The Welsh Government has missed its own target for new
secondary trainee teachers by 40%, while the primary school
trainees target was missed for the third year running.
According to recent
statistics, 2017/18 saw 525 (20 less
than 2016/17) new entrants to secondary level courses for Initial
Teaching education (ITE) courses, 346 (40%) short of the target
of 871.
Meanwhile, there were 670 (30 less than 2016/17)
new entrants to primary level courses, 80 (11%) short of the
target of 750. This means 370 fewer students gained Qualified
Teacher Status in 2017/18 than 4 years before, down by a quarter
from 2013/14.
In addition, figures indicated that Wales was
becoming a less attractive region for young graduates to train as
student numbers from England have fallen by over half (54%) in
the last five years.
The number of ITE entrants from Wales on
secondary school courses in Wales dropped by 37% over the last 4
years, the number starting to train in England increased by 34%
over the same period.
The numbers of ITE students in Wales coming from
Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the rest of the EU are all
smaller than five years ago too.
The numbers also indicate consequences for
another area of Welsh Government policy the target of one million
Welsh-speakers by 2050, as the number of students able to teach
in Welsh is at its lowest point since 2007/08.
Of those who spoke Welsh fluently (305 out of
1,200 total entrants), 38% (115) were not even training to teach
in Welsh.
The number of students training to teach in
Welsh has been declining since 2013/14 and was 215 in
2017/18 nearly
the same as ten years ago. Of the 1,200 ITE entrants, only 210
trained to teach in Welsh (20 unable to speak fluently), 110
fewer than five years before.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative and
Shadow Minister for Education and the Welsh Language said:
These figures tell us the new Lib Dem broom in
Welsh Government hasn't swept in a new enthusiasm for teaching in
Wales. The decline of Welsh students training in Wales might be
explained by their own school experiences after 20 years of
Labour Government.
Whatever the reason, the decrease in trainees
show the Welsh Governments attempts to halt the existing teacher
recruitment crisis in Wales have proven impotent. Future
pay-rises might help but its good conditions, morale, and
leadership which matter most to teachers.
Meanwhile, with more Welsh students going to
train in England and fewer English students crossing the border
to here shows Wales must dramatically improve its offering for
young people beyond its few graduate opportunities, low pay, and
weak economy.
Also, the Welsh Government have come up with an
ambitious policy for a million Welsh speakers by 2050, but have
made no impact on the number of those training to teach in the
language. Will this be the downfall of Cymraeg 2050
While good schools see their core funding cut by
councils at the same time as curriculum change, some may wonder
whether teaching is for them. This new reality and its
implications are the product of two decades of Welsh Labour-led
Government.
