Labour to force a vote on ending private schools’ tax breaks to drive new teacher recruitment after new data shows leavers outstrip new recruits

Labour will today (Wednesday) force a binding vote in the House Commons on ending tax breaks enjoyed by private schools to recruit 6,500 more teachers to drive up standards in every school and make sure every pupil is ready for work and ready for life. 

Labour will use an Opposition Day motion to create a new House of Commons Select Committee on the Fair Taxation of Schools and Education Standards to investigate reforming the tax benefits enjoyed by Private Schools and investing the proceeds on a new National Excellence Programme.  

Labour’s intervention comes as the party releases new analysis showing that the number of teachers leaving classrooms is outstripping the number of new recruits to the profession in the last year. 

Labour’s analysis of the most recently available official figures from the Department for Education found that there were 36,262 leaversin the teaching profession in 2020/21, compared with only 34,394 starters on Initial Teacher Training, leaving a shortfall of 1,868.   

Labour’s recruitment policy is intended to stem a dangerous exodus of teachers by reducing unmanageable workloads and to correct worrying slides in the recruitment of new teachers to replace those leaving across England. 

Further analysis by the party has found that the Conservative Government will fail to achieve its own target of ‘levelling up’ key educational standards until 2044, alongside a growing post-covid attainment gap between state and private schools.

Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“Labour believes that excellence is for everyone: that is why we would end tax breaks for private schools and invest that money in 6,500 additional teachers, reducing workloads and driving up to standards in all our state schools through our National Excellence Programme. 

“Labour recognises that after thirteen years of Conservative economic mismanagement, which culminated in the Conservatives crashing the economy last year, tough choices must be made to protect public finances - but the choice facing MPs today is easy.  

“Conservative MPs can either vote to deliver a brilliant state for education for every child or they vote against the interests of parents across this country who aspire for better for their children, especially those in the very regions their party pledged to ‘level up’. 

Ends

Notes

Labour’s Draft Motion:

That the following Standing Order shall have effect until 31 December 2023:

Fair Taxation of Schools and Education Standards Committee

1. There shall be a select committee, to be called the Fair Taxation of Schools and Education Standards Committee, to consider reforming the tax status of private schools in order to raise funding for measures to increase educational standards across the state sector, including the recruitment of new teachers, additional teacher training, and careers advice and work experience for all pupils

(2) It shall be an instruction to the Committee that it makes a first Report to the House no later than 20^th July 2023;

(3) The committee shall consist of eleven members of whom ten shall be nominated by the Committee of Selection in the same manner as those Select Committees appointed in accordance with Standing Order No. 121;

(4) The Chair of the Committee shall be a backbench Member of a party represented in Her Majesty’s Government and shall be elected by the House under arrangements approved by Mr Speaker.

(5) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it until the expiration of this Order.

(6) The committee shall have power—

(a) to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, to adjourn from place to place, and to report from time to time; and

(b) to appoint specialist advisers to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the committee’s order of reference.

(7) The committee shall have power to appoint a sub-committee, which shall have power to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, to adjourn from place to place, and to report to the committee from time to time.

(8) The committee shall have power to report from time to time the evidence taken before the sub-committee.

• Labour will invest the money raised by ending tax breaks for private in driving up standards in every state school, through:

A National Excellence Programme

Ready for Work, Ready for Life

Source:  Starmer pledges to launch an education “National Excellence Programme” - The Labour Party

• Nearly a third of teachers who qualified in the last decade have since left the profession, according to Labouranalysis

Source: Third of England’s teachers who qualified in last decade ‘have left profession’ | Teaching | The Guardian

• Workload was the key motivation for 65% of respondents of teachers who said they were planning to leave the profession in a recent survey.

Source: 44% of teachers in England plan to quit within five years | Teaching | The Guardian

• New post graduate teacher trainees have fallen by a fifth between 2019/20 – 2022/23 

Source: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cfc7175f-7f14-42d3-098b-08dad2d4841a

• Labour analysis of state school and private school attainment figure has found that between 2019 and 2022:

o   The percentage of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths (combined) in state schools fell from 11 to 7 per cent (a fall of 4 percentage points). In private schools, the percentage meeting the higher standard fell by only 1 percentage point (from 13 to 12 per cent). 

o   The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing in state schools fell from 78 to 69 per cent (a fall of 9 percentage points). In private schools, the percentage meeting this standard fell by 6 percentage points (from 77 to 71 per cent). 

o   The percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in maths in state schools fell from 79 to 71 per cent (a fall of 8 percentage points). In private schools, the percentage meeting this standard fell by 7 percentage points (from 84 to 77 per cent). 

o   The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling in state schools fell from 78 to 72 per cent (a fall of 6 percentage points). In private schools, the percentage meeting this standard fell by 5 percentage points (from 78 to 72 per cent). 

Source: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5265f6c9-6362-4217-85e4-d9d044caa31f

• The Government’s Levelling Up White Paper set new targets aimed at improving literacy and numeracy in England: “By 2030, the number of primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths will have significantly increased. In England, this will mean 90% of children will achieve the expected standard…”

Source:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1052708/Levelling_up_the_UK_white_paper.pdf  

• Currently, 59% of children in Key Stage 2 achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined).

Source: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f0131b-55e2-47cd-5349-08dab0fd4449

• Projected attainment at Key Stage 2 in England for reading, writing and maths

Source: Labour projection using Department for Education data accessible at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f0131b-55e2-47cd-5349-08dab0fd4449

• Projected attainment at Key Stage 2 in England for reading, writing and maths, pre-pandemic trend 

Source: Labour projection using Department for Education data accessible at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f0131b-55e2-47cd-5349-08dab0fd4449

• Institute for Fiscal Studies report (p.27): 2021 annual report on education spending in England | Institute for Fiscal Studies (ifs.org.uk)