As recruitment targets continue to fall short, pupil needs grow more complex, and behaviour challenges grow, the education workforce is under pressure like never before. But while supply teaching agencies are often treated as a short-term fix, the reality is that they are now playing a long-term, strategic role in keeping education functioning.
According to 2025’s Initial Teacher Training Census, just 60% of national recruitment targets were met in 2024, with only 69% expected for 2025. At the same time, Department for Education expenditure data reveals that 84% of supply teaching roles are now filled via agencies – up steadily year on year (figures derived from Consistent Financial Reporting and Academy Accounts Return).
“We’re not just filling gaps – we’re helping schools stay operational,” says Adam Shulman, Co-founder of Teaching Tomorrow, a supply agency working with schools across Beds, Bucks, Northants and Oxfordshire. “When behaviour incidents are on the rise and SEND provision is stretched, schools need experienced staffing partners who understand the urgency and complexity of what’s happening.”
According to government figures and Financial Year 2023-24 LA and School Expenditure report, agency supply teacher spend has grown to £1.24bn in 2023, rising at almost 12% annually since 2019.
Adam argues that this reflects more than just demand – it signals a shift in how schools are thinking about workforce resilience.
“We’ve seen a huge change over the past five years. Schools no longer call us just for emergency cover. They’re planning ahead, bringing in subject specialists, and using our support to create continuity for pupils, especially in SEND and behaviour support roles.”
With more than 30 million learning days lost through suspensions last year (Independent, Sept 2024), the need for agile staffing solutions is only growing.
“Agency teachers are now embedded into many schools’ workforce planning,” Adam adds. “The conversation shouldn’t be about whether we’re needed – it should be about how to work better together.”
Stephen Belcher, Director at Teaching Tomorrow backs this up: “Agencies are too often seen as a short-term fix – but that’s no longer the reality. Increasingly, we’re embedded in schools’ long-term planning: helping leaders map subject gaps, manage phased staff returns, and ensure continuity for pupils.”
