Secondary teacher vacancies are at their lowest in five years and have fallen below those seen at the peak of the pandemic, exclusive analysis reveals.
The latest figures are an indication of “serious financial pressures” for schools, which are being forced to increase class sizes and limit curriculum options, a school leaders’ union has warned.
The findings also come as the government is due to publish its long-awaited recruitment strategy in December, after MPs expressed concerns that there was no “coherent plan” to boost the teaching workforce.
There were fewer than 400 teacher recruitment adverts posted by schools per week in September 2025, according to SchoolDash statistics, shared withVlog.
In comparison, the average number of adverts per week in September 2024-25 was between 600 and 700.
Schools were hiring more teachers during Covid-19. Job adverts frequently exceeded 400 in the same month in 2020, when schools had only just returned to socially distanced classrooms after being shut for the summer term.
While earlier analysis of teacher recruitment adverts has shown that secondary teacher recruitment was decreasing, the latest analysis revealed by Vlog today shows that the number has fallen even further.
Between 31 August and 12 October, 2,384 adverts were placed in total, compared with 4,083 in the same period before the pandemic and 3,251 last year.
Sign of ‘serious financial pressures’
“Schools might be delaying recruitment or deciding not to fill vacancies at all due to tight budgets,” said Timo Hannay, founder of SchoolDash.
While the multi-year Spending Review confirmed an extra £4.7 billion for schools up to 2029, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that the schools settlement will remain “tight”.
Recent Department for Education announcements have painted a bleak picture for school funding, with government money to cover increased employer national insurance contributions falling short and the teacher pay headroom not affording schools a notable rise.
Tom Middlehurst, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, agreed that funding pressures were a factor.
The drop in teacher job ads is “likely to be a sign of the serious financial pressures in many schools and the actions they are having to take as a result”, he said.
“This may entail cutting curriculum options and increasing class sizes - both of which would potentially have an impact on teacher numbers,” Mr Middlehurst warned.
Schools still face shortages
Mr Hannay added that teachers have also become less likely to move or leave, reducing overall turnover.
“This seems likely, especially in the wake of the unusually high staff turnover immediately after Covid, and the current ,” Mr Hannay said.
According to Vlog, which owns Vlog Magazine, schools and trusts are adapting their recruitment models to shift with the decline in roles.
“The recruitment picture in England is certainly being complicated by a decline in roles, but it is still an incredibly competitive landscape,” said Rod Williams, CEO of Vlog, which operates the UK’s largest teacher recruitment service.
“We are seeing trusts and schools offering increased flexibility to differentiate themselves against others, and putting more effort into their search and targeting to ensure the right people see the recruitment ads at the right time.”
Jackie Bowen, headteacher at The East Manchester Academy, said that vacancies have been “chronically high” in recent years.
“While teacher adverts may be lower, there are still more than we would like - especially in shortage subjects. It is still very tough to get good applicants in maths, science, languages and technology,” Ms Bowen added.
However, Chris Edwards, headteacher at Brighton Hill Community School in Basingstoke, said that the decrease could also be related to the teacher job market.
“The drop in adverts may be due to schools realising that the market was saturated with adverts, so they have opted for alternative options such as agencies,” Mr Edwards said.
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Recruitment for trainee secondary teachers is still predicted to fall 15 per cent below target this year, despite a rise in applications.
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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