Annual survey of teacher resignations & recruitment

The National Employers’ Organisation for School Teachers together with the teacher unions and Local Government Association, and with the support of the DCSF, has conducted an annual survey of teacher resignations and recruitment. The survey collects details of the movements of teachers to and from maintained schools in England and Wales over the calendar year. Forms were sent to all schools, 57% replied.

Teacher turnover has been calculated by expressing the number of teachers who have left as a percentage of the total number of teachers employed in all schools. Recruitment rates are calculated by expressing the number of teachers who joined schools as a percentage of the total number of teachers employed in all schools. Any moves within schools were excluded.

Key points:
- In 2006, there were 57,749 resignations of full and part-time, permanent and fixed term contract/temporary teachers from all maintained primary and secondary schools. This was a turnover rate of 11.9%, a slight decrease from 12.3% in 2005.
- The turnover rate for all full-time teachers in 2006 was 11.8% and for all part-time teachers it was 12.3%. This included those teaching in both primary and secondary schools.
- In 2006, 57,454 full and part-time permanent and fixed term contract/temporary teachers were recruited to work in local authority maintained schools. This recruitment rate of 11.9 % was a decrease from 13.0% in 2005.
- The recruitment rate for all full-time teachers in 2006 was 12.3%, similar to the rate in 2005 which was 12.8%. The recruitment rate for all part-time teachers was 10.0% in 2006, much less than the rate of 13.6% in 2005. This decrease of 3.6 percentage points between the two years represents the largest difference in recruitment rates for any group of teachers between the two years.