Education
Schools, teachers, colleges and universities. Figures come from the Department for Education and the devolved governments, Ofsted, and HESA. Teacher recruitment and school funding are frequent subjects of ministerial claims.
Statements checked against the record
- Bridget Phillipson on teacher numbers, 22 June 2026
Bridget Phillipson said: “There are now over 4,600 more teachers in our secondary and special schools, as well as our colleges, compared with when Labour entered Government.” This page repeats what Department for Education reports.
- Kemi Badenoch on teacher numbers, PMQs 10 December 2025
Kemi Badenoch said: “There are now 400 fewer teachers since the Education Secretary came into office” This page repeats what Department for Education reports.
Key official figures
- Pupils in schools in England
Pupils in all schools in England (headcount)
- Teachers in state-funded schools in England
Teachers in state-funded schools, England (FTE)
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Questions answered from official sources
- How many children get free school meals?
- How many teachers are there in England?
- How do I find school performance tables?
- How do I use Explore Education Statistics?
- How many international students are in the UK?
- How much student loan debt is there in the UK?
- How much are student loan repayments?
- When are student loans written off?
- What is the Graduate route visa and how many people get it?
- How many apprenticeships are there in England?
- How much are university tuition fees in the UK?
- What percentage of the UK population has a degree?
More questions: Schools and education · Universities and student finance
Who publishes the official record
- Higher education and student finance statistics (HESA, Student Loans Company, Office for Students and DfE)
- Scottish official statistics: Scottish Government, National Records of Scotland, Public Health Scotland and others
- Social care, childcare and children's social care statistics (DHSC, NHS England, Skills for Care, DfE, ONS and devolved bodies)
- Welsh official statistics: Welsh Government, StatsWales, Welsh Revenue Authority and Senedd Research
- Explore education statistics (Department for Education)
- Ofsted
- Qualifications Wales
- HESA (Jisc) higher education statistics
- Ofqual
- Office for Students
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
- Home Office statistics (immigration, borders and policing)
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Student Finance Wales
Terms explained
Where the power sits
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