School Workforce Census results: as at November 2023

These are official statistics in development relating to information collected in the School Workforce Annual Census (SWAC) for Wales at November 2023. The SWAC collects information on teachers and support staff in local authority maintained schools in Wales.

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of teachers working in local authority-maintained schools has decreased by 2.7% and the number of support staff has decreased by 2.3%. The decrease in teachers and support staff may be due to the temporary nature and changes to the Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards (RRRS) funding. Welsh Government provided the RRRS funding to schools during the COVID pandemic and the recovery period up to 2023-24, though the amount distributed decreased since the initial funding in 2020-21. Most of the staff funded as part of the RRRS scheme should have been employed on a temporary basis and this is impacting the reported changes in school workforce. Further information can be found in the Evaluation of the Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards (RRRS) Programme.

The accompanying StatsWales tables include more detailed information on the school workforce, including breakdowns by local authority and sector.

At this time, the Pupil Level School Census (PLASC) should continue to be used as the official source of statistics on the school workforce. Once SWAC data has been fully quality assured, SWAC will replace the workforce elements of PLASC.

The SWAC School return is completed by local authority-maintained school settings in Wales, including Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Schools record and update data on the workforce throughout the year in their Management Information System (MIS) software. The SWAC Pay, HR and Absences return is completed by local authorities, as well as some schools which have opted-out of payroll and/ or human resource (HR) service level agreements with their local authority. The data is maintained throughout the year in their HR and payroll systems. The two elements are linked anonymously to provide breakdowns of teachers’ pay and sickness absence by school and staff characteristics.

Please see the ‘School Workforce Annual Census: Background Information’ for more details on the SWAC collection and comparison of data items collected in SWAC and PLASC (relating to qualified teachers, teacher sickness absence and teacher recruitment and retention).

• There were 25,740 teachers in local authority maintained schools in Wales, a decrease of 2.7% on November 2022.
• 19,115 teachers (74.2%) were female. Females accounted for 65.1% of teachers in leadership
• 10,060 teachers (39.1%) reported having Welsh skills at intermediate level or above
• On average, 7.8 applications were received per teacher post advertised. The average was lower for Welsh medium posts (4.5) compared to English medium posts (9.1).
• The average (mean) FTE salary of all teachers was £47,691.
• The average number of working days lost per teacher that had taken a period of sickness absence was 11.3, down from 12.8 in 2021/22.
• There were 30,155 support staff, a decrease of 2.3% on November 2022.

The data below is collected as part of the SWAC School return. The SWAC School returns are completed by all local authority-maintained schools and reflect the workforce at Census date which is normally in early November. The census date was at 7 November 2023. The SWAC School data will not include local authority centrally employed staff who are not contracted to a specific school. These staff are included in the teachers’ pay section.  As part of the SWAC School return the full-time equivalents (FTE) is recorded which indicates the proportion of full-contract time they spend in each role and school. 

Teacher roles

• In November 2023, there were 25,740 teachers in local authority maintained schools in Wales, a decrease of 2.7% on November 2022. 
• The full-time equivalence ^{[footnote 1]} of all teachers was 23,995, down 2.6% from 2022. 
• Based on the full-person equivalent ^{[footnote 2]}, 21,490 teachers (83.5%) worked as a qualified classroom teacher.
• Most teachers worked in Primary schools (47.6%) or Secondary schools (40.8%).

Teacher characteristics

• 19,115 teachers (74.2%) were female. Females accounted for 65.1% of teachers in leadership ^{[footnote 3]}. 
• There was a greater proportion of female teachers in Primary schools (83.0%) compared to Secondary schools (65.1%).
• 15,555 teachers (60.4%) identified as Welsh.
• 350 teachers (1.4%) were of Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnicity ^{[footnote 4]}. There was a smaller proportion of teachers from an ethnic minority background in leadership (0.7%).
• 210 teachers (0.8%) reported having a physical or mental health condition expected to last 12 months or more.

Teachers record their Welsh linguistic skills measured against the Welsh Language Competency Framework for education practitioners. Figures below provide a measure of how many teachers have Welsh language skills at intermediate, higher or proficient as this indicates that the individuals possess the necessary skills to teach through the medium of Welsh but some may need to develop their skills and confidence in using Welsh in their work.

• 10,060 teachers (39.1%) reported having Welsh skills at intermediate level or above ^{[footnote 5]}. The proportion varied between sectors, from 31.3% in Secondary schools to 52.1% in Middle schools. At the local authority level, the proportion ranged from 13.5% in Blaenau Gwent to 92.8% in Gwynedd.
• 6,390 teachers (24.8%) were teaching/working through the medium of Welsh in their current post, with a further 1,585 (6.2%) able to teach/work through the medium of Welsh but not doing so in their current post.

Figure 1: Proportion of teachers with Welsh skills at intermediate level or above by local authority, November 2023 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 1: This map shows Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd and Ceredigion have the highest proportion of teachers with Welsh skills at intermediate level or above. Whilst Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Monmouthshire have the lowest proportion. 

Source: SWAC School return

Teachers Welsh language ability by local authority on StatsWales 

[Note 1] Includes intermediate, advanced and proficient Welsh skills based on the ‘Welsh Language Competency Framework for Education Practitioners’.

This data reflects subjects taught to pupils in years 7 to 13 in a typical two-week timetable.

• The greatest proportion of schools’ teaching timetable was spent teaching Mathematics (13.6%), English (13.2%), Science ^{[footnote 6]} (10.3%), Welsh (7.4%) and Physical Education (6.8%).
• On average, 1 in 5 teaching hours (20.9%) were taught bilingually or through the medium of Welsh.
• Individuals teaching Mathematics spent the greatest proportion of their timetable teaching that subject (84.7%) ^{[footnote 7]}. For those teaching English the proportion was 79.6%,Modern Foreign Languages 76.2% and for Welsh 74.7%.

Figure 2: Number of teachers by measure (headcount and full-person equivalent) and subjects taught, November 2023

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Description of Figure 2: This bar chart shows the five subjects with the greatest number of teachers teaching the subjects as at November 2023. These are Mathematics, English, Science, Physical Education and Welsh. Headcount ranged from 1,875 teaching English to 1,125 teaching Welsh. And full-person equivalent ranged from 1,520 of teachers teaching Mathematics to 820 of teachers teaching Physical Education.

Source: SWAC School return

Teachers by measure (headcount, full-person equivalent (FPE) and hours) and subjects taught on StatsWales

[Note 1] The headcount counts teachers once for each subject taught.

[Note 2] The full-person equivalent splits teachers according to the proportion of time spent teaching each subject. A teacher that spends half of their time teaching Maths and half of their time teaching English would be recorded as 0.5 in each category.

Data on teacher recruitment and retention, including posts advertised, number of applications and teachers who left the profession. This data is collected retrospectively and covers any permanent post advertised for a contract of a term or more, and teachers who left the profession during the 2022/23 academic year.

• On average, 7.8 applications were received per post advertised. The average was lower for Welsh medium posts (4.5) compared to English medium posts (9.1). The average was also lower for Secondary school posts (4.6) compared to Primary school posts (12.3).
• At the end of the 2022/23 academic year, 2,142 of posts advertised were filled (87.5%). 
• Of the 1,340 teachers that left the profession, 380 (28.2%) retired (at normal or early retirement age).

The following data on teachers’ pay and allowances and teacher sickness absence are collected as part of the SWAC Pay, HR and Absences return. This is completed by local authorities and schools which have opted-out of payroll and/or human resource (HR) service level agreements with their local authority. Most members of the workforce will be recorded in both the SWAC School and SWAC Pay, HR and Absences parts of the collection, however there are some exceptions. Teachers that are centrally employed by the local authority will be recorded in the SWAC pay, HR and absences return but not the SWAC school return. Further information on this can be found in the School Workforce Annual Census – background information. As part of the SWAC HR, Pay and Allowances return FTE shows individuals counted for the proportion of full-contract time they are paid on a particular pay range and will differ to the FTE figures for teacher characteristics data from the SWAC School return.  

The teachers’ pay award for academic year 2022/23 was not finalised and implemented until after the SWAC census date in November 2022 and average pay figures published for 2022/23 in July 2023 did not fully reflect the pay uplift for 2022/23. As a result, the increase in average teachers’ pay between 2022/23 and 2023/24 as shown in the release will be greater than the 2023 pay award uplift as it includes an element of the 2022 teachers’ pay award where local authorities were unable to implement it before the SWAC census date in November 2022. See the School Workforce Annual Census – background information for further information.

• The full-time equivalence (FTE) of teachers paid on payscales as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document 2023 was 25,010, with 15,210 (60.8%) paid on the upper pay range.
• The average (mean) FTE salary of all teachers was £47,691.
• Classroom teachers received an average salary of £44,189. Average classroom teacher salary ranged from £44,086 in Primary schools to £44,485 in Secondary schools.
• The average salary of headteachers (a) was considerably higher in Secondary schools (£103,543) compared to Primary schools (£72,373).
• On average, males (£49,467) were paid £2,382 more than females (£47,085). For classroom teachers, females (£44,259) were paid more than males (£43,964). However, in leadership roles, males (£73,107) were paid more than females (£67,673) on average.
• Between November 2022 and 2023, 8,580 teachers (29.6%) received a Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) allowance with an average value of £4,830.

Description of Table 1: This table shows the average FTE salary by post and sex at November 2023. The average salary for all teachers was £47,691. Headteachers average salary was £77,689, whilst classroom teachers average salary was £44,189. 

Source: SWAC HR, Pay and Absences return 

Average (mean and median) full-time equivalent teacher salary by local authority and post on StatsWales 

[Note 1] Includes executive headteacher.

[Note 2] Includes acting, deputy and assistant headteacher.

Data relates to 2022/23 academic year.

• 36,000 sickness absence records were opened or closed during the year.
• 16,965 teachers (60.9%) took at least one period of sickness absence.
• An average of 5.3 working days were lost per absence. The average number of working days lost per teacher that had taken a period of sickness absence was 11.3, down from 12.8 in 2021/22.

Figure 3: Number of teacher sickness absence records opened by month and absence type, 2022/23

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Description of Figure 3: The line graph shows the number of short-term and long-term absences opened throughout the school year in each month of the academic year 2022/23. The number of short-term absences are significantly higher than long term absences, with peaks reached in December and March. During the academic year 2022/23 there was a significant decrease in absences during the month of April, explained by the Easter break, and then again in July at the end of the school year. 

Source: SWAC HR, Pay and Absences return

Number of teacher sickness absences opened by month and absence type on StatsWales 

[Note 1] More than 20 working days lost.

The data below are collected as part of the SWAC School return are completed by all local authority-maintained schools and reflect the workforce at Census date. Support staff include teaching assistants, higher level teaching assistants, foreign language assistants, Additional Learning Need (ALN) coordinators, ALN support staff, business managers, administrative staff and other support staff roles. More information can be found in the School Workforce Annual Census – background information.

Support staff roles

• In November 2023, there were 30,155 support staff, a decrease of 2.3% on November 2022.
• The full-time equivalence ^{[footnote 8]} of all support staff was 23,860, down 1.2%%.
• Based on the full-person equivalent ^{[footnote 9]}, 15,230 support staff (50.5%) worked as a teaching assistant, with a further 1,600 (5.1%) working as a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) and 3,470 (11.5%) as ALN support staff.
• There were 1,565 staff working as ALN co-ordinators or undertaking the role in addition to their main role. 
• Most support staff worked in Primary schools (60.6%) or Secondary schools (24.0%).

Support staff characteristics

• 27,225 support staff (90.3%) were female, compared to 74.2% of teachers.
• 16,615 support staff (55.1%) identified as Welsh.
• 975 support staff (3.2%) were of Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnicity ^{[footnote 10]}, compared to 1.4% of teachers.
• 410 support staff (1.4%) reported having a physical or mental health condition expected to last 12 months or more.

• 6,355 support staff (21.1%) reported having Welsh skills at intermediate level or above ^{[footnote 11]}, compared to 39.1% of teachers. 
• The proportion of support staff with Welsh skills at intermediate level or above ranged from 3.0% in Blaenau Gwent to 89.3% in Gwynedd.

Figure 4: Proportion of support staff with Welsh skills at intermediate or above level by local authority, November 2023 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4: This map shows Isle of Anglesey and Gwynedd have the highest proportion of support staff with Welsh language skills at intermediate level or above, whilst almost three quarters of the local authorities have less than 20% of support staff with Welsh skills at intermediate level or above. 

Source: SWAC School return

Support staff Welsh language ability by local authority on StatsWales

[Note 1] Includes intermediate, advanced and proficient Welsh skills based on the ‘Welsh Language Competency Framework for Education Practitioners’.

This data relates to teaching assistants, higher level teaching assistants, foreign language assistants, Additional Learning Need (ALN) coordinators and ALN support staff posts advertised and leavers from the profession in academic year 2022/23 only. This differs from the full list of support staff roles collected as part of the SWAC due to the temporary nature and how posts are advertised for other support staff roles.

• On average, 5.8 applications were received per post advertised. The average was lower for Welsh medium posts (2.7) compared to English medium posts (6.7). The average was also lower for Secondary school posts (4.0) compared to Primary school posts (5.9).
• At the end of the academic year, 1,446 (87.1%) of posts advertised were filled.
• Of the 2,100 support staff that left the profession, 640 (30.4%) moved to employment outside of education.

The information collected in 2023 has not undergone a formal final validation process. However, various stages of automated validation and sense-checking have been built in to ensure the collection of high-quality data to inform policy making.

Our ‘School Workforce Annual Census: background information’ report provides further quality and methodology information.

Well-being of Future Generations Act

The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language.

Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the Well-being goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before the National Assembly.  The 46 national indicators were laid in March 2016.

Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the wellbeing goals and associated technical information is available in the Well-being of Wales report.

Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local well-being assessments and local well-being plans.

[1] The full-time equivalent is the proportion of full-contract time spent in a role. An individual working one day a week in a leadership role and one day a week in a classroom teacher role would be recorded as 0.2 against each role. 

[2] The full-person equivalent is the proportion of working time spent in a role. An individual working one day a week in a leadership role and one day a week in a classroom teacher role would be recorded as 0.5 against each role.

[3] Including executive headteachers, headteachers, acting headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.

[4] Including Black/African/Caribbean/Black British, Asian/Asian British, Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups and Other ethnic groups.

[5] Includes intermediate, advanced and proficient Welsh skills based on the ‘Welsh Language Competency Framework for Education Practitioners’.

[6] Science excludes Biology, Chemistry and Physics where they are taught as separate subjects. 

[7] This is the full-person equivalent divided by the headcount. The greater the similarity between the headcount and full-person equivalent, the greater the proportion of time individuals spend teaching that subject. If an individual spends a high proportion of time teaching a particular subject, they may be more likely to be a specialist in that subject.

[8] The full-time equivalent is the proportion of full-contract time spent in a role. An individual working one day a week in a teaching assistant role and one day a week in a SEN/ALN support staff role would be recorded as 0.2 against each role.

[9] The full-person equivalent is the proportion of working time spent in a role. An individual working one day a week in a teaching assistant role and one day a week in a SEN/ALN support staff role would be recorded as 0.5 against each role.

[10] Including Black/African/Caribbean/Black British, Asian/Asian British, Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups and Other ethnic groups.

[11] Including intermediate, advanced and proficient Welsh skills based on the ‘Welsh Language Competency Framework for Education Practitioners’.

Statistician: Gareth Thomas
Email: educationworkforcedata@gov.wales

Media: 0300 025 8099

SFR 60/2024