The Education Committee today launches a new inquiry into teacher
recruitment, training and retention in state-funded English
schools.
Schools face huge teacher shortages and in 2021 reported the
highest number of vacancies since 2010. Despite a 5% increase in
teachers in that period, recruitment has not kept pace with
increasing pupil numbers. Recent figures show
that the Government has been unable to meet its recruitment
targets for trainee secondary teachers: having reached only 59%
of the target for trainees recruited for Initial Teacher Training
in the year 2022/23, down from 79% in 2021/22.
MPs will investigate the current situation of teacher retention
and recruitment, the main factors leading to difficulties in the
process and the impact it has on students. This includes
assessing how well the current teacher training framework
prepares new teachers, and how the English system compares
internationally.
A 2022 report by the National
Foundation for Educational Research shows that the teacher supply
challenge is marked particularly by a lack of physics, chemistry
and maths teachers. For physics, only 17% of the target to
recruit 2,610 trainees was achieved, with only 444 new entrants.
The Committee was recently told that at this current level of
supply, it would be impossible to carry out the Prime Minister’s
proposal of requiring pupils to study maths until 18.
To tackle this undersupply, the Department for Education
announced financial incentives
in 2022 for teachers such as the ‘levelling up’ premium
with a focus on highest-priority STEM subjects. Retaining
specialist teachers is a challenge when their skills and
knowledge are highly sought after in other parts of the economy.
The need to get the right balance between recruitment incentives,
progression and underlying pay is essential to achieve the
Department’s ambitions.
The inquiry will look at actions the Department has taken to
address the challenges in recruitment and retention, including
the impact of these financial incentives and the so-called Golden
Thread reforms. The Committee will assess specific reforms aimed
at retention, including the Early Career Framework, Workload
Reduction Toolkit, investment in National Qualifications and
provisions to support teacher’s mental health. There is concern
that these policies have yet to make a significant difference to
retention.
Other topics of interest will be how the problems with teacher
recruitment, training and retention compare with other
professions and sectors of the economy, and whether anything can
be learned from those comparisons.
Chair's comments
Education Committee Chair said:
“The current teacher shortages in some subjects in state-funded
schools make it more challenging for schools to provide
high-quality education across the country. It is imperative that
we take a comprehensive and nuanced look at the difficulties in
recruiting and retaining qualified teachers. We must urgently
identify solutions to ensure pupils receive consistent and
quality teaching, and that teachers feel supported in their
roles.
My colleagues and I will examine the current situation regarding
recruitment and retention, as well as actions the Government has
already taken. We will look at how challenges to recruitment,
training and retention compare in other sectors of the economy,
and how these impact demographic backgrounds differently. Taking
the right approach to supporting teachers through their training
and early careers, helping to reduce unnecessary workload, and
investment in professional development are all vital to ensure
schools can access the highly skilled and motivated workforce
they need."
Inquiry Terms of Reference
The current situation regarding teacher recruitment and
retention
- What are the main factors leading to difficulties recruiting
and retaining qualified teachers?
- Which subjects are most affected?
- How does the situation differ across the country and across
different types of schools and colleges?
- What impact does this have on pupils, particularly
disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND?
What action should the Department take to address the challenges
in teacher recruitment and retention?
- What has been the impact of the new bursaries and
scholarships announced in October?
How well does the current teacher training framework work to
prepare new teachers and how could it be improved?
- What has been the impact of the Early Career Framework
implemented in September 2021?
- Are there ways in which teacher training could be improved to
address the challenges in recruitment and retention?
- How does teacher training in England compare internationally,
and what are the benefits and disadvantages of the English
system?
How do challenges in teacher recruitment, training and retention
compare to those being faced in other professions/ sectors of the
economy, and is there anything that can be learned from other
professions/ sectors of the economy?
What particular challenges exist in teacher recruitment, training
and retention for teachers from different demographic
backgrounds?
- How well does the demographic makeup of the teaching
workforce reflect that of the pupils they teach?
Written evidence
- Submit your written evidence here
