Workforce Planning Review Template

Free Workforce Planning Review Template for Employers, Schools and Colleges

Effective workforce planning is one of the most important things an organisation can do to protect its people, its performance and its future. Whether you lead a school, manage an FE college, or oversee HR for a growing business, this free workforce planning review template gives you a practical, structured framework to assess where you are — and plan for what comes next.

Download the template below, or work through each section with your leadership team.

What is workforce planning — and why does it matter?

Workforce planning is the process of analysing your current staffing position, identifying gaps, and forecasting the people you'll need to meet your organisation's goals. Done well, it reduces reliance on agency staff, improves retention, and ensures you're never caught short when a critical role becomes vacant.

This template covers six key areas of workforce review, plus a prioritised action plan to keep your next steps on track.

How to use this template

Work through each section with your HR lead, senior leadership team, or line managers. Aim to review quarterly, or at minimum once per academic or financial year. Use the review questions in each section to prompt honest discussion — the numbers alone won't tell the full story.

Section 1: Workforce overview

Start with a clear picture of your current workforce.

Metric

Figure

Total headcount

Teaching staff

Support staff

Leadership team

Temporary / agency staff

Current vacancies

Hard-to-fill roles

Average length of service

Expected retirements (next 3 years)

Questions to consider:

• Which teams are experiencing staffing pressures?
• Are there areas of over or undercapacity?
• What workforce challenges have emerged since the last review?

Section 2: Recruitment performance

Understanding how well your recruitment is working — and where it's breaking down — is essential to reducing cost and time to hire.

Metric

Figure

Vacancies advertised

Vacancies filled

Average time to hire

Offer acceptance rate

Cost per hire

Agency spend

New starter retention (12 months)

Questions to consider:

• Which recruitment channels delivered the best outcomes?
• Where are recruitment delays impacting service delivery?
• Which roles remain consistently difficult to recruit?

Section 3: Retention and workforce stability

High turnover is costly — financially and culturally. Use this section to understand what's driving attrition and where action is needed most.

Metric

Figure

Employee turnover rate

Voluntary leavers

Internal promotions

Absence rate

Employee engagement score

Exit interviews completed

Questions to consider:

• What are the primary reasons employees leave?
• Which departments experience the highest turnover?
• Are progression and development opportunities sufficient?

Section 4: Skills and capability assessment

Identify where skills gaps exist today and what capabilities your organisation will need over the next one to three years.

Area

Skills gap

Development priorities

Leadership & management

Teaching & learning

Digital & AI capability

Curriculum development

Student support & welfare

Compliance & quality assurance

Finance & operations

Other

Section 5: Future workforce requirements

Use this section to align your people plan with your strategic ambitions. Consider growth plans, new service areas, and any upcoming organisational change.

Key drivers — tick all that apply:

• [ ] Growth in learner / student numbers
• [ ] New curriculum provision
• [ ] Digital transformation
• [ ] Organisational restructure
• [ ] Succession planning requirements
• [ ] Estates or infrastructure projects
• [ ] Funding changes
• [ ] Regulatory changes

Forecast recruitment needs:

Role

Required by

Priority (H/M/L)

Section 6: Workforce risks

Document your key people risks, the potential impact of each, and the actions in place to mitigate them.

Risk

Potential impact

Mitigation action

Owner

Action plan: your next 12 months

Use the outputs from your review to agree your top priorities and focus areas.

Top three priorities:

Focus areas — tick all that apply:

• [ ] Review recruitment strategy
• [ ] Develop succession plans
• [ ] Reduce agency reliance
• [ ] Address identified skills gaps
• [ ] Improve employee retention initiatives
• [ ] Strengthen employer brand and attraction strategy
• [ ] Review workforce budget assumptions
• [ ] Other:

Need support with workforce planning?

Dovetail & Slate works with schools, colleges and employers across the UK to improve recruitment, reduce turnover and build stronger, more resilient teams.

If you'd like to talk through your workforce planning challenges, we'd be happy to help.

Call us: 0117 422 9420 Email: info@dovetailslate.co.uk Visit: www.dovetailslate.co.uk

Dovetail & Slate — specialist recruitment and workforce consultancy for education and beyond.