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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toTeachers by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toTeachers by ethnicity and gender section
- 4. Navigate toTeachers by ethnicity and grade section
- 5. Navigate toTeachers by ethnicity and type of school section
- 6. Navigate toHead teachers by ethnicity and gender section
- 7. Navigate to Methodology section
- 8. Navigate to Data sources section
- 9. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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there were 503,900 teachers in state-funded schools in England in 2016; this includes classroom teachers, headteachers, and deputy and assistant heads. When working patterns are taken into account there are 457,300 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England
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86.5% of all teachers were White British, which is around 408,800 teachers
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13.4% of all teachers were from an ethnic minority (including White minorities)
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Other White teachers were the next largest group after White British teachers - 3.8% of teachers were Other White (around 17,900 teachers)
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93.1% of headteachers were White British (around 20,160 headteachers)
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out of the 503,900 teachers in state-funded schools in England in 2016, around 380,000 were female - and there were more female than male teachers across all ethnic groups
Things you need to know
The numbers in this measure are based on a headcount of teachers. This means that some of these teachers could be working part time rather than full time. Full-time equivalent numbers can be found in the School Workforce Statistical Release.
What the data measures
This data measures the number of school teachers (including headteachers) in all state-funded schools in England, broken down by ethnicity, gender and grade.
The data includes teachers employed by the school and centrally employed by the local authority in all state-funded schools. These include:
- nursery, primary, secondary and special schools run by local authorities
- academies
- free schools
The data doesn’t include:
- independent schools
- sixth form colleges
- further education establishments
- teaching assistants
- occasional teachers (on contracts of less than one month)
- teachers for whom ethnicity is not known
The data was collected from schools and local authorities in November 2016 as part of the annual school workforce census.
The ethnic categories used in this data
The 16 categories used in this data are those listed in the 2001 Census. The categories are broadly the same as those used in the 2011 Census, except that:
- the 2001 Census categorised Chinese people within ‘Other ethnic group’
- the 2001 Census did not list Gypsy and Irish Travellers or Arab people
The 2001 categories are:
White:
- English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British
- Irish
- Any Other White background
Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups:
- White and Black Caribbean
- White and Black African
- White and Asian
- Any Other Mixed/Multiple ethnic background
Asian/Asian British:
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Bangladeshi
- Any Other Asian background
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British:
- African
- Caribbean
- Any Other Black/ African/ Caribbean background
Other ethnic group:
- Chinese
- Any Other ethnic group
2. Teachers by ethnicity
Ethnicity | % | Teachers |
---|---|---|
Asian | ||
Bangladeshi | 0.5 | 2,300 |
Indian | 1.8 | 8,600 |
Pakistani | 1.0 | 4,900 |
Asian other | 0.6 | 2,900 |
Black | ||
Black African | 0.8 | 3,700 |
Black Caribbean | 1.0 | 4,900 |
Black other | 0.3 | 1,500 |
Mixed | ||
Mixed White/Asian | 0.3 | 1,500 |
Mixed White/Black African | 0.1 | 600 |
Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 0.3 | 1,500 |
Mixed other | 0.5 | 2,200 |
White | ||
White British | 86.5 | 408,800 |
White Irish | 1.7 | 7,900 |
White other | 3.8 | 17,900 |
Chinese and other | ||
Chinese | 0.2 | 800 |
Any other | 0.5 | 2,600 |
Download table data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce Teachers by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
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in 2016, most teachers in England were White British (86.5%), which is around 408,800 teachers
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3.8% of teachers were Other White (around 17,900 teachers), followed by 1.8% who were Indian (around 8,600 teachers) and 1.7% who were White Irish (around 7,900 teachers)
3. Teachers by ethnicity and gender
Men | Women | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | Men % | Men Teachers | Women % | Women Teachers |
Asian | ||||
Bangladeshi | 0.5 | 600 | 0.5 | 1,700 |
Indian | 1.5 | 1,700 | 1.9 | 6,800 |
Pakistani | 1.0 | 1,200 | 1.0 | 3,700 |
Asian other | 0.7 | 800 | 0.6 | 2,100 |
Black | ||||
Black African | 1.2 | 1,400 | 0.6 | 2,200 |
Black Caribbean | 1.0 | 1,100 | 1.1 | 3,800 |
Black other | 0.4 | 400 | 0.3 | 1,000 |
Mixed | ||||
Mixed White/Asian | 0.4 | 400 | 0.3 | 1,100 |
Mixed White/Black African | 0.1 | 200 | 0.1 | 400 |
Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 0.3 | 300 | 0.3 | 1,200 |
Mixed other | 0.4 | 500 | 0.5 | 1,700 |
White | ||||
White British | 86.4 | 99,700 | 86.6 | 309,000 |
White Irish | 2.0 | 2,300 | 1.6 | 5,600 |
White other | 3.3 | 3,800 | 3.9 | 14,100 |
Chinese and other | ||||
Chinese | 0.1 | 200 | 0.2 | 600 |
Any other | 0.6 | 600 | 0.5 | 1,900 |
Download table data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce Teachers by ethnicity and gender Summary
This data shows that:
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in 2016, almost 3 out of 4 school teachers were female - which is around 380,000 teachers
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86.4% of male teachers were White British and 86.6% of female teachers were White British - which is around 99,700 and 309,000 teachers respectively
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Black African teachers made up 1.2% of male teachers compared to 0.6% of female teachers - which is around 1,400 and 2,200 teachers respectively
4. Teachers by ethnicity and grade
Ethnicity | Heads | Deputies and assistants | Classroom and others |
---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | |
Asian | |||
Bangladeshi | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Indian | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
Pakistani | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
Asian other | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
Black | |||
Black African | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
Black Caribbean | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
Black other | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Mixed | |||
Mixed White/Asian | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Mixed White/Black African | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Mixed other | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
White | |||
White British | 93.1 | 90.4 | 85.7 |
White Irish | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
White other | 1.8 | 2.3 | 4.1 |
Chinese and other | |||
Chinese | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Any other | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
Download table data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and grade’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce Teachers by ethnicity and grade Summary
This data shows that:
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in November 2016, there were around 432,600 classroom teachers, 49,100 deputy or assistant headteachers and around 22,100 headteachers
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93.1% of headteachers, 90.4% of deputy or assistant headteachers and 85.7% of classroom teachers were White British
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classroom teachers were least likely to be Mixed White and Black African - 0.1% of classroom teachers were from this group
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deputy and assistant headteachers were least likely to be Mixed White and Black African, and Chinese - 0.1% of deputy and assistant headteachers were from each of these groups
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headteachers were least likely be Bangladeshi, Chinese or from Any other Black background - 0.1% of headteachers were from each of these groups (there was no data about Mixed White and Black African headteachers as the numbers were too small and have been excluded to protect confidentiality)
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White Irish teachers were the only ethnicity with a higher percentage of headteachers (1.9%) than deputy and assistant head teachers (1.6%) or classroom teachers (1.7%)
5. Teachers by ethnicity and type of school
Nursery and Primary | Secondary | Special | Centrally employed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | Nursery and Primary % | Nursery and Primary Teachers | Secondary % | Secondary Teachers | Special % | Special Teachers | Centrally employed % | Centrally employed Teachers |
Asian | ||||||||
Bangladeshi | 0.4 | 1,100 | 0.6 | 1,200 | 0.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Indian | 1.6 | 3,800 | 2.2 | 4,500 | 1.0 | 200 | 0.8 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Pakistani | 0.9 | 2,200 | 1.3 | 2,600 | 0.4 | 100 | 0.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Asian other | 0.5 | 1,100 | 0.8 | 1,700 | 0.4 | 100 | 0.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Black | ||||||||
Black African | 0.4 | 1,000 | 1.2 | 2,500 | 0.9 | 200 | 0.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Black Caribbean | 0.9 | 2,000 | 1.2 | 2,500 | 1.4 | 300 | 0.9 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Black other | 0.2 | 500 | 0.4 | 900 | 0.4 | 100 | 0.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Mixed | ||||||||
Mixed White/Asian | 0.3 | 700 | 0.3 | 700 | 0.3 | 100 | 0.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Mixed White/Black African | 0.1 | 200 | 0.1 | 300 | 0.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 0.3 | 700 | 0.3 | 700 | 0.5 | 100 | 0.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Mixed other | 0.4 | 1,000 | 0.5 | 1,100 | 0.4 | 100 | 0.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
White | ||||||||
White British | 89.1 | 210,800 | 83.5 | 174,100 | 87.0 | 19,800 | 90.9 | 4,200 |
White Irish | 1.4 | 3,300 | 2.0 | 4,200 | 1.4 | 300 | 0.9 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
White other | 3.0 | 7,000 | 4.6 | 9,600 | 5.1 | 1,200 | 3.6 | 200 |
Chinese and other | ||||||||
Chinese | 0.1 | 200 | 0.2 | 500 | 0.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Any other | 0.4 | 1,000 | 0.7 | 1,400 | 0.6 | 100 | 0.8 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
Download table data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Teachers by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce Teachers by ethnicity and type of school Summary
This data shows that:
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in November 2016, there were around 250,000 nursery and primary school teachers, 223,800 secondary school teachers, 24,300 special school teachers and 5,700 teachers who were centrally employed by the local authority
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89.1% of nursery and primary school teachers were White British (around 210,800 teachers), compared to 10.9 % from all other ethnic groups including White Irish and White Other
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83.5% of secondary school teachers were White British (around 174,100 teachers), compared to 16.4 % from all other ethnic groups (including White Irish and White Other)
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87.0% of special school teachers were White British (around 19,800 teachers), compared to 13.1 % from from all other ethnic groups (including White Irish and White Other)
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90.9% of teachers who are centrally employed by the local authority were White British (around 4,200 teachers)
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teachers from the White Other group were the next largest group after White British across all types of school - making up 3.0% of nursery and primary school teachers, 4.6% of secondary school teachers, 5.1% of special school teachers and 3.6% of centrally employed teachers
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Chinese and Mixed White/Black African teachers were the least likely to be teachers across all types of school
6. Head teachers by ethnicity and gender
Ethnicity | Men | Women |
---|---|---|
% | % | |
Asian | ||
Bangladeshi | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Indian | 0.6 | 0.8 |
Pakistani | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Asian other | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Black | ||
Black African | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Black Caribbean | 0.4 | 0.9 |
Black other | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Mixed | ||
Mixed White/Asian | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Mixed White/Black African | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.1 |
Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Mixed other | 0.2 | 0.2 |
White | ||
White British | 93.2 | 93.0 |
White Irish | 2.1 | 1.8 |
White other | 2.0 | 1.7 |
Chinese and other | ||
Chinese | withheld to protect confidentiality | 0.1 |
Any other | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Download table data for ‘Head teachers by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Head teachers by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce Head teachers by ethnicity and gender Summary
This data shows that:
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in November 2016, there were around 22,100 headteachers - of which over two-thirds were female (14,700)
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male headteachers were more likely to be White, at 97.3%, than female headteachers were, at 96.5%
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the only ethnic groups where the percentage of female headteachers by ethnicity was greater than male headteachers from the same ethnicity were Black Caribbean and Indian
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0.9% of female headteachers were Black Caribbean, compared to 0.4% of male headteachers and 0.8% of female headteachers were Indian compared to 0.6% of male headteachers
7. Methodology
Data provided in this measure is based on administrative data collected from schools and local authorities in November 2016 as part of the 7th annual school workforce census. Data on independent schools, sixth form colleges and further education establishments is not included. The census also collects detailed information on teachers, teaching assistants and other non-classroom based school support staff.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Estimates based on fewer than 50 teachers have been suppressed to ensure that we report reliable findings. Numbers of teachers are shown to the nearest 100.
Rounding
Numbers of teachers are shown to the nearest 100.
Related publications
[School workforce in England: November 2016] (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2016)
Quality and methodology information
8. Data sources
Source
School workforce in England: November 2016
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The school workforce census data informs policy on pay and is used to monitor the effectiveness and diversity of the school workforce.
It's also used by other government departments, local authorities, external agencies and educational researchers.
9. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, gender, teacher type, school type, value, headcount