Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education

Status: Closed Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 1 recommendation 26 conclusions 1 report

Teacher recruitment and retention has been a challenge for over ten years. The Department for Education (DfE) has predicted that the secondary school population will peak in 2026/27, with secondary school pupil-to-teacher ratios at their highest since 2010. DfE laid out a vision in 2022 for every child to be taught by an excellent teacher …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
38th Report - Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and fur… HC 825 9 Jul 2025 27 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

5 items
7 Conclusion 38th Report - Increasing teacher number… Acknowledged

Department lacks clear baseline and milestones for 6,500 teacher recruitment pledge

We asked the Department what baseline it was using to measure whether 6,500 additional teachers had been recruited. It told us it had not set a year as a baseline, but that the number of teachers would be more than before the pledge had started and that it was working …

Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation to set out how it plans to deliver the pledge for 6,500 additional teachers.
HM Treasury
9 Conclusion 38th Report - Increasing teacher number… Acknowledged

Department allocated £700 million for diverse teacher recruitment and retention initiatives

In 2024–25, the Department budgeted to spend around £700 million across a range of initiatives, other than pay and pensions, designed to improve teacher recruitment and retention.20 Of this, £390 million (49%) related to financial incentives. This included training bursaries and scholarships (£233 million) and retention payments for teachers, often …

Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation to set out how it plans to deliver the pledge for 6,500 additional teachers.
HM Treasury
25 Conclusion 38th Report - Increasing teacher number… Acknowledged

Secondary school teaching vacancies significantly increased, impacting pupil achievement and specialist subjects.

In 2023–24, 46% of secondary schools in England reported at least one vacant teaching position, more than double the figure of 17% in 2010–11.72 When we asked the Department how this has affected student outcomes, it told us the quality of teaching was the “single most significant factor” in schools …

Government response. The government recognizes variations in school and FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and …
HM Treasury
26 Conclusion 38th Report - Increasing teacher number… Acknowledged

Disadvantaged schools suffer higher teacher turnover, fewer experienced staff, and limited pupil opportunities.

Those schools with higher proportions of disadvantaged pupils tend to have higher turnover rates and less experienced teachers.77 This impacts the government’s mission of breaking down the barriers to opportunity and means disadvantaged children are at risk of being locked out from particular careers.78 In 2023–24, 34% of teachers in …

Government response. The government recognizes variations in school and FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and …
HM Treasury
27 Conclusion 38th Report - Increasing teacher number… Acknowledged

Further education colleges struggle with high specialist teaching vacancies due to uncompetitive salaries.

Further education colleges have higher vacancy rates than schools, with challenges across certain subjects, particularly those that are more specialist.82 We asked the Department why further education colleges find it difficult to keep specialist teachers. The Department said it sees more recruitment challenges where there are shortages in the labour …

Government response. The government recognizes variations in FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and inform future …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
19 May 2025 Julia Kinniburgh · Department for Education, Juliet Chua · Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education View ↗

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
24 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education relating to…
9 Jun 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education relating t…