradford, North East Lincolnshire, Ipswich, Epping
Forest in Essex, and Rossendale in Lancashire.
NFER School Workforce Lead, Jack Worth, said:
“The enhanced data dashboard is user-friendly and
accessible. It will support local and national decision-makers in
addressing teacher shortages in areas struggling the most.
“This initiative reflects NFER's ongoing commitment to equipping
policymakers and system leaders with the tools and insights
necessary to develop effective strategies for improving teacher
recruitment and retention.”
Dr Emily Tanner, Education Programme Head, the Nuffield
Foundation, said:
“By collating data into a user-friendly tool, the data dashboard
facilitates quick and easy access to granular information about
teacher shortages, supporting targeted interventions that will
ultimately benefit pupils."
