MSI teacher shortage in England 2026
Last year, we reached out to all 152 local authorities in England to find out how many multi-sensory impairment (MSI) teachers they employ.
Our research shows that over half (54%) of local authorities in England do not employ any MSI teachers. This is an increase of 2% since 2021.
Disabled children who have complex needs require specialist support from MSI teachers to learn and develop.
There are now 4,630 children with MSI in England, an increase of 21% on 2021. The number of MSI teachers has not risen to meet this demand.
Numbers of MSI teachers in each region
| Region | Local authorities with no MSI teachers |
| East of England | 20% |
| East Midlands | 38% |
| Greater London | 63% |
| North East | 60% |
| North West | 65% |
| South East | 47% |
| South West | 55% |
| West Midlands | 58% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 54% |
| National | 54% |
Cost estimates
We calculated this cost estimate considering the urgency to which an MSI teacher is needed in a local authority, according to government data on the number of children with MSI in that area.
The total cost for continuing employment of at least one MSI teacher in local authorities that already employ them, and training and employing at least one MSI teacher in local authorities that do not employ any, is £53.8 million.
Could your child benefit from MSI support?
Sense offers extra support to young people who are multi-sensory impaired.
What is an MSI teacher?
MSI (multi-sensory impairment) teachers are specially trained to support disabled children to learn and develop skills.
They work with children at school, and they work with other professionals to support the child’s health and educational needs, too.
One full time MSI teacher can give vital support to as many as 20 disabled children.
Comparison to 2021 data
The number of local authorities who do not employ any MSI teachers has increased by 2% since 2021, where it was 52%. Read the 2021 research.
Using the same formula, the estimated cost was £34.3 million in 2021.
| Region | 2022 | 2025 |
| Local authorities with no MSI teachers | Local authorities with no MSI teachers | |
| East of England | 40% | 20% |
| East Midlands | 50% | 38% |
| Greater London | 52% | 63% |
| North East | 40% | 60% |
| North West | 81% | 65% |
| South East | 27% | 47% |
| South West | 55% | 55% |
| West Midlands | 55% | 58% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 46% | 54% |
| National average | 52% | 54% |
A day in the life of an MSI teacher
“It’s not easy to describe a day in the life as a multi-sensory impairment teacher as every day is different.
“My role can include everything from running groups for pre-schoolers, attending family days in the community, offering support in a school, or working alongside families and professionals that want guidance.
“My role is to recognise a child’s potential, the barriers they experience to learning, and figure out how we help them to fulfil their goals.”
Find out more about our research
If you have questions about our research, or would like to know more about our policy work in education, get in touch with our policy research team: [email protected]