Commenting on the latest pupil census [1] and workforce census
[2] which show that the school staffing crisis has significantly
worsened; Kevin Courtney, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“This latest data shows the unacceptable consequences of real
terms cuts to teachers’ pay and unmanageable teacher workload.
Before today’s figures, it was already clear that we have a
teacher recruitment and retention crisis and today we can see
that on almost every measure it is getting worse – the number of
teachers leaving the profession; the low numbers of teachers
joining; more than a million pupils in classes of more than 30;
the huge rise in unfilled teaching posts; and the number of
non-specialists teaching secondary subjects. It is imperative if
this tide is to be turned that Government must increase and fully
fund pay and reduce teacher workload.”
“Unsurprisingly given how unattractive the Government has made
the profession with below inflation pay increases and
unmanageable workload 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.”
“Teacher recruitment continues to lag behind increases in pupil
numbers, resulting in fewer teachers per pupil. There are now
more than a million (1,018,390) pupils taught in classes with
more than thirty pupils with one in seven secondary pupils taught
in a class of more than 30 pupils and one in eight primary
pupils. Both primary and secondary class sizes increased this
year. Secondary class sizes are at their highest since records
began in 1977. British pupils have some of the largest class
sizes in the developed world. OECD data [3] shows that the pupil:
teacher ratio in British primary schools is the fourth highest
after Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. The pupil: teacher ratio in
British secondary schools is the fifth highest in the OECD after
Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile.”
“There are not enough appropriately qualified teachers teaching
secondary classes. One in six English teachers do not have a post
A level qualification in the subject; one in five mathematics
teachers; one in five history teachers; one in four chemistry
teachers; one in four French teachers; one in four design and
technology teachers; two in five physics teachers; and three in
five computing teachers.”
“The number of posts without a teacher has more than doubled in
the last two years and risen by five times since 2010. The number
of temporarily filled posts has increased by more than half since
last year.
“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. It 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”.
ENDS
Editor Notes:
- DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January
2023
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2023
- DfE, School workforce in England: November 2022
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2022
- OECD, Students per teaching staff
https://data.oecd.org/teachers/students-per-teaching-staff.htm
