School Workforce in England 2025: Key Facts and Figures

The Department for Education has released its School Workforce in England 2025 data, showing that the number of full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools has fallen for the second year in a row.

There are now 466,372 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in England, a decrease of 1,900 teachers compared with 2024. While teacher vacancies and leavers have both fallen, the overall teaching workforce has still reduced by 0.4%, highlighting the continued pressure schools face when recruiting and retaining teaching staff.

The School Workforce data is primarily sourced from the annual November School Workforce Census, which collects detailed staffing information from state-funded schools and local authorities across England. The release includes information on teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, pupil-to-teacher ratios, vacancies, pay, retention and sickness absence.

National School Workforce Key Facts and Figures for 2025

The total number of FTE teachers in England has fallen to 466,372, down by 1,900 from 2024.

There are now 295,183 FTE teaching assistants, an increase of 6,200 from 2024 and the highest number recorded since support staff information was first collected in 2011.

The total FTE school workforce now stands at 984,610, which is 1,500 fewer than in 2024.

The overall pupil-to-teacher ratio is 17.9, broadly stable from 18.0 in 2024.

Pupil-to-teacher ratios by phase are:

• 20.7 in nursery and primary schools
• 16.7 in secondary schools
• 6.6 in special schools and PRUs

There were 41,012 FTE teacher entrants, which is 800 fewer than in 2024.

There were 38,632 FTE teacher leavers, which is 2,100 fewer than in 2024.

This means there were 2,380 more entrants than leavers, although the total number of FTE teachers still fell due to changes in working patterns and movement across the workforce.

Teacher vacancies fell to 1,600 in November 2025, down from 2,200 in November 2024.

The teacher vacancy rate is now 0.4%, equivalent to 4 vacancies per 1,000 teachers in service.

The average median teacher salary in England is now £51,048, a 4% increase from 2024/25.

Median teacher pay by phase is:

• £50,474 for primary school teachers
• £53,773 for secondary school teachers
• £53,835 for special school teachers

Teacher Numbers by Phase

The fall in teacher numbers was not evenly spread across all school types.

In nursery and primary schools, there are now 212,800 FTE teachers, a decrease of 2,900 or 1.3% from 2024.

In secondary schools, there are 218,500 FTE teachers, a decrease of 500 or 0.2%.

In special schools and PRUs, there are 30,300 FTE teachers, an increase of 1,100 or 3.9%.

The increase in special school and PRU teachers reflects the continued growth in pupil numbers within specialist settings, while the fall in nursery, primary and secondary teacher numbers sits alongside changing pupil demographics.

Teaching Assistants Continue to Increase

One of the clearest trends in the 2025 data is the continued rise in teaching assistant numbers.

There are now 295,183 FTE teaching assistants in England, up by 6,200 from last year. Since 2011, when the census first began collecting support staff information, the number of teaching assistants has increased by 73,200.

This shows just how important teaching assistants have become in schools, particularly when supporting pupils with additional needs, helping manage classroom demands and providing vital support to teachers.

Teacher Retention in 2025

Teacher retention remains broadly stable for early career teachers.

The latest data shows that 89.7% of teachers who qualified in 2024 were still teaching one year after qualification, compared with 89.9% for the 2023 cohort.

Longer-term retention figures show:

• 75.8% of teachers who qualified three years ago are still teaching
• 67.4% of teachers who qualified five years ago are still teaching
• 57.7% of teachers who qualified ten years ago are still teaching

These figures show that while most teachers remain in the profession after their first year, retaining experienced teachers continues to be a key issue for schools.

Teacher Sickness Absence

The 2025 release also shows that sickness absence remains higher than pre-pandemic levels.

In the 2024/25 academic year, 61.8% of teachers took sickness absence, with those teachers taking an average of 8.1 days each. The DfE notes that the proportion of teachers taking sickness absence remains around 8 percentage points higher than the levels recorded between 2015/16 and 2018/19.

For schools, this highlights the ongoing importance of having reliable absence cover in place, particularly during periods of high demand.

What Does the 2025 School Workforce Data Show?

The 2025 data shows a mixed picture for schools in England.

Teacher vacancies have fallen and fewer teachers are leaving the profession, which is encouraging. However, the total number of FTE teachers has also fallen, entrants are down and schools continue to rely heavily on teaching assistants and support staff.

For schools, the figures highlight the importance of workforce planning, particularly when managing long-term absence, maternity cover, sickness absence, specialist vacancies and day-to-day supply needs.

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