Overview

• The National Audit Office (NAO) has called on the Department for Education (DfE) to publish a detailed delivery plan for its pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers by the end of this Parliament.
• Teacher shortages have reached record levels, with secondary schools and further education colleges facing significant challenges as student numbers are projected to rise through 2028.
• The DfE has missed postgraduate secondary teacher training targets in nine of the past ten years, with newly qualified secondary teachers in 2023/24 at their lowest numbers since 2010/11.
• Further education colleges alone may require up to 12,400 additional teachers by 2028/29 to meet demographic and curriculum demands, nearly double the government’s current recruitment goal.
• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson highlighted a 5.5% pay rise and increased trainee numbers as progress, but education leaders stress that uncompetitive pay, workload, and stress continue to hinder retention and recruitment.