‘Teacher workforce statistics in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland, 2015-2016’ and ‘Teacher vacancies, sickness absence and substitution statistics in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland, 2015-2016’

Statistics and Research Team published two publications today, "Teacher workforce statistics in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland, 2015-2016" and "Teacher vacancies, sickness absence and substitution statistics in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland, 2015-2016."

These statistical bulletins provide analysis of the latest annual data collections in relation to teacher numbers, pupil: teacher ratios, teacher vacancies, teacher sickness absence and teacher substitution costs in grant-aided schools in 2015-2016.

Key points:

• The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers is 18,579.5. This represents a decrease of 22.4 from 18,601.9 in 2014-2015. 
• The median age of teachers is 41.4 years, a slight increase from 41.2 years in 2014-2015. There are proportionally fewer teachers aged under 30 this year (11.6%) than in 2011-2012 (13.1%).
• The teacher headcount is 19,844, this is an increase of 41 teachers from 2014-2015. The proportion of teachers working part-time continues to rise.
• The proportion of teachers working in all schools who are male has been declining over the last five years. Most notable is the absence of male teachers in nursery schools.
• The overall Pupil: Teacher Ratio (PTR) in 2015-2016 is 17.6, an increase of 0.1 from 2014-2015.
• There were more vacancies in November 2015, than in the previous year, with 1,181 teacher vacancies at the end of the academic year 2014-2015, 919 (77.8%) of which had been filled by November 2015. 
• The average number of days lost per teacher due to sickness in all schools was 8.2. This represents a slight drop from 8.4 in 2014-2015.
• Teacher substitution costs remained constant at £67 million.
• The number of substitution days worked by Prematurely Retired Teachers has fallen to approximately 10,000 days in 2015-2016. This represents 2.2% of the total days worked, compared to 12.7% in 2006-2007.

Notes to editors: 

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5.  DE Statistical Bulletins can be accessed at the DE website.

6.  Please send any feedback on the content or presentation of this publication to stephen.paulin@education-ni.gov.uk

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