Secondary Teacher Training recruitment target missed by 50% this year

The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Census 2023/2024, published this morning, shows the Department For Education (DfE) has missed it’s target for Secondary Teacher recruitment by 50% this year and missed it’s Primary Teacher recruitment target by 4%.

Targets were only met in 3 subjects – Classics, PE and History.

There has also been a 5% decrease in the number of new entrants to ITT this year versus the 2022/23 academic year.

Commenting on the publication of the DfE’s ITT Census data, Jack Worth, School Workforce Lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), said:

"Today’s dire teacher training recruitment data confirms that teacher supply is a critical issue facing England’s education system. The shortfalls being so universal – 15 out of 18 secondary subjects missing their targets and not just in the usual shortage subjects – should be of enormous concern to policymakers.

"The Government needs to take urgent and radical action to improve the attractiveness of teaching as a profession to enter and remain, by enhancing bursaries and other financial incentives, reducing workload and improving the competitiveness of teachers’ pay. Without such action, the quality of pupils' education - particularly in disadvantaged areas - will be increasingly affected by these shortages.”

Flourish Education have been building strong relationships with schools and top teaching talent since 2010; supplying teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff into primary schools, secondary schools and academies across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region.

We recognize that every school has their own unique culture, community and specific recruitment challenges and by understanding the needs of the schools that we work with and getting to know our candidates, we are able to match the right candidate to the right school.