Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent teachers are employed in state-funded schools in England; and how many there were in 2020, 2015 and 2010.

Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in each school phase and type, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2023.

As of November 2023, there were 468,693 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers employed in state-funded schools. There were 461,105 FTE teachers in 2020, 456,973 in 2015 and 441,354 in 2010. There was a ratio of 18.1:1 pupils to teachers in state-funded schools in the 2023/24 academic year, 18:1 in 2020/21, 17.3:1 in 2015/16, and 17.1:1 in 2010/11.

School workforce statistics as of November 2024 will be published in June 2025.

The department does not have forecasts of the number of teachers that will be employed by schools. However, as part of the calculations to estimate postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) recruitment targets, the Teacher Workforce Model estimates the likely supply of teachers for state-funded primary and secondary schools in England for the next two years.

Within modelling calculations published as part of the ‘2025/26 postgraduate ITT targets publication’, the department estimated a primary qualified teacher supply of 213,031 in 2024/25 and 211,909 in 2025/26. For secondary, the equivalent figures were 209,171 in 2024/25 and 209,763 in 2025/26. This modelling can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets/2025-26.

The 2025/26 target for primary PGITT trainees has fallen by 1,750 compared to 2024/25, from 9,400 to 7,650, which represents an 18.6% fall. This fall was principally a result of more rapidly falling pupil numbers, and more favourable forecasts for both the future retention of teachers and the recruitment of newly-qualified entrants that defer entry into the profession.

The 2025/26 target for secondary PGITT trainees decreased by 4,685 compared to 2024/25, from 23,955 to 19,270, which represents a 19.6% fall.

This fall was driven by more favourable secondary supply forecasts this year, helped by a boost in PGITT recruitment, which is expected to deliver greater numbers of newly qualified teachers in the future. In particular, there was an increase of 2,000 trainees in secondary initial teacher training recruitment between 2023/24 and 2024/25. Additionally, the department’s most recent pay award is forecasted to improve teacher retention levels further and thus reduce future workforce losses.

The department does not collect information on subjects taught in primary schools.