Understaffing exacerbates pressure on teachers, particularly in socio-economically deprived areas
A key finding from The Science Teaching Survey 2023
Understaffing continues to be an issue across the sciences, especially in the case of physics teachers and science technicians. It is also felt more acutely in schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation.
Understaffing not only impacts students’ education but places additional stress on existing teaching staff, many of whom say they are overworked.
For those teachers planning to leave their current school by the end of the 24/25 academic year, the most cited reasons across mainstream schools in the UK and Ireland were:
- high levels of stress/exhaustion (54%)
- a lack of respect/don’t feel appreciated (51%)
- high workload (49%)
- poor student behaviour (46%).
The teachers we surveyed from schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation were more likely to say they were planning to leave their school by the end of the 24/25 academic year.
Biology
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% of above | Less than 30% | |
| Overstaffed | 24% | 13% | 25% | 20% | 16% | 28% | 22% | 26% | 20% |
| Adequately staffed | 62% | 71% | 64% | 73% | 71% | 57% | 64% | 59% | 66% |
| Understaffed | 13% | 13% | 11% | 6% | 11% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 13% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 1% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| Total | 1493 | 210 | 83 | 49 | 45 | 235 | 1294 | 203 | 1046 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 2456
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
Chemistry
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% of above | Less than 30% | |
| Overstaffed | 5% | 5% | 7% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
| Adequately staffed | 59% | 74% | 64% | 67% | 82% | 49% | 62% | 51% | 63% |
| Understaffed | 36% | 19% | 29% | 31% | 11% | 48% | 32% | 44% | 31% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| Total | 1493 | 210 | 83 | 49 | 45 | 235 | 1294 | 203 | 1046 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 2456
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
Physics
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% of above | Less than 30% | |
| Overstaffed | 2% | 5% | 2% | 0% | 9% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 2% |
| Adequately staffed | 40% | 67% | 45% | 63% | 71% | 32% | 46% | 29% | 49% |
| Understaffed | 58% | 25% | 53% | 33% | 16% | 66% | 51% | 68% | 48% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 1% | 3% | 0% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Total | 1493 | 210 | 83 | 49 | 45 | 235 | 1294 | 203 | 1046 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 2456
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
Technicians
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% of above | Less than 30% | |
| Overstaffed | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Adequately staffed | 62% | 53% | 47% | 43% | 9% | 54% | 63% | 51% | 64% |
| Understaffed | 37% | 44% | 52% | 56% | 78% | 44% | 37% | 47% | 34% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 13% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Total | 1802 | 246 | 97 | 54 | 45 | 284 | 1524 | 246 | 1239 |
Total sample; base n = 2932
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
What challenges does your school face?
"Understaffing in non-classroom support staff, including technicians."
Science technician, England
Please detail why you regard your school as being in challenging circumstances:
"Irish medium schools/streams throughout the country have great difficulty in finding teachers who are highly qualified in specific subjects (particularly Maths/Science) and who are also confident in the Irish language in order to deliver the curriculum through the language."
Teacher, Northern Ireland
"The national situation for recruiting and retaining science staff is the worst I’ve seen it in 20 years of teaching and 9 of HoD-ing. It has been challenging in science for a few years and now has spread across many subjects, which has a knock-on effect on the amount of cover remaining staff need to do."
Teacher, England
What changes would convince you to stay on as a teacher at secondary school?
"An increased respect for the teaching profession from the government, the press, and society in general. At the moment it feels that we are responsible for all society's problems, but gain no credit from anyone for our work."
Teacher, England
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% or above | Less than 30% | |
| Up to the end of the current (22/23) academic year | 13% | 9% | 11% | 10% | 11% | 17% | 13% | 19% | 13% |
| Up to the end of the 23/24 academic year | 12% | 6% | 2% | 0% | 4% | 14% | 10% | 16% | 11% |
| Up to the end of the 24/25 academic year | 7% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| Into the 25/26 academic year or beyond | 34% | 44% | 31% | 57% | 67% | 29% | 37% | 27% | 36% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 33% | 35% | 48% | 24% | 11% | 31% | 34% | 30% | 33% |
| Prefer not to say | 1% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Overall: planning to leave by end of 2024/25 academic year | 32% | 19% | 18% | 14% | 20% | 39% | 28% | 41% | 31% |
| Total | 1493 | 210 | 83 | 49 | 45 | 235 | 1294 | 203 | 1046 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 2456
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All nations | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% or above | Less than 30% | |
| High levels of stress/exhaustion | 54% | 51% | 41% | 33% | 29% | 22% | 44% | 52% | 46% | 53% |
| Workload is too high/Lack of work-life balance | 49% | 50% | 31% | 27% | 14% | 11% | 44% | 49% | 45% | 52% |
| Lack of respect/don’t feel appreciated | 51% | 43% | 38% | 33% | 29% | 0% | 45% | 42% | 45% | 42% |
| Lack of progression opportunities | 33% | 32% | 33% | 27% | 29% | 11% | 44% | 29% | 45% | 29% |
| Poor student behaviour | 46% | 40% | 38% | 47% | 43% | 11% | 42% | 42% | 42% | 41% |
| Lack of recognition | 43% | 33% | 26% | 27% | 29% | 0% | 32% | 33% | 32% | 33% |
| Issues with management | 38% | 27% | 31% | 27% | 29% | 0% | 34% | 27% | 35% | 26% |
| Low pay | 16% | 22% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 11% | 16% | 21% | 18% | 23% |
| Want to try something different | 20% | 19% | 18% | 0% | 0% | 56% | 24% | 15% | 26% | 15% |
| Having to teach outside specialism | 7% | 7% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 11% | 2% | 7% | 2% | 8% |
| Don’t know/not sure | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Other | 20% | 14% | 28% | 33% | 43% | 22% | 14% | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Total | 235 | 473 | 39 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 91 | 368 | 84 | 325 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) leaving current school by end of 24/25; base n = 543
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% or above | Less than 30% | |
| Retirement | 14% | 26% | 27% | 14% | 22% | 10% | 16% | 8% | 15% |
| Move to a similar role at a different state school | 19% | 36% | 33% | 29% | 33% | 20% | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Move to a different state school for promotion | 19% | 10% | 0% | 29% | 11% | 32% | 15% | 32% | 16% |
| Move to a similar role at a private/independent school | 6% | 0% | 7% | 29% | 0% | 1% | 8% | 1% | 9% |
| Move to a private/independent school for promotion | 0% | 3% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Move into teaching at higher education | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 0% | 3% |
| Move into another role in education (not teaching) | 4% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 4% | 7% | 4% |
| I want to do something outside of education/career change | 19% | 3% | 13% | 0% | 11% | 11% | 18% | 12% | 20% |
| Have a career break | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 0% | 2% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 6% | 8% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 9% | 5% | 8% | 5% |
| Other + No response | 8% | 13% | 7% | 0% | 22% | 10% | 7% | 11% | 7% |
| Total | 436 | 34 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 82 | 342 | 75 | 303 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) leaving their current school by the end of the 24/25 academic year; base n = 694
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
Five factors that would make teachers stay in their role
Retaining these trained teachers is crucial, as they bring a wealth of knowledge and teaching expertise to the classroom. Their departure not only impacts the quality of education but also places an extra burden on schools to recruit and support new teachers.
Our survey respondents told us what changes would help to make them stay. The top five across mainstream schools in the UK and Ireland were:
- More balanced/reduced workload (25%)
- Better work/life balance (22%)
- Increased pay (19%)
- Increase funding for classroom/school resources (15%)
- More support with student behaviour (15%)
| Mainstream state secondary schools | FSM% (UK only) | FSM% (England only*) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All nations | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 30% or above | Less than 30% | 30% or above | Less than 30% | |
| More balanced/reduced workload | 25% | 27% | 21% | 20% | 0% | 11% | 20% | 26% | 20% | 27% |
| Better work/life balance | 22% | 24% | 15% | 20% | 0% | 0% | 21% | 23% | 21% | 25% |
| Increased pay | 19% | 21% | 8% | 7% | 0% | 33% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| Increase funding for classroom/school resources | 15% | 16% | 10% | 13% | 0% | 11% | 18% | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| More support with student behaviour | 15% | 15% | 18% | 13% | 0% | 11% | 11% | 16% | 11% | 16% |
| Less pressure regarding assessed school performance and inspections | 14% | 15% | 3% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 15% | 13% | 17% | 14% |
| More respect/appreciation | 11% | 12% | 8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 9% | 12% | 10% | 13% |
| More support from parents | 8% | 8% | 5% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 9% | 4% | 10% |
| More support from senior management team | 6% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Less emphasis on exam results | 7% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 3% | 8% | 4% | 9% |
| Having the option to work remotely/work from home where feasible | 6% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| More recognition of work performance | 5% | 5% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| More opportunity for progression | 5% | 5% | 10% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 5% | 7% | 5% |
| Only expected to teach content you consider yourself a specialist in | 4% | 3% | 3% | 7% | 0% | 22% | 0% | 4% | 0% | 4% |
| Timetabled / regular professional development | 4% | 4% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 4% |
| Having the option to work part-time | 3% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Being able to find a position in a different school | 3% | 3% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| There isn’t anything that could convince me | 1% | 1% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Other | 4% | 4% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 11% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 4% |
| Total | 543 | 473 | 39 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 91 | 368 | 84 | 325 |
Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department) leaving their current school by the end of the 24/25 academic year; base n = 543
*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.
Now, thinking generally, what one change to the education system do you think would have the biggest positive impact in science teaching in your nation?
"Improvement in the behaviour of students so that they can fully access the curriculum."
Teacher, Wales
"Employing many more teaching staff and allowing more non-contact time. This will lessen workload, allowing teachers to have smaller classes and more time to address individual student's needs. Having 10 classes of 32 students is unsustainable, particularly with report writing and parents evenings."
Teacher, England
"Allowing schools to ‘overstaff’ would give staff more time for CPD, development, and collegiate working. Staffing schools to the absolute minimum is putting stress on staff and increasing their workload. It also means that when there is staff sickness or staff leave then schools struggle to cover those posts."
Teacher, Scotland
"More high-quality people going into and staying in science. I feel that at secondary school we lose lots of staff because we are inflexible to part-time working (especially women with young children). If schools could be more flexible with this, we could keep more people in the profession. A good part-time member of staff is better than nobody, or better than a poor full-time member of staff."
Teacher, England
"Pay should reflect the hours worked, the professionalism of teachers and technicians. Too many are leaving as pay per actual hour worked is generally below minimum wage. Good pay will encourage more/better qualified staff both support and front line."
Science technician, England
"A better progression or pay scale for technicians - we are underpaid for the expertise and skills needed for the role. The turnover for science technicians is unbelievable."
Science technician, England
What we are doing
Working conditions (including excessive workload) and the declining appeal of teaching as a profession must be addressed, both to help attract new chemistry teachers and to stem the flow of experienced teachers leaving the profession. Using the insights from our survey, we’re urging policymakers to tackle teacher shortages in the sciences. We want to see long-term solutions to make teaching a more rewarding and sustainable profession that can withstand population and economic fluctuations.
We have a wide range of resources for early career and student teachers.
Teach Chemistry, our free service for teachers and technicians in secondary schools and colleges, is packed with resources and opportunities for classroom enrichment, professional development and ideas to inspire your students and ease your workload.
Explore our teacher well-being hub, where you’ll find articles and resources that promote mental well-being and provide effective strategies for tackling workplace challenges head-on.
We also support the Department for Education’s Teacher Training Scholarships, which include coaching by an experienced teacher. Scholars are eligible for £30,000 tax-free funding in England for the 2024/25 academic year.
Explore the full data set behind the Science Teaching Survey 2023
Explore more headline findings from the survey
Challenges faced by teachers are amplified in areas of high socio-economic deprivation
A key finding from The Science Teaching Survey 2023.
Underfunding is having a negative impact on science teaching and learning
A key finding from The Science Teaching Survey 2023.
Only a minority of teachers have received sufficient subject-specific professional development
A key finding from The Science Teaching Survey 2023.