Disadvantaged schools face gap in teacher experience, EPI finds

There is a “substantial and persistent” gap in the teaching workforce between the most and least disadvantaged schools in England, a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has revealed. 

The analysis points to critical shortfalls in teacher experience, subject expertise, turnover, and absence rates, particularly in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

The study found that teachers in disadvantaged secondary schools have, on average, three years less experience than their counterparts in more affluent schools. This gap extends to school leadership, with headteachers in disadvantaged secondary schools now also having three years less experience – a stark contrast to 2010, when there was no difference.

Subject expertise has also declined, especially in key areas such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Since 2016/17, the proportion of lessons taught by a teacher with a relevant degree in disadvantaged schools has dropped by 11%. Over the same period, the gap in subject-specialist teaching between disadvantaged and affluent schools has widened by more than two-thirds.

The report also highlights high turnover and absence rates. Annual teacher turnover in disadvantaged secondary schools is 5 to 8% higher than in affluent ones, and teachers in these schools miss 1.5 to 2 more days per year. This represents around 1% of instructional time lost, an added burden for students already facing educational challenges.

In response to these findings, the EPI recommends targeted policy interventions aimed at strengthening the teaching workforce in disadvantaged schools. These include:

• Expanding financial incentives to retain experienced subject specialists in hard-to-staff schools.
• Accelerating professional development by enhancing programmes such as the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications.
• Investing in school leadership, recognising the pivotal role of headteachers in reducing turnover and absence.
• Improving how teaching quality is measured to better understand how workforce disparities impact students’ learning experiences.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This report lays bare one of the starkest issues in our education system – that children and young people who would most benefit from being taught by our strongest teachers and leaders are the least likely to experience this. 

“Our accountability system has actively penalised those working in more deprived areas, making it more difficult to recruit teachers and leaders in disadvantaged areas who understandably feel the odds are stacked against them. In turn this means disadvantaged children are more likely to be taught by teachers who are less experienced or non-specialists, or in larger classes.”

He added: “We need an inspection and improvement model that properly recognises the different challenges faced by schools in different contexts. This must be backed by funding that reflects the varying levels of disadvantage in different communities, alongside a long-term strategy to improve recruitment and retention.”