Older secondary school students in the UK are increasingly being taught by teachers aged under 30, according to a new report.

A study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Education at a Glance, found that between 2005 and 2018, “the proportion of young teachers at upper secondary level [including students aged 15 and over] increased by 4 percentage points in the United Kingdom, whereas it fell by 4 percentage points on average across OECD countries during this period”.

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‘Young’ teachers in secondary schools

The UK also has more than double the proportion of young teachers in “lower secondary” years than the OECD average - 22 per cent compared with 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, 29 per cent of UK primary teachers are considered to be young teachers (under the age of 30) - more than twice the OECD average of 12 per cent.

But the proportion of young teachers at primary levels has fallen slightly in recent years, according to the findings. In the OECD’s 2017 report, based on data from 2015, 31 per cent of primary teachers were aged under 30.