15 October 2024
This briefing followed the publication of the Annual Education Workforce Statistics 2024.
The presenters provided attendees with an overview of the data, with a particular focus on the key trends identified. For the first time in 2024, this included information on teachers and learning support staff who work in independent schools and colleges.
The Annual Education Workforce Statistics for Wales 2024 contains our most comprehensive set of data to date, covering over 90,000 registered practitioners across schools, further education (FE), adult/work-based learning, and youth work in Wales.
Following the main presentation, attendees were able to ask questions on the information presented.
Briefing presentation (PDF)
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Questions asked at the event
We understand that adult learning practitioners have now joined the Register, can you update how that is going and how many have joined?
That process has gone well. 240 (single) adult learning practitioners have joined the Register since 10 May 2024 when the requirement to be registered was introduced. A further 273 are registered in the category of adult learning practitioners, as well as one or more other registration categories, for example adult learning practitioner and further education teacher.
There are a large number of ‘unknowns’ for the qualified youth workers and qualified youth support workers categories. Is this due to a lack in self-reporting, or, information coming from HR departments?
The large number of ‘unknowns’ are in self-reported fields such as Welsh language ability and ethnicity. We are encouraging registrants to populate those fields.
What exactly is meant by 'ability to work in Welsh? Also, what efforts are being made to improve data for 'unknowns'?
Ability to work in Welsh is recorded on the Register as individuals who have been trained to work, able to work, or have ever worked through the medium of Welsh or feel confident to do so.
We are encouraging registrants to populate these fields and the proportion of ‘unknowns’ is now relatively low.
Will prison teaching professionals be registered with EWC in the future?
There are no current plans by Welsh Government to change legislation and register prison teaching professionals.
I understand that youth support workers minimum qualifications now require level 3. Any ideas how many will leave the Register once this change comes into effect?
We anticipate that this figure is likely to be about 100 registrants. However, this figure may well be lower depending on the number of those individuals who complete the requisite level 3 qualification before May 2025.
Are there any ideas as to why the number of prospective secondary teachers is dropping significantly, while primary ones remain semi-healthy?
We have presented data on the recruitment and retention in the secondary sector in previous policy briefings, but this is something we will be looking at again in the future.
What are the implications for the sector regarding NQTs who have trained in England? How does this affect specific Welsh elements, such as Curriculum for Wales?
Anybody who undertakes teacher training in England and gains Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is able to teach in Wales. Those individuals will be required to undertake induction in Wales which relates to the Welsh Curriculum.
Is there further data on reasons for deregistration?
We have started to collect data on the reasons for de-registration. This will be made available in the future.
Will you publish the annual comparative figures in terms of teachers being trained in Welsh?
This will be published from next year onwards.
Do you have this year’s figures for initial teacher education (ITE) yet?
This data won’t be available until next year.
Looking at the number of independent schools in Wales, how secure are we with the figures of registered teachers in independent schools?
It is a legal requirement for all independent school teachers, independent learning support workers, independent special post-16 teachers, and independent special post-16 learning support workers to be registered with us. We have worked with employers to ensure compliance.