Teacher vacancies in England more than double over three years, figures show

Teacher vacancies in state schools in England have more than doubled in the past three years, Government figures show. The number of teacher vacancies increased from 1,100 in November 2020 to 2,800 in November 2023, according to Department for Education  data.

The number of temporarily filled classroom teacher posts also increased over the same period, from 1,800 in November 2020 to 3,400 in November 2023.

The data, which only looks at state schools in England, showed the school workforce has increased marginally by around 300 teachers to 468,700.

Around 44,000 teachers joined the state school sector, down 3,900 since last year. Meanwhile, 43,500 teachers left the state school sector, which is a similar level to last year , the figures suggest. The DfE said The number of teachers entering and leaving service both fell though the number of entrants continues to be higher than for leavers.

This, combined with changes in working patterns and an increase in unqualified teachers, resulted in a marginal increase to the number of teachers in England.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders , said: What these figures show, and what all school and colleges leaders know only too well, is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill teacher vacancies.