38th Report - Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education
Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee
HC 825
9 July 2025
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-eighth report from Session 2024-26 · published 15 Oct 2025
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Department lacks clear baseline and milestones for 6,500 teacher recruitment pledge
Conclusion
We asked the Department what baseline it was using to measure whether 6,500 additional teachers had been recruited. It told us it had not set a year as a baseline, but that the number of teachers would be more than …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to set out how it plans to deliver the pledge for 6,500 additional teachers.
HM Treasury
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9
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Department allocated £700 million for diverse teacher recruitment and retention initiatives
Conclusion
In 2024–25, the Department budgeted to spend around £700 million across a range of initiatives, other than pay and pensions, designed to improve teacher recruitment and retention.20 Of this, £390 million (49%) related to financial incentives. This included training bursaries …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to set out how it plans to deliver the pledge for 6,500 additional teachers.
HM Treasury
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12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Department's teacher recruitment targets overly focus on initial training routes
Conclusion
We were interested to understand why the Department only has targets for those starting initial teacher training in primary and secondary schools, when this is just one of several entry routes into teaching.27 In the year to November 2023, 41% …
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Government Response Summary
The department continues to review the balance between recruitment and retention measures and is undertaking an evaluation of the Targeted Retention Incentive to better understand its impact on the workforce in colleges, while considering whether to adopt its target setting approach for ITT routes in future years.
HM Treasury
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20
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Experienced teachers lack financial incentives and structured support, limiting their retention in the profession.
Conclusion
The Department does not offer experienced teachers any financial incentives to stay, such as bursaries or retention payments, or structured support, such as the Early Career Framework for those with up to two years of experience. The Department’s ability to …
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Government Response Summary
The department is engaging with partners to understand potential areas for reform of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document, promoting the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter and is developing and promoting the Improve Workload and Wellbeing for School Staff service, as well as publishing non-statutory guidance, a flexible working toolkit, and delivering a culture change programme across schools and multi-academy trusts to support flexible working.
HM Treasury
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22
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Teacher pay has significantly declined in real terms, impacting recruitment and retention competitiveness.
Conclusion
The Department regards pay as its strongest lever in recruiting and retaining teachers. For example, following the most recent 5.5% pay award, the Department reduced its teacher trainee targets as it expected 2,500 more teachers to stay. However, teacher pay …
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Government Response Summary
The government highlights evidence suggesting that pay can be an effective lever and mentions growing evidence on the effectiveness and value for money of specific targeted financial measures, like bursaries and retention payments, and for non-financial interventions.
HM Treasury
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23
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Department's influence on teacher pay varies, with no pay review body for further education colleges.
Conclusion
The Department’s influence on teacher pay differs across schools and colleges. For secondary schools, the Department sets teacher pay ranges based on advice from a pay review body. Local-authority- maintained schools must apply these ranges, whilst academies set their own …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it continues to assess interventions for recruitment and retention, setting out its view on pay and providing evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body while monitoring the impact of funding decisions on pay in FE.
HM Treasury
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24
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Department lacks comprehensive analysis comparing cost-effectiveness of incentives against direct teacher pay increases.
Conclusion
We asked the Department if it has assessed whether spending on initiatives such the Early Career Framework (£131 million budget in 2024–25) provides better outcomes than simply increasing teachers’ pay. The Department did not confirm if it had undertaken this …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that evidence suggests pay can be an effective lever at scale but that evidence is growing on the effectiveness and value for money of specific targeted financial measures, like bursaries and retention payments, and for non-financial interventions.
HM Treasury
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25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Secondary school teaching vacancies significantly increased, impacting pupil achievement and specialist subjects.
Conclusion
In 2023–24, 46% of secondary schools in England reported at least one vacant teaching position, more than double the figure of 17% in 2010–11.72 When we asked the Department how this has affected student outcomes, it told us the quality …
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Government Response Summary
The government recognizes variations in school and FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and inform future policy.
HM Treasury
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26
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Disadvantaged schools suffer higher teacher turnover, fewer experienced staff, and limited pupil opportunities.
Conclusion
Those schools with higher proportions of disadvantaged pupils tend to have higher turnover rates and less experienced teachers.77 This impacts the government’s mission of breaking down the barriers to opportunity and means disadvantaged children are at risk of being locked …
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Government Response Summary
The government recognizes variations in school and FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and inform future policy.
HM Treasury
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27
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Further education colleges struggle with high specialist teaching vacancies due to uncompetitive salaries.
Conclusion
Further education colleges have higher vacancy rates than schools, with challenges across certain subjects, particularly those that are more specialist.82 We asked the Department why further education colleges find it difficult to keep specialist teachers. The Department said it sees …
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Government Response Summary
The government recognizes variations in FE recruitment and retention and is evaluating the impact of TRI on teacher retention, with reports expected in 2027 and 2028, and will work with stakeholders to understand variances in the workforce and inform future policy.
HM Treasury
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