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A quarter of schools search for a headteacher at the start of the academic year but struggle to fill the role before Christmas, a new report shows.
Of the public schools that advertised in September, 27% had to re-advertise over the holidays.
Professor John Howson of Oxford Teachers Services found that more than 400 state schools in England advertised headteacher vacancies between August and December 2025.
Special schools face particular challenges, with one in five (20%) headteacher vacancies requiring re-advertising after initial efforts.
The situation comes as the government prepares to publish a delayed reopening of schools in 2026, outlining reforms to the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system.
Professor Howson concluded: “The issue of staff recruitment in special schools is often overlooked in discussions of the SEND crisis and these issues deserve more attention from policymakers.”
Roman Catholic schools are also more likely to have to re-advertise for headteacher positions.
The report recorded a total of 436 headteacher vacancies between August and Christmas, 299 of which were in primary schools.
Of the 91 secondary schools advertised, half (45) advertised starting salaries in excess of £100,000.
School leaders’ union NAHT warned last month that an increasing number of primary headteachers will leave their jobs within five years because the demands on them are “just too much”.
Secretary Paul Whiteman said at the time it could cause “huge instability” for teachers and pupils as schools struggled to find a headteacher.
The Association of School and College Leaders has also warned that the new Ofsted inspection system, introduced in November, will damage the wellbeing of headteachers.
Since the epidemic, schools have also faced a crisis of teacher shortage.
The government has pledged to hire 6,500 more teachers by the end of Parliament to address the problem.
In September this year, the number of people participating in teacher training increased by more than 10%.