Commenting on today’s publication of the DfE’s School Workforce in England data, Jack Worth, NFER’s School Workforce Lead, said:
“Today’s teacher workforce statistics show some green shoots of progress towards addressing the chronic issues in teacher recruitment and retention in England. Growing teacher numbers in secondary and special schools, steady improvements to the retention rate and a fall in the rate of unfilled and temporarily-filled vacancies are all positive trends.
“However, the effects of sustained under-recruitment and poor retention continue to be felt by schools: vacancy rates remain at a historically high level. Continued action to improve recruitment and retention is vital to restoring teacher supply to state of health.
“Next week’s Spending Review provides an ideal opportunity to show a long-term commitment to increasing the attractiveness of teaching and delivering the Government’s commitment to recruiting 6,500 teachers.”