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Backlash over DfE spin as record 40,000 teachers quit the chalkface

Recruitment & Retention Pay and conditions Teaching staff NQTs Trade unions Workload Early Career Teachers
There has been a backlash at the Department for Education’s attempt to put a positive spin on the latest school workforce figures – ignoring the fact that a record 40,000 teachers quit last year.

The data release (DfE, 2023a) shows that 39,930 teachers left teaching for reasons other than retirement in the last academic year (2021/22). This represents 8.8% of the workforce and is the highest number since records began in 2010.

Added to the 3,929 who retired, this means 44,000 teachers left schools last year (9.7%).

Of particular concern is the high and increasing proportion of new teachers who continue to quit each year.

The figures show that in 2021/22, a quarter of teachers (23.9%) had quit after three years at the chalkface. After five years, almost a third (31.3%) had walked away.

And despite the introduction of the Early Career Framework and improved rates of pay for new teachers, 12.8% of teachers have quit after just one year at the chalkface.

The number of full-time equivalent teachers, however, has grown – and it was this fact that the DfE chose to focus on in its analysis of the data.

There are now 468,400 full-time equivalent teachers in the system, an increase of 2,800 on the previous year. This after 48,000 teachers joined the state sector for 2022/23, up by 4,000 since last year.

However, this increase comes at a time when pupil numbers across all schools have increased by 73,800 to nearly 9.1 million pupils (DfE, 2023b). This means that the average primary class size has increased to 26.7 (from 26.6 in 2022) and the average secondary class size has also increased to 22.4 (from 22.3).

Indeed, there are now 1,018,390 pupils taught in classes with more than 30 pupils (one in seven at secondary level and one in eight in primary schools).

And teacher vacancies are up. The number of vacancies has doubled in the last two years from 1,100 in autumn 2020 to 2,300 in 2022. The rate of vacancies has risen from two in 1,000 teachers to five in 1,000.

The number of temporary filled classroom teacher posts has also increased – from 1,800 in autumn 2020 to 3,000 in 2022. This is a rate of eight posts per 1,000 teachers.

Furthermore, at secondary level, the figures show the extent to which subjects are being taught by non-specialists. Around 13% of teaching hours in EBacc subjects were taught by a teacher without relevant post A level qualification. For some subjects, including computing and physics, the figures were much worse. Selected subjects include:

  • Chemistry: 16.8% of teaching hours taught by non-specialists.
  • Biology: 6.7%
  • Physics: 27.5%
  • English: 7.9%
  • Mathematics: 12.8%
  • French: 21%
  • Geography: 11.4%
  • Computing: 45.9%.

Despite the stark reality of the retention and recruitment challenges facing schools, but DfE’s press statement – headlined “Record number of teachers in England’s schools” – ignored the record numbers quitting, the increasing proportion of new teachers quitting, and the doubling of teacher vacancies in two years. It also failed to acknowledge the notable increase in student numbers.

Ian Hartwright, head of policy at the National Association of Head Teachers, said the DfE was “in denial”.

He explained: “No matter how government tries to spin it, (the) data shows that it is in denial over its failure to tackle the longstanding recruitment and retention crisis in teaching.

“Missed recruitment targets have been compounded by a miserable failure to stem the tide of those leaving the profession. More than a decade of real-terms cuts to pay, accompanied by crushing workload and the impact of high-stakes inspection and accountability measures that drive ill-health, mean that teachers and leaders continue to walk away from an education system where funding is still below 2010 levels in real-terms.”

Commenting on the 12.8% of new teachers who quit after just one year, Mr Hartwright added: “The concerns we repeatedly raised about the content overload, repetition and workload involved in the (ECF) for both new teachers and mentors were not acted upon, so we are sadly not surprised to see it appears to have had little positive impact.”

In March, analysis of the teacher workforce in England by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) warned that, based on applications as of February 2023, nine subjects will be 20% or more below target for the 2023/24 academic year (McLean et al, 2023)

Co-author of that research, the NFER school workforce lead Jack Worth, said that the DfE had to address teacher retention levels. Commenting this week, he said: “It is hugely concerning that 40,000 working-age teachers left the profession last year, the highest level since records began in 2010. While fewer teachers retired, the overall picture is that teacher leaving rates rose in 2022 to just above the pre-pandemic level amid a competitive wider labour market. Addressing teacher retention should be at the heart of dealing with the teacher supply challenge, with further policy action needed to reduce teacher workload and increase the competitiveness of teacher pay.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “The fact that teacher vacancies have doubled in the past two years is bad enough. But this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of a recruitment and retention crisis which is affecting virtually every school and college in the country. What we hear is that it is a constant struggle to fill vacancies which often requires readvertising for posts, filling gaps with supply staff, and using non-subject specialists to teach classes.

“The reason for this desperate state of affairs is the fact that the government has implemented years of real-terms pay cuts, inadequate funding levels, and an eye-watering system of performance tables and Ofsted inspections, all of which is deterring recruits and driving out teachers. We cannot go on like this.”

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “We can see that on almost every measure it is getting worse – the number of teachers leaving the profession; the low numbers of teachers joining; more than a million pupils in classes of more than 30; the huge rise in unfilled teaching posts; and the number of non-specialists teaching secondary subjects. It is imperative if this tide is to be turned that government must increase and fully fund pay and reduce teacher workload.

“Both primary and secondary class sizes increased this year. Secondary class sizes are at their highest since records began in 1977. British pupils have some of the largest class sizes in the developed world.”

The only nod in the DfE’s statement to the on-going challenges was from education secretary, Gillian Keegan, who acknowledged that “there is more to do”.

She said: “In today’s competitive job market, it is fantastic to see so many people choosing a rewarding teaching career, with a record number of teachers now working in our schools.

“We know there is more to do, which is why we have generous bursaries to attract new trainees to teach priority subjects and focusing on supporting new teachers from the very start of their journey with free, high-quality, on-going professional development.”

Last year, the DfE announced a further £52m increase to the teacher training financial incentives package –including bursaries worth £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £29,000 tax-free, which encourage trainees to teach key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.

The DfE also pointed to the success of its push to encourage ex-teachers to rejoin the profession – more than 16,700 teachers chose to rejoin state schools this year.

Elsewhere, the workforce data shows that the ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce continues to increase, with 15.6% of teachers identifying as belonging to an ethnic minority group, up from 14.9% the previous year. The proportion of teachers who identify as Asian or Asian British is up marginally to 5.3%, while Black or Black British is up marginally to 2.5%. The workforce also remains majority female (76%).

However, these proportions do not translate to leadership positions where there are fewer minority ethnic leaders and fewer female leaders proportionately – although the rates are improving.