However, the pool of talent is being stretched further, and all establishments are being placed under pressure. So, what can schools, trusts and other employers do to futureproof their supply teacher strategies?
Ongoing shortages
It’s no secret that UK education is facing major challenges. Research from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 2025 Annual Report has revealed that, as of 2023, teacher vacancies in England were six times higher than pre-pandemic levels, with secondary schools feeling a particular pinch in maths, physics, computing and modern languages. These shortages mirror wider trends, and it’s no coincidence that the first three topics fall within the STEM bracket, where particularly acute problems have been in place for several years. There are also variations when it comes to geographical location, with areas with higher numbers of deprived communities facing greater teacher turnover. Equally, the private market is also being hit hard by legislative changes that have pushed VAT up and placed several institutions under even greater pressure.
These are not new problems, but they do appear to be intensifying. The number of professionals undertaking initial teacher training has fallen for several years. In 2023, the Government met only two-thirds of its recruitment targets for secondary schools and fell short for primary professionals too. And the issues are compounded with nearly one-in-ten state school teachers leaving the profession entirely every year. While the sector as a whole received a £4.7 billion budget increase in the recent Spending Review, this only comes into force in 2028, and there has been no further information so far regarding proposals for 6,500 specialist teachers, meaning there is no easily identifiable solution to the skills crisis in sight.
In the absence of new permanent resources, education leaders have to stretch their existing workforces. However, staffing problems can only be tackled in the long term with a deeper, more holistic focus on supporting and attracting professionals under a range of employment models. But, making this change happen will take time, which the sector doesn’t have the luxury of at the moment.
This highly complex situation has meant that institutions of all shapes and sizes have become increasingly reliant on the versatility and quality offered by supply specialists. However, this pool is also becoming increasingly stretched, such is the demand being placed on it. But what can they do to futureproof their supply teacher recruitment strategies?
Finding a futureproofed solution for supply teacher hiring strategies
Firstly, they need to consider the environments they are offering to professionals who are with them for a finite period. We covered this concept in a recent blog, which focused specifically on how institutions can build long-term relationships with supply teachers. Developing this connection naturally makes it more likely that professionals will want to return and will choose to work there over other competing locations when the opportunity arises. However, they also need to consider the broader approach they take to sourcing and hiring supply teachers.
A bank approach
Some institutions wrongly believe that supply staff are simply there to call on when needed and ignored outside of that; however, that’s not the case. The bank model we offer to our partners provides an extra layer of security and resilience for employers, preventing them from falling into last-minute races to secure skills. Once we begin our partnership with any new institution, we align them with a thoroughly vetted and well-matched ‘bank’ of talent, which is supported by a neutral panel of agencies. This means that the specialists we provide will understand the specific requirements of the role – and the nuances in how each school operates – better than anyone else in the market. In turn, this offers a degree of consistency for pupils, which we all recognise is invaluable for driving the best educational outcomes. It also means that professionals are matched with a role because of their fit with the institution and its requirements, rather than simply because they’re available at that time.
This model also brings more of a human touch to both sides of the relationship, and even when this approach has been exhausted, leaders can rely on our approved panel of agencies, meaning they will always be able to source candidates from a range of suppliers, rather than just one, which gives them a wider pool of talent to choose from.
As well as ensuring institutions have the talent they need, the bank model also offers other benefits. Multi-academy trusts gain from the strength in scale, and building out a shared pool across all locations helps to improve consistency and reduce reliance on agencies. Teachers can become more familiar with pupils, cultures and systems, and offering perks more commonly associated with permanent staff, like development opportunities, can strengthen the relationship even further. In addition, it can also aid student behavioural management. Staff absences can lead to disruption, which could drive behavioural issues, but having a familiar face can help tackle this and mitigate the effects of teachers being unavailable.
The bank model essentially enables institutions to build relationships with supply teachers in a way that is not achievable through more traditional approaches and means that while many schools and trusts will face frenetic, last-minute efforts to secure the available skills on the market, our partners can rest that bit easier.
A major change is needed in the education hiring market to prevent problems from becoming more deeply entrenched; however, this is a longer-term challenge that will require significant investment and collaboration across the entire sector. For leaders seeking to fill gaps in their workforces and ensure they continue to meet the highest possible standards now, leveraging the bank model to its full extent can address these more immediate challenges, providing security and greater resilience.
If your establishment is seeking to manage gaps in resources or is looking for further information on how to futureproof its supply talent pipeline, get in touch with our expert team.
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