Graduate Surge Boosts Maths and Science Teacher Recruitment

Published: 05 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

A surge of graduates signing up as teachers helped England meet key recruitment targets this year.

New Department for Education (DfE) figures showed an 11% rise in teacher trainees compared with 2024.

This increase represents the strongest recruitment figures since 2022, particularly for maths and science subjects.

The government had reduced teacher target numbers due to falling student populations across primary and secondary schools.

Primary teacher recruitment exceeded expectations, with 126% of the target reached this year versus 90% last year.

Secondary school recruitment also improved, achieving 88% of the DfE’s target compared with just 61% in 2024.

STEM subjects showed particularly strong growth, reaching 107% of the government’s recruitment target this year.

Maths saw 2,588 trainees, a 16% rise, while physics hit 1,086, the highest since records began in 2014-15.

Modern foreign languages also improved, with 93% of the recruitment target reached for the first time in years.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the figures show strong progress after years of teacher recruitment crises.

“It means children are learning from teachers who love their subject and bring lessons to life,” she added.

The improvement supports the government’s manifesto goal of adding 6,500 state school teachers in coming years.

However, Pepe Di’Iasio of the ASCL warned many schools still face staff shortages across the country.

He emphasised sustained recruitment growth will require better pay and working conditions for teachers.

The figures also revealed more trainees are recruited from outside the UK, rising from 6% to 8% in 2025.

Matt Wrack of the NASUWT warned proposed immigration reforms may jeopardise access to these skilled teachers.

Meanwhile, a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted challenges from declining student numbers in the UK.

The report warns governments must balance school closures or financial savings against maintaining education quality.

UK children under 16 are expected to fall by 800,000 by 2035, with the largest decreases in Scotland and Wales.

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