The numbers of teaching assistants and wider school support staff have also fallen at secondary level during the past year.
School workforce statistics released by the Department for Education (DfE) this week show that between November 2014 and November 2015 the number of full-time equivalent teachers working across all schools in England actually rose from 454,900 to 456,900 – an increase of 2,000.
However, while primary schools saw a rise of 4,500 teachers (2.1 per cent), secondaries saw a fall of 2,500 (1.2 per cent).
It means that as of November 2015, there were 210,900 full-time equivalent teachers working in England’s secondary schools – down from 213,400 in 2014.
Similarly, there has also been an overall rise in the number of teaching assistants and wider school support staff but decreases at secondary level.
The figures show that the number of teaching assistants working in England’s schools rose from 255,100 to 263,000, while wider school support staff numbers went from 232,000 to 238,000.
However, at secondary level, teaching assistant numbers are down by 1,600 to 52,300 and wider support staff numbers are down by 1,200 to 101,200.
Elsewhere, the figures show that 45,810 teachers entered the profession in 2015, representing 10.5 per cent of the workforce and an increase of around 900 on 2014. Of these, 55 per cent were NQTs, 31 per cent were returning teachers and 14 per cent were teachers new to the sector.
However, the number of teachers leaving the profession is also increasing, In 2015, 43,070 left teaching, (representing 10 per cent of the workforce) up from 42,050 in 2014. These figures come despite the number of teacher retirements continuing to decrease (from 13,330 in 2011 to 8,820 in 2015).
The percentage of teachers that are still in post one year after qualifying and starting a job has remained static at 87 per cent. However, the proportion of new teachers still in post after three years has fallen from 77 to 75 per cent.
The percentage of teachers that were still in post five and 10 years after qualifying and entering service was 70 per cent and 61 per cent respectively.
The percentage of teachers with qualified teacher status in all state-funded schools is 95.1 per cent – a decrease from 95.5 per cent in 2014.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, welcomed the overall rise but described the progress as “very limited”.
He continued: “Official statistics mask the reality that school leaders are still sometimes forced to appoint staff who are less experienced or able than they would like because of a lack of applications for a post; it is about quality, not just the numbers in post. There are also huge regional variations in recruitment, which is something the government also needs to address.
“Figures show a further deterioration in retention after three years, which is a source of great concern for school leaders. We lose a quarter of those who enter service by this point. This has been steadily worsening over the past four years, and the government needs to look at the drivers – workload, stagnant pay and an over-bearing accountability system – behind this worrying trend.”