Commenting on research by the National Foundation for Educational
Research showing that the Department for Education’s teacher pay
proposals are unlikely to solve teacher supply problems in STEM
subjects, Louise Hatswell, pay specialist at the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“This report provides yet more evidence of the total inadequacy
of the government’s pay proposals for teachers. The government’s
plan to raise starting salaries to £30,000 over the next two
years is undermined by its proposals for a significant real-terms
pay cut for more experienced teachers and leaders which is likely
to make retention worse and exacerbate teacher shortages. The
government’s own figures show that 40% of the workforce currently
quits teaching within 10 years.
“We are not convinced that ‘levelling up’ premiums for some STEM
subjects are the answer either. Teacher trainee numbers are down
in a number of subjects including modern foreign languages,
geography, and design and technology where only 23% of the target
was achieved this year.
“The underlying problem is years of government-imposed real-terms
pay erosion which has devalued the profession. This must be
addressed by a significant improvement to pay in general which
reverses this downward trend, makes teaching a more attractive
career choice, and improves teacher retention.
“It is pretty obvious that it is impossible to raise educational
standards if schools cannot recruit the teachers they need.”
