The school workforce census collects information from schools and local authorities on the school workforce in state-funded schools in England.
This includes data on teaching and support staff, their characteristics, teacher retention and pay, qualifications and details of the subjects taught in secondary schools.
Key findings - school workforce census 2022:
- Nearly 48,000 full-time equivalent teachers joined English schools this academic year - up by 4,000 from the previous year
- 39,930 teachers (8.8% of the sector) left state-funding schools for reasons other than retirement - an increase of 6.9% from the previous year
- 12.8% of teachers left the profession a year after qualifying compared to 12.5% the year before
- Teaching and leadership vacancies increased by 49%
- 67.5% of teachers took sickness absence in 2021-22 - an increase of 54.1%
- The number of teaching assistants has increased by 27%
- Headteachers saw an average pay rise of 0.8% compared to 1.4% for teachers
1. A record number of teachers
468,371 teachers are now in the workforce - a record-high. This is 27,000 more than in 2010.
It is also notable, however, that the government has missed its secondary school teacher recruitment targets for nine of the past ten years.
There has also been an 11% rise in pupil numbers during this period, meaning the teacher recruitment rate has fallen behind what is really needed.
2. And, a record number of teachers leaving the profession...
39,930 teachers left state schools for reasons other than retirement last year - up 7,800 from the previous year. This is the highest record since the 2010-11 census.
3. And, a decrease in retention...
12.8% of teachers left the profession one year after qualifying.
Now, over a third of teachers leave the profession within six years of qualifying.
4. Teacher vacancies at the highest level since 2010
Teacher vacancies are at the highest level since 2010.
Teacher and leadership roles have increased from 2,334 in comparison to 1,564 the year before (a 49% increase).
The number of temporarily-filled posts also increased, from 2,247 to 3,308 in 2022-23.
5. A significant increase in teacher sickness absence
67.5% of teachers took sickness absence in 2021-22, up from 54.1% in 2018-19.
More than 3.2 million working days were missed during the wake of the pandemic.
6. A soar in teaching support staff
The number of teaching assistants and other school support staff is at the highest level since the 2010-11 workforce census.
The number of teaching assistants has increased by 27% (221,500 to 281,100).
7. Headteacher pay growth
Last year, headteacher pay growth was 0.8% compared to 1.4% for teachers.
The average salary of a classroom teacher, as of November 2022, was £40,251, whilst the average salary of a headteacher was £70,831.
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