Labour slams end to teacher recruitment programme for career switchers

With thousands of teaching vacancies across the country, and efforts at recruitment in key subjects failing for year after year, Labour has learned that the government has taken the extraordinary decision to end funding for the Career Change Programme, which was working to bring people who'd already had a successful career in other sectors into teaching as a career change.

The Department for Education's own figures show that ministers have consistently missed their teacher recruitment targets.  In nine out of the last 10 years the Conservative government has failed to reach teacher recruitment targets – and in some subjects, the shortfall in recruitment is huge.

In 2023 alone, the government recruited just 17% of their target number of physics teachers, just 44% of their target number of science teachers, and 63% of their target number of maths teachers.

An email sent out this week to school leaders involved in the work by the charity that currently has the contract explains that “the DFE is no longer planning to fund a new Career Change Programme contract” and that without such funding, “[we] cannot recruit any more experienced people to change career and become teachers beyond this September”

By contrast, Labour has set out ambitious plans for recruiting 6500 additional qualified expert teachers, so every child can be taught by a subject specialist, as well as a far-reaching programme to restore the status and appeal of teaching as a profession for new trainees and existing teachers alike, to stem the exodus of experienced teachers.

This would include a new Teacher Training Entitlement to high quality professional development, a new mentoring programme to support school leaders, an end to Ofsted one-word judgements and regional school improvement teams to support the spread of best practice.  

Labour's Shadow Schools Minister, Catherine McKinnell MP, said:

“It's hard to believe that the Secretary of State who talks so much about her past business experience is choosing to end the programme that brings business people into education, when schools are crying out for recruits.

“Teacher vacancies are up almost sixfold since 2010, and more than ever before we need to be encouraging people to consider changing to a career as a qualified teacher.

“That's why Labour has set out our plans to recruit 6500 additional qualified expert teachers, paid for from the money raised by ending the tax breaks that private schools enjoy.”

“Fourteen years in and the Conservative government is still finding fresh ways to fail our children.  Only a Labour government can bring the change our children need.”

Ends

Notes:

Percentage of initial teacher training recruitment target reached, by subject in 2023. Data is taken from the official Initial Teacher Training (ITT) census statistics:  https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2023-24#releaseHeadlines-summary

 DfE statistics show that there were 2,100 teacher vacancies across England in November 2023 – compared to just 355 in November 2010.   However, the current true figure may be even worse as schools may be too financially constrained to advertise vacancies and recruit to all the posts where they have shortages.  https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0d54f29e-0ea6-49ea-2a16-08db718d1ed0

An email sent this week to headteachers in England set out the end of NowTeach funding, as below:

I'm sharing the disappointing news that the DFE is no longer planning to fund a new Career Change Programme contract which Now Teach is currently responsible for delivering. Without new funding Now Teach cannot recruit any more experienced people to change career and become teachers beyond this September.

This will deprive many young people of an education enhanced by Now Teachers' industry insight, technical expertise and life experience. There are millions of people out there who might have changed career to become great teachers - and we think they are less likely to do so without Now Teach.

The lack of government funding for Now Teach also risks losing the wider work the charity has done to champion teaching as a second career. Last year saw a national 15% growth in the number of over 40s starting to train to teach and, in this year's recruitment cycle so far, the over 40s are up 50% on last year.

The DfE has been clear that this decision was not related to the quality of the Now Teach Programme or its impact. There are budget cuts across the sector and we are unfortunately part of those. We have been told the department is still interested in prioritising career changers in the future - and they are right to do so.

When we started out it was rare for experienced professionals to transition to teaching. Our founders, Katie and Lucy were adamant that, with the right support, this community would become a valuable new segment in the teaching workforce.

As the data shows, they were right.

Teacher recruitment and retention are critical priorities for the state education sector. England needs an organisation with expertise in bringing in career changers into classrooms and supporting them to have a positive impact on students, schools and the wider system - and we believe this should be funded by government.

The trustees and the Now Teach team are working to find funds to bridge this period and we will be working closely with our partners and funders to find the right next steps. If you would like to be part of this work, please let us know.

Our work continues. We are recruiting our Cohort 2024 and will provide them with great support through their first two years in schools, while also continuing to support our current trainees and ECTs, and developing the national Now Teach Network.

But, in a worst case scenario, without further funding, this would be our last cohort.

I will be in touch over the coming weeks and months to update you.