Summary for Schools: The School Teacher & Support Staff Workforce in England 2026

This Research Bite summarises the key trends in teacher and support staff workforces. It explores findings about staff numbers, recruitment, retention, pay and working conditions, as identified in our annual reports. It also suggests actions schools could consider and shares the recommendations we have made to policymakers.

NFER’s annual Teacher Labour Market report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, monitors the progress the education system in England is making towards meeting the teacher supply challenge by measuring the key indicators of recruitment, retention and working conditions.

Support staff make up more than half of the school workforce in England, yet compared to teachers, relatively little research has been done into the labour force dynamics of this diverse group. NFER is seeking to address that gap with a series of annual workforce reports looking at school support staff.