According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) education is one of the UK’s largest employment sectors, supporting over 3 million jobs nationwide. In Surrey alone, it accounts for a significant share of the workforce, reflecting the county’s strong network of schools, colleges and specialist learning providers.
Surrey’s education landscape is both extensive and high-performing. With over 1,200 education settings, including primary and secondary schools, further education colleges, early years providers and specialist institutions, the sector plays a central role in shaping local communities and driving long-term economic stability.
The region is also characterised by high student attainment, strong competition for talent and increasing demand for specialist support services. As a result, education providers face ongoing pressure to recruit quickly and adapt.
At March Recruitment, we work closely with education providers across Surrey to help them meet these challenges, connecting them with skilled professionals who make a real and lasting impact.
A system under pressure
Surrey sits within one of the most competitive recruitment landscapes in the country. Its proximity to London plays a significant role here, with many support staff drawn toward inner and outer London schools that can offer higher salary weighting and broader access to specialist funding. This creates a continual flow of movement across borders, particularly among experienced staff and middle leadership roles.
As a result, many education providers across Surrey are operating with a greater reliance on flexible staffing models, interim support and targeted recruitment approaches to maintain continuity throughout the academic year.
The wider workforce behind education
Modern education delivery depends on a much broader workforce than is often recognised.
Across Surrey, schools and colleges rely heavily on professionals working in administration, finance, HR, IT support, estates management and student services. These roles ensure that institutions function effectively behind the scenes, enabling staff to focus on learning outcomes and classroom delivery.
As schools adopt more digital systems and manage more complex operational demands, the importance of these support functions continues to grow. In many cases, pressures in non-teaching roles have a direct impact on the overall stability and performance of education providers.
Flexible working arrangements
The education calendar itself adds another layer of complexity to workforce planning. Staffing needs fluctuate throughout the year in response to term cycles, exam periods, enrolment peaks and unexpected absences. Therefore, schools and colleges across Surrey are increasingly combining permanent recruitment with temporary and interim staffing models to ensure continuity throughout the academic cycle. The ability to scale staffing quickly, without compromising quality, has become a key factor for many schools.
How March Recruitment can help
March supports education providers across Surrey by delivering practical, responsive recruitment solutions that reflect the realities of the sector today. From vital support functions such as administration, finance, HR, IT and estates, the focus is on ensuring organisations have access to the people they need to operate effectively.
With a consultative approach, we help schools and colleges respond quickly to changing staffing requirements. By combining our sector knowledge with a strong understanding of local talent markets, we help education providers build reliable, adaptable teams that can support both day-to-day delivery and longer-term planning.
Contact us for more information.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) education is one of the UK’s largest employment sectors, supporting over 3 million jobs nationwide. In Surrey alone, it accounts for a significant share of the workforce, reflecting the county’s strong network of schools, colleges and specialist learning providers.
Surrey’s education landscape is both extensive and high-performing. With over 1,200 education settings, including primary and secondary schools, further education colleges, early years providers and specialist institutions, the sector plays a central role in shaping local communities and driving long-term economic stability.
The region is also characterised by high student attainment, strong competition for teaching talent and increasing demand for specialist support services. As a result, education providers face ongoing pressure to recruit quickly and adapt.
At March Recruitment, we work closely with education providers across Surrey to help them meet these challenges, connecting them with skilled professionals who make a real and lasting impact.
A system under pressure
Across England, there are around 468,000 full-time equivalent teachers, yet schools continue to face persistent challenges in both recruitment and retention. Vacancy rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels and many schools report ongoing difficulty filling roles in shortage subjects such as STEM, English, computing and specialist SEND (special educational needs and disability) provision.
Surrey sits within one of the most competitive recruitment landscapes in the country. Its proximity to London plays a significant role here, with many teachers and support staff drawn toward inner and outer London schools that can offer higher salary weighting, faster progression, and broader access to specialist funding. This creates a continual flow of movement across borders, particularly among experienced staff and middle leadership roles.
As a result, many education providers across Surrey are operating with a greater reliance on flexible staffing models, interim support and targeted recruitment approaches to maintain continuity throughout the academic year.
SEND demand reshaping workforce priorities
One of the most significant shifts in education staffing is the rapid growth in demand for SEND support.
Nationally, the proportion of pupils identified with SEND has continued to rise in recent years, driven by improved diagnosis among children and young people. At the same time, external support services are often under pressure, meaning more responsibility is being absorbed directly within schools.
This has fundamentally changed staffing requirements. Roles such as SENCOs, learning support assistants, behaviour mentors and pastoral support staff are no longer supplementary; they are central to how schools operate on a day-to-day basis.
In Surrey, where demand for high-quality education provision remains strong, this trend is placing additional strain on recruitment pipelines. SEND-related roles are now among the fastest-growing areas of hiring across the sector, reflecting a broader shift toward more inclusive education models that require higher levels of in-school support.
The wider workforce behind education
Although teachers remain at the heart of the system, modern education delivery depends on a much broader workforce than is often recognised.
Across Surrey, schools and colleges rely heavily on professionals working in administration, finance, HR, IT support, estates management and student services. These roles ensure that institutions function effectively behind the scenes, enabling teaching staff to focus on learning outcomes and classroom delivery.
As schools adopt more digital systems and manage more complex operational demands, the importance of these support functions continues to grow. In many cases, pressures in non-teaching roles have a direct impact on the overall stability and performance of education providers.
Gender imbalance and long-term workforce challenges
The teaching workforce in England remains significantly gender imbalanced. Around three-quarters of teachers are female, with male representation particularly low in primary education. In many primary settings, male teachers are still in the minority and some schools have none at all.
While secondary education shows a more balanced distribution, particularly in STEM subjects, the overall picture remains relatively unchanged over time despite repeated national focus on recruitment campaigns.
This imbalance has longer-term implications for leadership pipelines. With fewer men entering the profession, the pool of candidates progressing into senior leadership roles is also affected, shaping the future structure of the sector.
Building the future pipeline
Alongside these structural challenges, Surrey benefits from a strong pipeline of emerging talent through its colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers. However, converting this into long-term education careers remains a key challenge.
Many schools are increasingly focused on developing early career teachers, expanding apprenticeship routes into support roles and attracting career changers who bring transferable skills from other sectors.
This diversification is becoming essential. Traditional teacher training routes alone are not currently meeting demand, particularly in specialist subject areas and support functions. As a result, education providers are increasingly looking at broader talent pools to build long-term workforce resilience.
Flexible working arrangements
The education calendar itself adds another layer of complexity to workforce planning. Staffing needs fluctuate throughout the year in response to term cycles, exam periods, enrolment peaks and unexpected absences. Therefore, schools and colleges across Surrey are increasingly combining permanent recruitment with temporary and interim staffing models to ensure continuity throughout the academic cycle. The ability to scale staffing quickly, without compromising quality, has become a key factor for many schools.
How March Recruitment can help
March supports education providers across Surrey by delivering practical, responsive recruitment solutions that reflect the realities of the sector today. From teaching and leadership roles through to vital support functions such as administration, finance, HR, IT, and estates, the focus is on ensuring organisations have access to the people they need to operate effectively.
With a consultative approach, we help schools and colleges respond quickly to changing staffing requirements. By combining pur sector knowledge with a strong understanding of local talent markets, we help education providers build reliable, adaptable teams that can support both day-to-day delivery and longer-term planning.
Contact us for more information.
