Some Herts schools looking to recruit new teachers are 'failing to attract a single application'
As schools scramble to recruit for the start of the new academic year, some schools appear to be finding it more difficult than others to recruit.
At a meeting of the county council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday (June 25), it was suggested that several schools in Stevenage were finding it a particular struggle.
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Hide Ad“Schools are going through recruitment of teachers at the moment,” said the committee’s Church representative, John Sloan.


“We have heard from our neighbouring schools in parts of Stevenage that actually many have not received a single applicant.”
Mr Sloan admitted he did not know whether there was an issue elsewhere in Hertfordshire.
But he asked what could be done by the county council to support teacher recruitment.
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Hide AdIn response, the county council’s director of people, Richard Taylor, said that the council did not support recruitment in schools, with schools running their own processes.
But he did offer to link with the county’s director of education to see if there was anything they could work with.
Following the meeting, the county council’s director of education, Tony Fitzpatrick, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that teacher recruitment was “challenging” in Hertfordshire – and nationally.
He acknowledged those leaving the profession, pointing to the “pressure of the job” – and to the lower numbers of people who are training to teach.
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Hide AdBut as a teacher with more than 30 years’ experience, Mr Fitzpatrick also highlighted the appeal of the profession, suggesting it’s one of the few areas where you can really change the outcome for a child, create opportunities.
He said the lack of applications highlighted at the meeting made him sad, knowing the difference that teachers can make to the lives of children in Stevenage.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the county council also pointed to a lower number of graduates joining the teaching profession and increased vacancies for support staff.
He suggested to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the county did “relatively well” compared to other areas of the country, and highlighted ongoing recruitment events.
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Hide AdBut he said they were “very aware” of ongoing recruitment and retention issues for the UK education sector in general, in relation to teaching and support staff.
He highlighted “a significant increase” in the number of vacancies advertised on the local recruitment platform – TeachinHerts.com – since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2024, he said there were 8,500 jobs advertised on the platform, compared to 6,000 a year before the pandemic. Of those, he said, 698 were in the Stevenage district.
“One key issue is that fewer graduates are joining the teaching profession, and the challenge is greater in some subjects than others,” said the county council spokesperson.
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Hide Ad“However, we are also seeing lots of vacancies for school support staff where there is competition from other sectors, putting pressure on pay.
“There can be no doubt that working in a school is challenging, but hugely rewarding as you inspire the next generation and make a positive difference to the lives of so many children.”
- The comments relating to teacher recruitment were made during a debate focused on the county council’s workforce, recruitment and retention.
Overall, it was reported that the county council has 8,600 staff – not including school staff – working in departments as diverse as children’s and adult services, highways, public health and trading standards.
The council’s total annual pay bill – according to a report presented to councillors – is around £380m.
In 2024/5 1,085 employees joined the council, and 1,299 left, with voluntary turnover recorded at 11.2%.
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