The numbers of school-aged children in Cambridgeshire are projected to increase over the next ten years. This means that ensuring a sufficient teacher supply in the Local Authority (LA) is of great importance. To do so, measures to maintain the area as an attractive area to work in will be needed, especially to attract teachers for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related subjects given the growing demand for future STEM professionals.

This report used the School Workforce (SWF) Census to explore working conditions (pay, type of contract and employment status) and flows (numbers of new entries and leavers) of teachers in Cambridgeshire as compared to elsewhere in the country.

  • Working conditions – Teachers in Cambridgeshire
    • are more likely to earn a salary within lower pay ranges
    • are more likely to work part-time
    • since 2010 have seen an increase in their chances to work under fixed-term or temporary contracts.
    • These conditions may be making Cambridgeshire less attractive than other LAs for teachers to work in.
  • Teacher flows – keeping our teaching workforce
    • A larger gap between the proportions of new entries and the proportions of retirees in Cambridgeshire compared to the national level – a differences even starker for teachers of STEM-related subjects.
    • Cambridgeshire also experienced smaller proportions of entries and higher proportions of retirement than three comparator LAs
    • Therefore, new strategies to attract larger numbers of teachers to work in Cambridgeshire will be important and necessary to maintain a sufficient supply of teachers.

Download report full report here.