Government's response to Education Committee's report on Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education

Monday, 22 September 2025 16:58

Thirty-Eighth Report of Session 2024-25 Department for Education Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education Introduction from the Committee The Department for Education (the Department) is accountable for securing value for money from the funding it provides to schools and further education colleges across England. Educational settings must plan, recruit and manage their own workforces, with the Department responsible for the overall...Request free trial

Thirty-Eighth Report of Session 2024-25

Department for Education

Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education

Introduction from the Committee

The Department for Education (the Department) is accountable for securing value for money from the funding it provides to schools and further education colleges across England.

Educational settings must plan, recruit and manage their own workforces, with the Department responsible for the overall system and national approach. The Department considers that having enough school and college teachers will impact the government's ability to achieve its growth and opportunities missions.

In the academic year 2023–24, there were 217,600 teachers across 3,450 secondary schools, and 54,000 teachers in 230 further education colleges in 2022–23. In secondary schools, pupil-teacher ratios have increased, and the Department has missed all but one of its annual targets for the number of postgraduates starting teacher training since 2015–16. Over the next three years, the Department expects to need more secondary school teachers as student numbers rise. This demand will subsequently impact further education colleges as those children grow older.

In July 2024, the new government pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers for schools and further education colleges by the end of this Parliament. The Department budgeted £700 million to spend on recruitment and retention initiatives, excluding pay and pensions, covering secondary schools and further education colleges in the 2024–25 financial year

Based on a report by the National Audit Office, the Committee took evidence on 19 May 2025 from the Department for Education. The Committee published its report on 9 July 2025. This is the government's response to the Committee's report.

Relevant reports

NAO report: Teacher workforce: secondary and further education – Session 2024-25 (HC 854)
PAC report: Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education – Session 2024-25 (HC 825)

Government response to the Committee

1.ThegovernmentagreeswiththeCommittee'srecommendation.

Target implementation date: December 2025

As part of its Plan for Change, the government is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.
The Department for Education (the department) has made strong initial progress to deliver the commitment to recruit 6,500 teachers. The department announced a 5.5% Pay Award for school teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024-25 and a further 4% Pay Award for 2025-26, announcing a £233 million Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package, confirming Targeted Retention Incentive payments worth up to £6,000 after tax in schools and Further Education (FE), and taking steps to improve teachers' workload and wellbeing.
Whilst government does not set or recommend pay in the FE sector, the department recently announced significant investment of £160 million for colleges and other 16-19 providers in the 2025 to 2026 financial year to help address immediate priorities including recruitment and retention of expert teachers in high-value, priority subjects. This commitment was made in addition to the £400 million of funding announced for 16-19 education in March 2025. In January 2025 the Department for Education confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will continue for the academic year 2025-26. The top bursary value has been increased to £31,000 (tax-free) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The department is seeing positive signs that its investment is starting to deliver: the workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time employed (FTE) between 2023-24 and 2024-25 in secondary and special schools; the schools where they are needed most. The future school teacher pipeline is also growing, as of July 2025 there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in STEM acceptances are up 22% compared to last year.
Progress towards commitment to deliver in colleges will be assessed in greference to the data in the next Further Education Workforce in England publication. Progress will be measured against the academic year 2023-24 baseline of 36,576 FTE teachers in General Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges, as published in the May 2025 collection. In the meantime, there are encouraging early signs of growth in the workforce, with a 2% increase in FTE teachers in statutory further education (FE) providers in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23.
The department will set out more detail on how the commitment to recruit 6,500 teachers will be met over the course of this parliament in a published delivery plan. This will include: the definition of the pledge, how the department will track progress over the duration of this Parliament, progress to date, and the levers it will use to deliver the pledge (including how it will focus on both recruitment and retention).

1.ThegovernmentagreeswiththeCommittee'srecommendation.

Target implementation date: December 2025.

The department has several upcoming publications that will lay out its overall strategy for both sectors. The Schools White Paper will set out how it will better enable teachers and support staff to deliver the very best outcomes for the children they teach. The 6,500 delivery plan will provide detail on the department's approach to school and college teacher recruitment and retention in high priority areas. The post-16 education and skills strategy will set out the system-wide approach to ensuring every learner has a clear route to further study or work, supported by a high-quality FE workforce.
The department is investing in analysing and evaluating policies to understand impact, maximise value for money and ensure focus on our best evidenced levers. The department's strategy is underpinned by a robust and expanding evidence base, including data from the School Workforce Census, Further Education Workforce in England publication, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) performance profiles for Schools, and evaluations of recruitment and retention initiatives.
The department continues to review the balance between recruitment and retention measures to ensure that resources are targeted where they will have the greatest impact. In schools, this includes its current approach of setting clear, evidence-informed targets for entrants through different postgraduate ITT routes, considering whether to adopt this target setting approach in future years, and refining the approach to workforce planning. In colleges, the department is undertaking an evaluation of the Targeted Retention Incentive to better understand its impact on the workforce. The department's approach ensures that interventions are based on the latest workforce data, reflect government priorities and are informed by wider context, e.g. the latest labour market trends.
The department is also embedding value for money analysis into the design and evaluation of all major initiatives, such as the Early Career Framework for Schools and National Professional Qualifications.
Strengthening the evidence base remains a key priority especially in FE where the department's data and therefore its understanding of the workforce is less developed. The FE Workforce in England data publication plays a central role in this. The increase in provider response rates – from 76% to 85% overall between the first and most recent publication, and with approximately 97% of all colleges responding – demonstrates encouraging progress in this area. The department is also taking steps to improve the data and evidence we have available in relation to teacher training for the FE sector.

The government agrees with the Committee's recommendation.

Target implementation date: August 2026

The government recognises there are variations in school and FE recruitment and retention, including greater shortages in key STEM and technical subjects and in disadvantaged areas.

3.Thedepartmenthaspublishedsomeevidenceofthesevariationsinschoolsandworks with schools and colleges to inform understanding of why the variations exist.

School and college leaders are responsible for employing teachers. However, it is vital that the department supports the sector to recruit and retain teachers where they are needed most, which is why the department is offering the Targeted Retention Incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 per year after tax for early career teachers in key STEM and technical subjects in disadvantaged schools and all FE colleges. The TRI in colleges is available to teachers of a wider range of subjects than in schools, such as building and construction where vacancy rates are particularly high.
In schools, the breadth of offer and location of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provision influences teacher supply. The planned evaluation of ITT reform should help identify disparities in ITT provision and recommendations for improvement.
In addition, the High Potential ITT programme, currently delivered by Teach First, places trainees in schools in disadvantaged communities. The department is also investing in teaching apprenticeships to provide paid routes into teaching for those who may not otherwise have become teachers, including in disadvantaged areas.
The department will continue to publish the FE Workforce data collection, which includes regional and subject specific data, and to implement improvements to the collection. In 2025, the department is running a one-off survey of the FE workforce to provide information on the experiences of teachers and leaders in FE. Alongside this, the department is exploring the feasibility of running a longitudinal study of FE teachers and leaders to better understand factors affecting teacher retention. A decision on whether to proceed with the longitudinal study is expected by late 2026.
Whilst the department does not routinely publish information on reasons behind variations in areas and subjects in FE, it is currently evaluating TRI which will reveal the impact it is having on teacher retention across different subjects and provider demographics, to help shape its overall approach. The department plans to publish the first report from the evaluation in 2027, followed by a full findings report in 2028.
The department will continue to invest in evaluation and understanding of the workforce, as well as working with stakeholders such as the Improving Education Together partnership, to better understand variances in the workforce. The department is committed to taking forward work to better understand and address the causes of lower retention in FE. This includes identifying and sharing good practice across the sector, and ensuring this insight informs future policy.

The government agrees with the Committee's recommendation. Target implementation date: November 2025
The department will update the Committee every 6 months on progress in the recruitment and retention of FE teachers.

3.As afirst step, the6,500delivery plan will providedetail on thedepartment's approach tocollegeteacherrecruitmentandretentioninhigh-priorityareas,alongsideschools,including how the department will measure, track and record progress against the pledge.

Additionally, the post-16 education and skills strategy will be published in the Autumn and will set out a system-wide approach to ensuring every learner has a clear route to further study or work, guided by the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and strengthening support for the FE workforce to boost teaching quality and sector prestige.
The department is already taking steps to strengthen construction skills and support the recruitment and retention of industry-experienced teachers, through the development of a new Further Education (FE) Teacher Industry Exchange scheme. This initiative will foster partnerships between colleges and construction companies, enabling more professionals from industry to transition into teaching, while also offering current FE teachers' opportunities to refresh and update their industry knowledge and skills.
The annual publication of the Further Education Workforce in England publication will serve as the most reliable source for tracking progress on recruitment and retention across the sector, as well as for understanding vacancy rates across the sector to enable the department to identify the areas of greatest challenge. Following the next publication of the Further Education Workforce data, the department will provide its first update on progress being made on teacher recruitment and retention, as well as the commitment to deliver 6,500 additional teachers. In between data collections, its biannual update will set out progress on programme delivery to address key skills shortages.
The department has already taken substantial steps to support recruitment and retention of staff in FE. Despite challenging fiscal conditions, the department has prioritised funding for colleges as set out above in paragraph 1.3. Additionally, to help meet the growing demand from an increasing number of young learners, the department is also investing over

£1.2 billion annually in Skills – supporting 1.3 million 16–19-year-olds each year – including 65,000 additional learners by 2028-29.

The Targeted Retention Incentive (TRI) will also continue to offer financial support to retain teachers in the areas of greatest need in all FE colleges.

The government agrees with the Committee's recommendation.

Target implementation date: December 2026

The government gathers data through the longitudinal Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders study, which examines the intention to leave among the existing workforce and the experiences of those who have left the profession.
Through the Improving Education Together partnership, the department is working with the sector to help improve teacher retention across schools and colleges, including developing a workload reduction toolkit with the Association of Colleges. To support workload reduction,

the government is exploring how AI and digital tools can transform teaching and learning, including reducing the burden of lesson planning, marking, feedback, and assessment. The EdTech Impact Testbed pilot will enable schools and colleges to test edtech products, including AI, helping to identify and generate evidence of tools that reduce workload by saving time and improving efficiency. This approach aims to free up teacher time, improve job satisfaction, and support retention across both schools and colleges.

Consistent with the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department is considering additional flexibilities within the statutory pay and conditions framework in maintained schools. From September 2025, changes to Teaching and Learning Responsibility payments are ensuring part-time teachers are paid proportionately for responsibilities undertaken.
Working conditions are important to teachers' experience of the profession and play a key role in recruiting and retaining teachers. There have been representations for the department to review the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (the framework for teacher pay and conditions) and the department has dedicated time to engage with partners to understand potential areas for reform.
The remit letter for this year's pay round asks the School Teachers' Review Body to make recommendations on removing the prohibition on non-consolidated payments (including bonuses) in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and whether to reduce the salary safeguarding period. It also asks for views on working hours, to promote flexibility and innovation in schools. The department continues to develop and promote the Improve Workload and Wellbeing for School Staff service and encourages adoption of the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter across both schools and colleges. This Charter was created and is being updated in partnership with sector and mental health experts.
Evidence indicates that expanding and promoting flexible working opportunities in schools can help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers, improve staff wellbeing, and promote equality of opportunity in the workforce. To support flexible working in schools, the department has published non-statutory guidance, a flexible working toolkit, and is delivering a culture change programme across schools and multi-academy trusts. The STPCD now references flexible working, reinforcing that schools should support flexible working requests where operationally feasible.
The attendance and behaviour hubs programme support senior leaders in developing good school cultures with high expectations. Regional support begins in the 2025–26 academic year, with wider rollout from January 2026. Interim findings from the department's previous Behaviour Hubs programme (2021-2025), indicate positive changes in staff-rated behaviour, particularly in high deprivation areas. Following the programme, there was an increase in staff that agreed there was sufficient training and support to manage behaviour and a consistent understanding and application of behaviour policy in their school, Further rollout and funding are subject to spending review outcomes and evaluation findings. Support will be monitored to ensure maximum impact.

1.ThegovernmentagreeswiththeCommittee'srecommendation.

Target implementation date: October 2026

The department has made substantial progress on developing its evidence base to inform which actions best ensure schools and colleges have sufficient high-quality teachers.
Evidence suggests that pay can be an effective lever at scale; for example, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) estimates that a 1% improvement in competitiveness of school teacher pay increases recruitment by 2% and retention by 1.5%. Meanwhile evidence is growing on the effectiveness and value for money of specific targeted financial measures, like bursaries and retention payments, and for non-financial interventions.
The department continues to assess the balance of interventions to provide the best value for money in addressing recruitment and retention issues, such as subject shortages, alongside other government priorities and context such as labour market trends. School teacher pay decisions follow the statutory pay review process: setting out its view on the appropriate level of pay award and providing evidence to the School Teachers' Review Body to formulate recommendations. While the department does not set or recommend pay in FE, it uses a range of data to monitor the impact of funding decisions on pay, recruitment and retention in the sector.
The department will continue strengthening its evidence base and capability for assessing the relative merits of financial and non-financial recruitment and retention interventions, including through: building on existing assessments of the relative value for money of school teacher recruitment financial levers; analysis of the FE Workforce in England statistics and the annual Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey exploring factors affecting recruitment and retention; analysing the effectiveness of the Flexible Working Ambassador Schools programme; analysis of Early Career Framework retention building on the evaluation report published in May 2025; and evaluating the National Professional Qualifications and Targeted Retention Incentive.
Over the next year, the department will continue to look at indicators available in its published data sets, independent programme evaluations, and external assessments (undertaken by bodies like the NFER) and use these to examine the value of these interventions and the wider impact of pay on the sector.