Data availability: Underlying data: All of the datasets used in this paper are freely and publicly available at the following sites. The School Workforce Census and School Census data from 2015 to 2021 is available here from the website of the Department of Education: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. (DfE, 2023a) The data on applicants to teacher training is available from the UCAS website: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/ucas-teacher-training-releases/ucas-teacher-training-end-cycle-2021-data-resources. The data shows the number of applicants and the number accepted by ethnicity for 2014–2021, and broken down by ITT provider. The figures on the ethnicity of the resident population of England are available from the Office of National Statistics website here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/bulletins/ethnicgroupenglandandwales/census2021#ethnic-groups-in-england-and-wales The data on teaching in multi-cultural settings is available from TALIS 2018: https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=97205 Latest Version Published: 21 Apr 2023, 2:13 (https://doi.org/10.12688/routledgeopenres.17798.1) [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review] This article is included in Education, Equity and Equality collection Copyright 2023 The Author(s). Background: England has an ethnically diverse population; reflected in the teacher workforce, and the student body in schools. However, it is not clear that these figures are in proportion to each other. This paper examines the ethnic profile of students and their teachers and considers their geographical distribution. Methods: This paper uses existing aggregated official publicly available datasets to describe the patterns and trends in the proportion of ethnic minority teachers compared to ethnic minority pupils in England 2015-2021. Data comes from the Department for Education (DfE), the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD/TALIS), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Results: Compared to the student intakes to schools, we found that there are more White British teachers than expected. This disproportion (where there are more White British teachers among teachers than there are White British pupils among pupils) is worse for promoted school leaders like deputies and headteachers than it is for classroom teachers. In London, due to the exceptional number of ethnic minority students, the disproportion (or mismatch) is worse in London than anywhere else. Areas with the fewest ethnic minority pupils (and teachers), like the North East, have the most proportionate workforce (in this limited sense). Conclusions: A student lacking any teachers of the same ethnic group might be treated differently at school, and there is some evidence that this might affect their attainment outcomes. The lack of ethnic diversity in some schools and areas, regardless of proportions, may impoverish the diversity of the whole school system. Several possible reasons for these patterns are noted in the paper, but it is clear that ethnic minority applicants to teacher training are less likely to be accepted, and less likely to obtain qualified teacher status or an eventual teaching post. Economic & Social Research Council (Investigating Recruitment and Retention of Minority Ethnic Teachers).