Commenting on the government press release about plans to open up
opportunities for teachers from across the world to teach in
England, Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association
of School and College Leaders, said:
“We welcome the move to open up opportunities to teachers from
across the world to teach in England, but this is a sign of the
very severe teacher shortages being experienced by schools and
colleges. The government repeatedly misses its own initial
teacher training targets and far too many teachers are then
leaving the profession early in their careers. This situation
often means that schools are left struggling to fill vacancies
and this particularly affects those which face the greatest
challenges.
“The problem is that schools and colleges are underfunded by the
government, subjected to an excessively harsh accountability
regime, and that the government has presided over a lengthy
period of pay austerity which has seen the real value of salaries
eroded over many years. Teaching is a fantastic job but it is not
surprising that we are struggling to recruit and retain staff
when they are worn-down and underpaid. The government is
attempting to remedy the situation with various initiatives but
it is all a bit lacklustre and piecemeal.
“The scale of the problem requires a more strategic approach
backed up with more investment.”
