Understanding teacher recruitment and retention across the UK: A ‘home international’ comparison

A persistent and pressing issue for education policymakers is the need to ensure a reliable supply of high‐quality staff within schools. Teacher shortages are a well‐documented phenomenon in England, with clear indications of some issues in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland too. The extent to which the teacher recruitment and retention landscape is similar or different across each of the UK nations though is an under‐researched area, and one which has clear implications for how these issues are addressed in policy. This study presents a novel and significant contribution to the teacher supply literature by sharing findings from a large‐scale comparative analysis of policy, secondary data, and interviews with key stakeholders from across the four countries. Theoretically, it also highlights the value of adopting a ‘home‐international’ comparison approach, drawing from the work of Raffe et al. ( Comparative Education , 1999, 35 , 9) and extending this to contemporary contexts and challenges. Our findings particularly point to the complex and often uneven teacher supply situation across and within nations. They also foreground the diverse policy approaches that we see across the UK, including strategies for improving recruitment, varying teacher training routes, and approaches to early career support and development. A key commonality, however, is the limited evidence base for determining and implementing policy interventions and reforms. Our study concludes by calling for a more joined‐up approach to tackling teacher supply issues across the UK, one that recognises country‐specific contexts and challenges where relevant but is also characterised by shared expertise, evidence, and collaboration across the four nations. Context and implications Rationale for this study: Ensuring an adequate supply of effective teachers in schools is a persistent global issue. The United Kingdom (UK) has faced challenges with teacher shortages for many years, despite some policy interventions designed to improve the situation. Why the new findings matter: This four nations, mixed‐methods analysis highlights the uneven situation for teacher supply across the UK and the diversity of policy interventions used to tackle teacher shortages. The findings also signal the urgent need for improved data accessibility in some jurisdictions in order to better understand the recruitment and retention challenges faced and the reforms needed to address these. Implications for policymakers and researchers: Addressing teacher shortages requires strategies that are responsive to issues found within each nation. Further though, we also argue that there is a rationale for a more UK‐wide ‘joined‐up’ approach, identifying where effective approaches could be adopted and adapted to tackle common recruitment and retention issues. The study highlights the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of existing policy interventions and strengthening collaboration across jurisdictions to share evidence and best practice. Improved access to high‐quality, comparable workforce data are also essential to support informed decision‐making, monitor trends, and assess policy impact.