The latest data on the school workforce in England will give
teachers and parents further cause for concern. The figures
show that the teacher recruitment and retention crisis continues,
strengthening the National Education Union’s call for the
improved teacher pay and working conditions needed to solve the
crisis.
Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“This latest data shows the unacceptable consequences of the
school funding crisis and the numbers of teachers being driven
out of the profession through the Government’s failure to address
workload and teacher pay. Teacher recruitment continues to
lag behind increases in pupil numbers, resulting in fewer
teachers per pupil. In secondary schools, full-time
equivalent teacher numbers have fallen by over 10,000 in the last
four years, despite an increase of almost 150,000 pupils.
Teaching assistant numbers in secondary schools also continue to
fall, by 3% in the last year alone and by over 15% in the last
five years.
“In both primary and secondary sectors, the proportion of pupils
in classes of more than 30 continues to rise; it now stands at
13% (558,658 in primary, 402,469 in secondary). Average secondary
class sizes continue to rise at their fastest ever rate, while
the average class size in primary remains at its highest level
since 2000. The number of secondary pupils in large classes is at
its highest level since 1981. This is clearly bad for the
education of children and young people and needs to be urgently
addressed.
“Teacher retention rates at all career stages continue to
decline, with an increasing proportion of recent recruits and
more experienced teachers leaving the profession. Almost a third
of teachers (32.3%) have left the sector five years after
qualifying, up from just over a quarter (26.0%) seven years ago.
Average teacher pay continues to lag behind inflation, meaning
that the real value of teacher pay continues to decline.
“Today, in the Public Accounts Committee’s annual report Chair
MP has said the Department for
Education now ‘tops my departments of concern.’ The
mismanagement and underfunding of our schools is now undeniable.
“With the latest report from the School Teachers’ Review Body
still to be published by the Government, teachers and parents
will be looking for urgent and effective action from the
Government to enable schools to recruit and retain the teachers
we need. That means additional resources to reverse the
real-terms cuts to school funding. It also means reversing
the pay cuts that have hit those working in education and
reducing the excessive hours worked by teachers and other school
staff.
“The NEU will continue to campaign for the additional school
funding and better pay and working conditions needed to secure a
first-class education service for pupils and parents.”
