10 findings from reports regarding teacher recruitment and retention 2024.
Here we have presented 10 findings about teacher recruitment and retention facing schools in 2024, from a a variety of sources.
- Postgraduate teacher recruitment was 38% below target for the 2023/24 academic year (House of Commons Library report, Teacher recruitment and retention in England’ 2023).
- Secondary trainee teacher recruitment was 50% below target for 2023/4, compared to 4% for primary teacher recruitment. (House of Commons Library report, Teacher recruitment and retention in England’ 2023).
- 40,000 teachers quit the profession in 2022 according to the Department for Education (DfE 2023).
- Almost 13% newly qualified teachers leave after their first year (DfE, 2023).
- Almost 19% newly qualified teachers leave within after their second year (DfE, 2023).
- Recruitment of physics teachers is 83% below target for 2023/24.
- Design and technology teacher recruitment is 73% below target for 2023/4.
- Modern foreign languages teaching staff are 67% below recruitment targets.
- Computing teacher recruitment is 64% below target for 2023/24.
- The highest number of vacancies in real terms reported in 2022 were for secondary teachers in general/combined science (494), mathematics (430),and English (378).
Why is it that teacher recruitment and retention for 2024 is said to be one of the biggest challenges facing the education sector? Issues facing teacher recruitment and retention 2024.
- Salary: a 6.5% pay rise from September 2023 helped with pay but some schools are struggling to fund it.
- Workloads: both primary and secondary teachers report on working long hours and unmanageable workloads. It is thought that the increase in pupil mental health issues has meant more pastoral care for teachers.
- Stress levels: not just related to workloads but the rise in challenging pupil behaviour, post pandemic has led to further stress for teachers
- Ofsted pressures: much has been reported in the press, following a primary school head’s suicide about the pressure’s inspections bring. In addition, teachers feel there has been a breakdown in trust between them and Ofsted, as well as questions about their effectiveness.
Workload and wellbeing statistics influencing teacher recruitment and retention.
- Teachers feel twice as lonely at work compared to the rest of the population (14% versus 7%) (Education Support report).
full-time, lower secondary teachers reported working an average of 49.3 hours per week, compared to the average of 41 hours p/w (TALIS report, 2023). - Primary school teachers work on average 51.2 hours per week (TALIS report, 2023).
- 53% of primary teachers saying they had too much work. (TALIS report, 2023).
- 57% of lower secondary teachers saying they had too much work. (TALIS report, 2023).
- 73% of staff surveyed thought that Ofsted inspections were not fit for purpose.
Supply teaching cannot solve the underlying issues that education faces but may be the answer for some. Supply teaching offers teaching staff flexibility that permanent roles cannot meet. You can choose the hours and days that suit you, allowing you time for family and to go on holiday during term time. As an OEG education supply agency, we have professional insight to some of the difficulties teachers face and our available CPD reflects that. We offer specialised training which is either free or comes at a discounted rate. Get in touch to find out more or visit our registration page here.
If you are client from a school or college that are facing gaps in staffing, get in touch with a member of our specialised team. Although, the education sector is facing recruitment and retention issues in 2024, we are not. Our agency, as part of the OEG group, can give you access to a large pool of teaching staff since we routinely are retaining candidates for 5years and beyond. How do we do it, you may ask? We are experts in education recruitment and have specialised services that keeps candidates skilled, up to date and happy.
To read more about the Education Support report, click here.
To read the House of Commons Library report, click here.