Thu, 26 Apr 2012

The number of teachers employed in schools in the UK fell by 10,000, or 2.2% of the total workforce.

The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Brian Lightman, says: “It’s not surprising to see that the number of teachers has decreased slightly.

“We predicted two years ago that as budgets were cut, some schools would have to make hard decisions about staffing levels as the only way to make ends meet. Often this is done when teachers retire, by not replacing them like for like but instead increasing class sizes slightly, shifting responsibilities among staff and using teaching assistants and support staff more effectively.”