Salaries have increased but so have unfilled posts

The number of secondary schools in England and Wales unable to find a head rose from 117 in 2003-04 to 127.

The average re-advertisement rate stood at 36% - rising to more than 50% in London, the worst affected area.

"I cannot recall the problem being this bad," said report author, Professor John Howson of Education Data Surveys.

'State of crisis'

Prof Howson has been analysing the recruitment trends for 21 years.

He takes the number of posts that have to be re-advertised as an indicator of the health of the recruitment market.

"The school year 2004-05 has proved to be one where re-advertisement ratios reached record levels for almost all types of schools and in many parts of the country," he said.

"The levels recorded represent a labour market that is in some state of crisis, at a point in time where the growth in retirements is likely to cause a growth in the number of posts on offer during the next few years."

He said: "If past trends continue, a large number will decide to retire before reaching the age of 60.

"This will impose some further strain on the labour market."

Problem areas

Prof Howson's surveys involve recording all nationally advertised posts for head teachers, deputy head teachers and, since September 2001, assistant heads, in state schools.

It's a great job but they are making it impossible to do Mick Brookes National Association of Head Teachers Heads reject 'naive' report

He said that, as usual, the problems were most likely to affect the primary and special school sectors.

But any school with a limited recruitment base could face problems, including selective secondary schools and the less common types of specialist schools.

Faith schools had experienced recruitment difficulties for a number of years.

Secondary heads' salaries, even outside London, had now passed �100,000, he said.

Generally, the new academies tended to advertise "attractive" salary packages without being specific about the cash on offer, though not all had been successful when they first advertised.

The number of advertisements recorded for primary head teacher posts was 87 fewer than in 2004, at 2,083, though it was not certain all would be advertised nationally.

Salaries had continued to rise as primary heads acquired new responsibilities for the "extended" day and more pre-school age pupils.

More than �70,000 had been seen, including in one case for an infant school, in outer London.

Inquiry call

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Edward Davey said schools could not be successful without good management.

"Tony Blair has to accept that this is very much a crisis of his government�s making.

"Years of government interference in schools has meant that despite rising salaries there simply aren't enough people prepared to do the job."

Prof Howson's report was due to have been published this Friday, but was brought forward in view of a National Audit Office (NAO) report on poorly performing schools in England, which used some of his data.

The NAO mistakenly said 28% of primary schools and 20% of secondaries were without a permanent head last year - without making it clear these were the proportions of schools which had advertised for a head, not of all schools.