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Key UK education statistics
BESA has researched and collated the essential data relating to schools within the UK into this handy guide.
BESA routinely conducts additional research into school spending patterns and budgets for our members, and runs briefing sessions and seminars to keep suppliers up to date with latest developments. Find out more about becoming a BESA member.
How many schools are there in the UK?
There are currently 32,149 schools in the UK. Of these, 3,062 are nurseries or early-learning centres, 20,739 are primary schools, 29 are middle schools and 4,181 are secondary schools. There are 2,461 independent schools, 1,546 special schools, 57 non-maintained special schools and 348 pupil referral units (PRUs).
Most of the UK’s schools are in England. There are 24,453 schools in England – including 388 nursery schools, 16,764 primary schools, 3,452 secondary schools, 2,421 independent schools, 1,050 special schools, 52 non-maintained special schools and 333 pupil referral units (PRUs). Additionally, there are an estimated 56,300 estimated childcare providers in England.
There are 1,542 schools in Wales – including 6 nursery schools, 1,210 primary schools, 29 middle schools, 176 secondary schools, 82 independent schools and 39 special schools.
There are 8,038 schools in Scotland, including 2,582 early learning centres, 1,988 primary schools, 361 secondary schools, 90 independent schools and 107 special schools.
There are 1,116 schools in Northern Ireland, including 93 nursery schools, 777 primary schools, 192 secondary schools, 39 special schools and 14 independent schools.
Source: Department for Education; Scottish Government (2022/23)
How many FE institutions are there?
In total, there are 264 FE colleges in the UK, 221 of these are in England, 13 in Wales, 24 in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.
Source: Department for Education (2022/23)
How many higher education providers are there?
In total, there are 266 higher education providers in the UK. 266 of these are in England, 8 in Wales, 18 in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland.
Source: Department for Education (2022/23)
How many Multi Academy Trusts are there
There are currently 1,154 Multi Academy Trusts in England that manage at least two schools. 58 MATs have 26 or more schools, 205 have between 12-25 schools and 395 have 6-11 schools. The majority of MATs – 498– have five or fewer schools.
Source: Department for Education (2022/23)
How many pupils are there in the UK?
There are currently 10,633,485 full and part time pupils at school in the UK. 9,092,073 in England, 475,966 in Wales, 797,708 in Scotland, 267,740 in Northern Ireland.
Source: Department for Education (2022/23)
How many teachers are there in the UK?
There are currently 643,491 full-time teachers in the UK. 262,534 work in primary schools, 262,927 work in secondary schools, 76,575 work in independent schools and 32,340 work in special schools.
There are 543,935 teachers working in England, 25,527 teachers working in Wales, 54,033 teachers working in Scotland and 19,995 teachers working in Northern Ireland.
26.7% of these teachers are male, and 73.3% are female. However, at primary school level, this rises to 85.1% female – a proportion that is steadily increasing.
Source: Department for Education (2022/23)
How big is a UK school’s budget?
The average primary school budget in 2022/23 was £6,275 per pupil, a 6.9% increase on the previous year. The average secondary school budget in 2022/23 was £7,090 per pupil, a 1.84% increase on the previous year.
How much is spent on resources each year?
The average primary school spent £339 per pupil on school resources (recurrent and capital) in 2022/23 a 11% increase on the previous year. The average secondary school spent £179,780 on resources in 2022/23 a 20% increase on the previous year.
How many computers are there in UK classrooms?
The average primary school has 155 devices and the average secondary school has around 520 devices available for teachers and pupils. In 2022/23 the average primary school budget for IT was £16,000 whereas the average secondary school budget was £64,500.
Source: IT in UK Schools. This report, which includes a detailed breakdown on types of devices and projections for 2023/24, can be downloaded by BESA members here.
