School teacher workforce
Published
Contents
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity and gender section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity and role section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity and type of school section
- 7. Navigate to By ethnicity and gender (headteachers only) section
- 8. Navigate toData sources section
- 9. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- in 2021, 85.1% of all teachers in state-funded schools in England were white British (out of those whose ethnicity was known) – by comparison, 70.8% of the working age population in England was white British at the time of the 2021 Census
- 3.8% of teachers were from the ‘white other’ ethnic group, the second highest percentage
- 92.5% of headteachers were white British
- 75.7% of teachers were women, and there were more female than male teachers in every ethnic group
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the number of school teachers in state-funded schools in England, by ethnicity.
It also shows the number and percentage of school teachers by role, including:
- headteachers
- deputy headteachers (deputises in place of the headteacher)
- assistant headteachers (assists the headteacher in running the school)
- classroom teachers
The data includes both full and part-time teachers employed by their school or local authority. It covers all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools.
Not included in the data
The data does not include
- teaching assistants
- teachers on contracts of less than 1 month
It also does not include teachers in:
- independent schools
- sixth form colleges
- further education schools and colleges
The ethnic groups used in the data
The data uses ethnic groups from the 2001 Census. Working age population estimates are from the 2021 Census.
The 2001 Census categories do not include the Arab and white Gypsy and Irish Traveller ethnic groups. Data for these groups is included in the ‘Any other’ ethnic group.
Ethnicity was known for around 91% of teachers. Percentages are based on teachers whose ethnicity was known.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
In the data file
See Download the data for figures dating back to 2016.
3. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % of teacher workforce | Headcount | % of working age population (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 100.0 | 466,145 | 100.0 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.7 | 3,384 | 1.2 |
| Indian | 2.0 | 9,508 | 3.6 |
| Pakistani | 1.3 | 6,258 | 2.8 |
| Asian Other | 0.8 | 3,596 | 1.9 |
| Black African | 1.0 | 4,477 | 2.9 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.1 | 5,173 | 1.3 |
| Black Other | 0.4 | 1,719 | 0.4 |
| Chinese | 0.2 | 884 | 0.9 |
| Mixed White And Asian | 0.4 | 1,855 | 0.7 |
| Mixed White And Black African | 0.1 | 695 | 0.3 |
| Mixed White And Black Caribbean | 0.4 | 1,973 | 0.8 |
| Mixed Other | 0.6 | 2,768 | 0.7 |
| White British | 85.1 | 396,478 | 70.8 |
| White Irish | 1.4 | 6,659 | 0.9 |
| White Other | 3.8 | 17,820 | 8.0 |
| Any Other Ethnic Group | 0.6 | 2,897 | 1.8 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 40,743 | N/A* |
| Refused | N/A* | 5,120 | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce By ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- in 2021, 85.1% of all teachers in state-funded schools in England were white British (out of those whose ethnicity was known) – by comparison, 70.8% of the working age population in England was white British at the time of the 2021 Census
- people from the ‘white other’ ethnic group made up 3.8% of teachers, and 8.0% of the working age population
- people from the Indian ethnic group made up 2.0% of teachers, and 3.6% of the working age population
- white Irish people made up 1.4% of teachers, and 0.9% of the working age population
4. By ethnicity and gender
| All | Female | Male | Gender Unclassified | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | All % | All Headcount | Female % | Female Headcount | Male % | Male Headcount | Gender Unclassified % | Gender Unclassified Headcount |
| All | 100.0 | 466,145 | 100.0 | 352,972 | 100.0 | 112,384 | 100.0 | 789 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.7 | 3,384 | 0.7 | 2,554 | 0.7 | 830 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Indian | 2.0 | 9,508 | 2.2 | 7,657 | 1.6 | 1,850 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Pakistani | 1.3 | 6,258 | 1.4 | 4,857 | 1.2 | 1,401 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Asian Other | 0.8 | 3,596 | 0.8 | 2,694 | 0.8 | 899 | 0.4 | 3 |
| Black African | 1.0 | 4,477 | 0.8 | 2,895 | 1.4 | 1,583 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.1 | 5,173 | 1.1 | 3,966 | 1.1 | 1,203 | 0.5 | 4 |
| Black Other | 0.4 | 1,719 | 0.3 | 1,212 | 0.4 | 500 | 0.9 | 7 |
| Chinese | 0.2 | 884 | 0.2 | 669 | 0.2 | 215 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Mixed White And Asian | 0.4 | 1,855 | 0.4 | 1,347 | 0.5 | 506 | 0.3 | 2 |
| Mixed White And Black African | 0.1 | 695 | 0.1 | 519 | 0.2 | 175 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Mixed White And Black Caribbean | 0.4 | 1,973 | 0.4 | 1,524 | 0.4 | 447 | 0.3 | 2 |
| Mixed Other | 0.6 | 2,768 | 0.6 | 2,127 | 0.6 | 640 | 0.1 | 1 |
| White British | 85.1 | 396,478 | 85.0 | 299,943 | 85.2 | 95,807 | 92.3 | 728 |
| White Irish | 1.4 | 6,659 | 1.3 | 4,666 | 1.8 | 1,988 | 0.6 | 5 |
| White Other | 3.8 | 17,820 | 4.0 | 14,125 | 3.3 | 3,661 | 4.3 | 34 |
| Any Other Ethnic Group | 0.6 | 2,897 | 0.6 | 2,218 | 0.6 | 680 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Refused | N/A* | 5,120 | N/A* | 3,774 | N/A* | 1,317 | N/A* | 29 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 40,743 | N/A* | 29,975 | N/A* | 10,314 | N/A* | 453 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce By ethnicity and gender Summary
The data shows that:
- in 2021/22, 75.5% of school teachers were women
- in every ethnic group, there were more female than male teachers
- white British people made up 85.2% of male teachers and 85.0% of female teachers
- 4.0% of female teachers were from the ‘white other’ ethnic group and 2.2% were from the Indian ethnic group – the next highest percentages for women
- 3.3% of male teachers were from the ‘white other’ ethnic group and 1.8% were white Irish – the next highest percentages for men
5. By ethnicity and role
| All | Classroom Teacher | Assistant Head Teacher | Deputy Head Teacher | Head Teacher | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | All % | All Headcount | Classroom Teacher % | Classroom Teacher Headcount | Assistant Head Teacher % | Assistant Head Teacher Headcount | Deputy Head Teacher % | Deputy Head Teacher Headcount | Head Teacher % | Head Teacher Headcount |
| All | 100.0 | 466,145 | 100.0 | 398,569 | 100.0 | 29,372 | 100.0 | 17,418 | 100.0 | 20,786 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.7 | 3,384 | 0.8 | 3,212 | 0.4 | 111 | 0.2 | 41 | 0.1 | 20 |
| Indian | 2.0 | 9,508 | 2.1 | 8,544 | 1.8 | 534 | 1.4 | 238 | 0.9 | 192 |
| Pakistani | 1.3 | 6,258 | 1.5 | 5,807 | 0.9 | 264 | 0.5 | 92 | 0.5 | 95 |
| Asian Other | 0.8 | 3,596 | 0.8 | 3,303 | 0.6 | 170 | 0.4 | 67 | 0.3 | 55 |
| Black African | 1.0 | 4,477 | 1.1 | 4,196 | 0.6 | 180 | 0.3 | 54 | 0.2 | 47 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.1 | 5,173 | 1.1 | 4,531 | 1.2 | 343 | 0.8 | 143 | 0.7 | 155 |
| Black Other | 0.4 | 1,719 | 0.4 | 1,583 | 0.3 | 77 | 0.2 | 29 | 0.1 | 29 |
| Chinese | 0.2 | 884 | 0.2 | 842 | 0.1 | 24 | 0.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 10 |
| Mixed White And Asian | 0.4 | 1,855 | 0.4 | 1,632 | 0.4 | 113 | 0.3 | 52 | 0.3 | 58 |
| Mixed White And Black African | 0.1 | 695 | 0.2 | 631 | 0.1 | 38 | 0.1 | 11 | 0.1 | 15 |
| Mixed White And Black Caribbean | 0.4 | 1,973 | 0.4 | 1,730 | 0.4 | 124 | 0.3 | 57 | 0.3 | 62 |
| Mixed Other | 0.6 | 2,768 | 0.6 | 2,511 | 0.5 | 134 | 0.4 | 65 | 0.3 | 58 |
| White British | 85.1 | 396,478 | 84.2 | 335,641 | 87.8 | 25,798 | 90.8 | 15,817 | 92.5 | 19,221 |
| White Irish | 1.4 | 6,659 | 1.4 | 5,510 | 1.6 | 476 | 1.8 | 316 | 1.7 | 358 |
| White Other | 3.8 | 17,820 | 4.1 | 16,234 | 2.9 | 855 | 2.1 | 365 | 1.8 | 367 |
| Any Other Ethnic Group | 0.6 | 2,897 | 0.7 | 2,663 | 0.4 | 129 | 0.4 | 62 | 0.2 | 43 |
| Refused | N/A* | 5,120 | N/A* | 4,544 | N/A* | 268 | N/A* | 126 | N/A* | 182 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 40,743 | N/A* | 36,057 | N/A* | 2,147 | N/A* | 1,121 | N/A* | 1,417 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and role’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and role’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce By ethnicity and role Summary
The data shows that, out of teachers whose ethnicity was known:
- white British people made up 92.5% of headteachers, 90.8% of deputy headteachers, 87.8% of assistant headteachers and 84.2% of classroom teachers
- people from the Chinese and mixed white and black African ethnic groups made up 0.2% of classroom teachers and around 0.1% of deputy and assistant headteachers – the lowest percentages out of all ethnic groups in these roles
- the white British ethnic group was the only group with a higher percentage of headteachers than deputy or assistant head teachers or classroom teachers
6. By ethnicity and type of school
| State-Funded Nursery And Primary | State-Funded Secondary | State-Funded Special or PRU | Centrally Employed | Total State-Funded Schools | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | State-Funded Nursery And Primary % | State-Funded Nursery And Primary Headcount | State-Funded Secondary % | State-Funded Secondary Headcount | State-Funded Special or PRU % | State-Funded Special or PRU Headcount | Centrally Employed % | Centrally Employed Headcount | Total State-Funded Schools % | Total State-Funded Schools Headcount |
| All | 100.0 | 230,793 | 100.0 | 206,382 | 100.0 | 25,279 | 100.0 | 3,692 | 100.0 | 466,145 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.6 | 1,439 | 0.9 | 1,865 | 0.3 | 73 | 0.2 | 8 | 0.7 | 3,384 |
| Indian | 1.7 | 4,024 | 2.5 | 5,155 | 1.1 | 283 | 1.2 | 46 | 2.0 | 9,508 |
| Pakistani | 1.2 | 2,704 | 1.6 | 3,366 | 0.7 | 168 | 0.6 | 21 | 1.3 | 6,258 |
| Asian Other | 0.6 | 1,275 | 1.1 | 2,180 | 0.5 | 127 | 0.4 | 14 | 0.8 | 3,596 |
| Black African | 0.5 | 1,194 | 1.5 | 3,013 | 1.0 | 263 | 0.2 | 8 | 1.0 | 4,477 |
| Black Caribbean | 0.9 | 2,025 | 1.3 | 2,762 | 1.4 | 349 | 1.0 | 36 | 1.1 | 5,173 |
| Black Other | 0.3 | 584 | 0.5 | 1,009 | 0.5 | 117 | 0.2 | 9 | 0.4 | 1,719 |
| Chinese | 0.1 | 265 | 0.3 | 592 | 0.1 | 24 | 0.1 | 3 | 0.2 | 884 |
| Mixed White And Asian | 0.4 | 808 | 0.5 | 943 | 0.3 | 88 | 0.4 | 15 | 0.4 | 1,855 |
| Mixed White And Black African | 0.1 | 260 | 0.2 | 378 | 0.2 | 50 | 0.2 | 7 | 0.1 | 695 |
| Mixed White And Black Caribbean | 0.4 | 904 | 0.4 | 927 | 0.5 | 127 | 0.4 | 15 | 0.4 | 1,973 |
| Mixed Other | 0.5 | 1,200 | 0.7 | 1,417 | 0.5 | 139 | 0.3 | 12 | 0.6 | 2,768 |
| White British | 88.4 | 204,023 | 81.2 | 167,615 | 85.3 | 21,564 | 88.7 | 3,275 | 85.1 | 396,478 |
| White Irish | 1.2 | 2,768 | 1.7 | 3,506 | 1.4 | 342 | 1.2 | 43 | 1.4 | 6,659 |
| White Other | 2.7 | 6,325 | 4.8 | 9,931 | 5.6 | 1,404 | 4.4 | 161 | 3.8 | 17,820 |
| Any Other Ethnic Group | 0.4 | 996 | 0.8 | 1,723 | 0.6 | 160 | 0.5 | 19 | 0.6 | 2,897 |
| Refused | N/A* | 2,074 | N/A* | 2,663 | N/A* | 249 | N/A* | 134 | N/A* | 5,120 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 17,343 | N/A* | 20,126 | N/A* | 2,410 | N/A* | 863 | N/A* | 40,743 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce By ethnicity and type of school Summary
The data shows that, out of teachers whose ethnicity was known:
- white British people made up the highest percentage of teachers in every type of school – 88.4% in nursery and primary schools, 81.2% in secondary schools, 85.3% in special schools, and 88.7% of centrally-employed teachers
- teachers from the ‘white other’ ethnic group made up the next highest percentage of teachers in every type of school – 2.7% in nursery and primary schools, 4.8% in secondary schools, 5.6% in special schools, and 4.4% of centrally-employed teachers
- in every type of school, the lowest percentages of teachers were from the Chinese and mixed white and black African ethnic groups
7. By ethnicity and gender (headteachers only)
| All | Female | Male | Gender Unclassified | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | All % | All Headcount | Female % | Female Headcount | Male % | Male Headcount | Gender Unclassified % | Gender Unclassified Headcount |
| All | 100.0 | 20,786 | 100.0 | 14,026 | 100.0 | 6,694 | 100.0 | 66 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.1 | 20 | 0.1 | 10 | 0.1 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Indian | 0.9 | 192 | 1.1 | 147 | 0.7 | 44 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Pakistani | 0.5 | 95 | 0.5 | 67 | 0.4 | 28 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Asian Other | 0.3 | 55 | 0.3 | 38 | 0.3 | 17 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Black African | 0.2 | 47 | 0.2 | 31 | 0.2 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Black Caribbean | 0.7 | 155 | 0.9 | 120 | 0.5 | 35 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Black Other | 0.1 | 29 | 0.1 | 17 | 0.2 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Chinese | 0.0 | 10 | 0.0 | 6 | 0.1 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Mixed White And Asian | 0.3 | 58 | 0.3 | 35 | 0.3 | 23 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Mixed White And Black African | 0.1 | 15 | 0.1 | 10 | 0.1 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Mixed White And Black Caribbean | 0.3 | 62 | 0.4 | 50 | 0.2 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Mixed Other | 0.3 | 58 | 0.3 | 42 | 0.2 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 |
| White British | 92.5 | 19,221 | 92.4 | 12,955 | 92.7 | 6,203 | 97.0 | 64 |
| White Irish | 1.7 | 358 | 1.6 | 227 | 1.9 | 129 | 1.5 | 1 |
| White Other | 1.8 | 367 | 1.7 | 236 | 1.9 | 130 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Any Other Ethnic Group | 0.2 | 43 | 0.2 | 33 | 0.2 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Refused | N/A* | 182 | N/A* | 119 | N/A* | 63 | N/A* | 0 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 1,417 | N/A* | 908 | N/A* | 483 | N/A* | 26 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender (headteachers only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender (headteachers only)’ (CSV)
Summary of School teacher workforce By ethnicity and gender (headteachers only) Summary
The data shows that, out of headteachers whose ethnicity was known:
- in 2021, there were around 20,800 headteachers, and over two-thirds (14,026) were women
- 95.7% of female headteachers were white (92.4% white British, 1.6% white Irish, and 1.7% ‘white other’)
- 96.5% of male headteachers were white (92.7% white British, 1.9% white Irish, and 1.9% ‘white other’)
8. Data sources
Source
School workforce in England: November 2021
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
School workforce data is used to monitor the effectiveness and diversity of staff in schools, and informs policies on pay.
It is also used by other government departments, local authorities, external agencies and educational researchers.
9. Download the data
school-teacher workforce 2022
- Spreadsheet
(csv)
2 MB
This file contains the following: measure, year, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_code, geography_type, gender, gender_type, teacher, teacher_type, school, school_type, value, value_type, and headcount