Government Falls Short on Teacher Recruitment Amid Record Shortages

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The government is struggling to meet its manifesto pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers, as shortages in the profession hit record highs. According to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), teacher vacancies in England have surged to their highest levels since records began, casting doubt on the government’s ability to deliver on its promises.  

 

In its latest report, published on Thursday, the charity revealed that unfilled teaching positions increased by over 20% in the 2023/24 academic year, with six vacancies per 1,000 teachers—double the pre-pandemic rate and six times higher than in 2010/11. This crisis has also led to a rise in class sizes, with 15% of secondary school pupils now in classrooms of more than 30 students, up from 14.7% the previous year and 10% in 2015/16.  

 

The National Education Union (NEU), the UK’s largest teaching union, has warned that unless urgent action is taken, the government will fail to meet its recruitment target before the end of this Parliament. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, criticized the lack of progress, stating, “The Government made noises on the campaign trail that they would commit to tackling recruitment and retention. The NFER points to the current trajectory being inadequate to the task.” He also stressed the urgency of the situation, saying, “The Government was elected in the hope it would value education. [It] has a limited window if it hopes to solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis within this Parliament. The clock is ticking.”  

 

The concerns were echoed by Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, who warned that incremental efforts would not be enough to solve the crisis. “The Government must heed this warning before it is too late. We are far beyond the point where small steps and half measures can address the scale of the recruitment and retention crisis in education,” he said. While he acknowledged that the government’s target of recruiting 6,500 new teachers was a positive step, he criticized the lack of a clear strategy, saying, “Success will require action on a scale far greater than anything seen so far.”  

 

To meet its target, the government has pledged £450 million to attract new teachers, funded by applying VAT to private school fees. However, the NFER has urged ministers to introduce additional measures in the upcoming spring spending review. It argued that the Department for Education’s (DfE) proposed 2.8% pay rise for teachers in England next year would provide some relief but warned that more substantial increases or financial incentives would be required to meet recruitment goals.  

 

Previous research by the charity indicated that achieving the target purely through salary increases would require two consecutive years of 10% pay rises, costing the public purse £4.9 billion by 2028. In addition to pay increases, the NFER suggested that targeted incentives, such as enhanced bonuses for teachers in subjects experiencing severe shortages and improved bursaries for trainee teachers, could help mitigate the crisis.  

 

Jack Worth, co-author of the NFER report, emphasized the urgency of government action. “Teacher recruitment and retention in England remain in a perilous state, posing a substantial risk to the quality of education,” he warned. “The time for half measures is over… The Government now faces a critical ‘now or never’ moment for delivering on its pledge to address teacher shortages by recruiting 6,500 additional teachers by the end of the Parliament.”  

 

Government data published in December highlighted the extent of the shortfall. While 88% of the initial teacher-training target for primary schools was met in 2024/25—down from 94% the previous year—secondary school recruitment lagged significantly behind. Ministers reached just 62% of their postgraduate secondary recruitment target, failing to meet hiring goals for 12 out of 17 secondary school subjects. The NFER report warned that under-recruitment was likely to persist into the following year, exacerbating the ongoing crisis.  

 

A spokesperson for the Department for Education defended the government’s efforts, stating, “Recruiting and keeping great teachers in our classrooms is vital to improving life chances for all children. We are committed to resetting the relationship with the education workforce and working alongside them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.” They highlighted ongoing efforts, including a £233 million investment next year to attract more teachers in key subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, and computing.  

 

The spokesperson also pointed to measures aimed at improving teacher retention, noting, “On top of the 5.5% pay award announced last year we are also taking steps to support teachers’ wellbeing and ease workload pressures including encouraging schools to allow their staff to work more flexibly so more teachers stay in the profession.”  

 

With teacher shortages continuing to rise and class sizes growing, the pressure is mounting on the government to take decisive action. The upcoming spending review will be a crucial moment to determine whether ministers can turn the tide on teacher recruitment or if the crisis will deepen further in the years ahead.

 

Based on a report by The Telegraph  2025-03-15

 

 

[Sydebolle]

Clear out all those other useless positions in other government offices like revenue department counting photocopies, immigration goons insisting on blue inked stamps and signatures while insisting on bank statements printed on the bank's letter heads as blue rubber stamps and signatures of bank clerks are not accepted. Rid the TM30 and do away with the 90-days inferiority complex and you have tons of loose change to a) train the trainers properly (possibly with non-Thai assistance) and b) pay the teachers a market-relevant remuneration. 

[hotsun]

10 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Clear out all those other useless positions in other government offices like revenue department counting photocopies, immigration goons insisting on blue inked stamps and signatures while insisting on bank statements printed on the bank's letter heads as blue rubber stamps and signatures of bank clerks are not accepted. Rid the TM30 and do away with the 90-days inferiority complex and you have tons of loose change to a) train the trainers properly (possibly with non-Thai assistance) and b) pay the teachers a market-relevant remuneration. 

I think its about the uk, not thailand

[PETERTHEEATER]

Photo caption

Keir Starmer:         "Right.....how many of you in this class of 42 think Rachel Reeves is doing a                                        good job?" (Pause) "What? Only two of you?"