The 6,500 promise formed a core pillar of Labour’s election campaign last year, but since taking up government details have been thin on the ground about how ministers intend to meet it – or indeed how the 6,500 figure will be defined.
This week an annual research study published by the National Foundation for Education Research – the Teacher Labour Market in England – has offered a timely reminder of the mountain that must be climbed (McLean & Worth, 2025). The study shows that:
The report warns that unfilled vacancies have reached 6 per 1,000 teachers in 2023/24. This is double the pre-pandemic rate and six times higher than in 2010/11. The report labels this a “significant increase”.
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