Teacher vacancies have increased in 86% of English local authority areas since 2010, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
Department for Education data shows there were 2,100 teacher vacancies across England in November 2023 – compared to just 355 in 2010 – while the Government failed to meet its recruitment targets in nine of the last 10 years.
The TUC warned that the recruitment crisis was being exacerbated by high staff turnover, as its new polling showed that two-fifths of education workers (38%) have taken steps to leave the profession or are actively considering it.
People are being driven away from teaching because of excessive workloads and years of real-terms pay cuts, with the value of teachers’ pay dropping by £172 per week (18%) between 2010 and 2023, the organisation said.
The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Paul Whiteman, said: ‘To attract and retain top talent, teaching must become a competitive profession with better pay, improved conditions, and reduced workload.
‘Our children's education depends on it.’
