Today (Weds 17 Nov), Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school
leaders’ union NAHT, is speaking at the Schools and Academies
Show on a panel about securing the ‘surge’ of post-pandemic
teacher supply.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Whiteman said: “NAHT warned at
the time that the increase in applications to initial teacher
training in 2020 during the height of the pandemic should be
viewed with great caution. Experience from the 2008 economic
recession suggested that as the pandemic eases and economic
conditions improve, the rise in applications would melt away.
“Unfortunately, these predictions have proved to be broadly
accurate. The latest published UCAS data for September 2021 shows
that applicants to ITT have fallen by just under 8 per cent
compared to September 2020. Behind the headline figures, there is
also significant regional variation, as well as differences
between different subjects.
“Of course, the supply of new teachers is only one part of the
picture here and we should also be deeply concerned about the
numbers considering leaving the profession. There is clear
evidence that more teachers are now actively thinking about
leaving the profession than was the case prior to the pandemic.
The government’s handling of the pandemic and the way school
staff feel they have been treated by policy makers over the last
18 months is a major factor in this.
“This is not just affecting classroom teachers, but school
leaders too. The STRB has made repeated warnings about leadership
supply. NAHT’s research consistently shows that too few middle
leaders want to become senior leaders, and too few assistants and
deputies want to become heads. Nearly half of the school leaders
surveyed by NAHT at the end of last year said that as a result of
the pandemic, they were less likely to remain in school
leadership for as long as initially planned.
“There is a real risk that we will see an exodus of leaders from
the profession once the Covid crisis is over. The government’s
longstanding complacency on leaders’ workload and well-being was
compounded by an unwarranted pay freeze for all leaders and
qualified teachers this year, while the latest Budget
announcement indicates what again will effectively amount to a
real-terms cut in salaries.
“Despite the increased pressure on them, school leaders have
stuck to their task. But unless the government acts urgently to
make school leadership an attractive proposition for teaching
professionals, the school leadership supply pipeline is going to
run dry"
