NFER: Recruiting teaching assistants harder than hiring teachers, according to school leaders

Three in four school leaders are struggling to recruit teaching assistants (TAs), according to new research*.

NFER analysis shows school leaders find hiring TAs even more challenging than recruiting teachers.

The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, also shows most school leaders find it difficult to hire other support staff, highlighting the scale of staffing issues. However, the Department for Education (DfE) still does not systematically track TA and support staff shortages.

The ‘School Support Staff Workforce in England Annual Report 2026' draws attention to the fact that despite facing recruitment challenges, support staff currently make up more than half of the school workforce and this continues to grow year-on-year.

Findings indicate there are 10 per cent more support staff working in secondary schools than there were five years ago, and 20 per cent more in special schools. This is due to an increasing number of 11- to 16-year-olds and rising demand for Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.

Meanwhile, in primary schools, support staff numbers are largely flat, despite the fact the number of pupils (and teachers) in primary schools has started falling.

Although SEND is a driver of demand for TAs, it is not the only factor. A 2023 survey found that while SEND support is a common role for TAs, general learning support was even more common.

The NFER research also warns the support staff sector is facing growing retention difficulties. Experimental analysis for this report of School Workforce Census data suggests around one in five support staff left the school system between 2023/24 and 2024/25. Following improvements in retention during the pandemic, exit rates have now reached the highest level since the data began in 2011/12.

Key insights from the NFER research show that among support staff considering leaving their jobs, the most common reason is not feeling valued. Additionally, low staff morale, lack of staffing, lack of career progression, and financial reasons were among the other common reasons given.

NFER Education Workforce Lead, Jack Worth, said:

“Support staff make up a significant proportion of the school workforce and are essential to delivering high quality education. As demand for support roles — particularly TAs — continues to rise, it is critical that the Government tackles the growing challenges around recruitment and retention. Schools can also help strengthen this by considering steps to ensure support staff feel recognised and valued.

“As the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) forms, our research shows that its work is needed more than ever to ensure support staff pay and career progression opportunities attract the workforce which schools need.”

Dr Emily Tanner, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation, said:

“With teaching assistant exit rates at their highest level for more than 10 years and widespread recruitment difficulties, this new research is much needed. It identifies the factors driving these challenges and sets out ways for policymakers to better recognise and reward the critical role teaching assistants play in delivering high‑quality education for children and young people.”

Further key findings:

• Support staff are less likely to agree that their employer offers good opportunities for career progression compared to similar workers.
• Support staff tend to work fewer hours per week than similar workers in England.  
• Almost all support staff cannot work from home, but around 30 per cent of similar workers now do so.
• Support staff are generally low paid, earning 30 to 35 per cent less on a weekly basis than workers with similar characteristics, such as qualification levels. Only around half this gap appears to be explained by differences in weekly working hours.
• Support staff pay has grown significantly in recent years, both in real terms and relative to average UK earnings, driven by increases in the National Living Wage. 

Report recommendations include:

• The Government needs to do more to help schools recruit support staff, particularly TAs. There should be more focus on ensuring SEND training is available to both prospective and current TAs to fill this gap. 
• The Government and SSSNB should strongly consider whether low pay levels are driving the recruitment and retention challenges we have identified.
• The Government and SSSNB should explore what can be done to improve career progression opportunities for school support staff.

The report also calls for DfE to improve the coverage and availability of the data it collects on support staff.

The School Support Staff Workforce in England Annual Report 2026 is the second piece in a five-part series on the education workforce. Over the next three weeks NFER, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, will publish reports which examine the further education teachers, school teacher workforce, and finally, an overview report that assesses the challenges across the education workforce in England as a whole.

NOTES TO EDITORS

*In an NFER Teacher Voice survey in Autumn 2025, senior leaders were asked how difficult they found recruiting support staff. Among secondary leaders, 77% said they found it difficult (or very difficult) to recruit teaching assistants. Among primary leaders, 74% said they found it difficult to recruit teaching assistants. For difficulty recruiting teachers, the rates were 71% (in secondary) and 49% (in primary). For difficulty recruiting support staff other than teaching assistants, the rates were 59% (in secondary) and 62% (in primary). The minimum sample sizes across the questions were 126 leaders in secondary schools and 212 in primary. The responses are weighted to be nationally representative of mainstream schools in England.