School leaders' union NAHT has responded to new figures published this morning on the teacher workforce - including the government's pledge of a net increase of 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools and further education - as well as on falling pupil rolls.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “These figures show a mixed picture on recruitment and retention, but the reality is that many primary and secondary school leaders are still struggling to hire and retain the staff they need. With the best will in the world, this inevitably impacts children’s education.

“These difficulties pile more pressure and workload onto teachers and leaders who remain in post, and can lead to unsettling use of supply teachers and non-subject specialists, larger classes, and less time to support pupils who need more help, including children with special educational needs (SEND).

“This isn’t just about getting new teachers through the door – keeping expert and experienced staff in post is just as important  and is crucial for pupil outcomes. These figures show that teaching is no longer a decades-long career with 38,600 teachers leaving the profession last year, the overwhelming majority (91% ) for reasons other than retirement – that could be comparable to the entire teaching workforce of 300 secondary schools.

"Nearly a quarter (24.2%) of newly qualified teachers leave within three years of qualifying, while almost a third (32.6%) quit within five years, the highest proportion since 2014. Nearly half of teachers (49.6%) are no longer in teaching 15 years after qualification.   

“The government cannot afford to rely on falling pupil numbers to ensure schools have the teachers they need. There are still some areas where schools are over-subscribed and schools cannot simply reduce teacher numbers and costs neatly in line with numbers on roll.

“Ministers must address head on the factors deterring people from entering teaching and leading them to quit what ought to be a rewarding long-term career. Years of real-terms pay cuts mean salaries have grown progressively less attractive when compared to many other graduate careers over a period when the demands of the job have grown enormously.

“Further above-inflation pay increases are needed to get close to restoring pay to 2010 levels and action is also needed to improve the experience of the job, including really tangible measures to address unsustainable workload, more support for flexible working, and action to reduce the harm and unnecessary pressure caused by high-stakes accountability including Ofsted inspections.

“The government must look again at the funding model which puts the sustainability of schools experiencing falling rolls at risk, and instead take the opportunity to help protect existing staffing levels, enable schools to offer smaller classes, and support them to deliver more targeted help for pupils who need it most.”

Key Findings:

- There were 466,400 FTE teachers, a decrease of 1,900 (0.4%) on last year

- There were 800 fewer entrants to teaching than in 2024

- 91% of the 38,600 teachers that left state-funded schools in 2024/25 did so to leave the sector or change career, not to retire.

- There were 8,920,227 pupils at schools in England at the time of the 2025 census, a decrease of 112,200 from 2024/25

SOURCE: Department for Education

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2025

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2025-26