Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Understand reasons for teacher variations in deprived areas and core subjects.
Conclusion
Teacher vacancies and the challenges of retaining experienced teachers are greater for schools in deprived areas, and across some core subjects, leading to inequities in provision and career opportunities. Schools and colleges decide their own staffing model and have discretion around how they chose to use funding which may, for example, lead to variances in the use of supply teachers and pupil-teacher ratios. Schools with higher proportions of disadvantaged pupils tend to have higher turnover rates and less experienced teachers – 34% of teachers in the most disadvantaged schools had less than five years of experience, compared to 20% in the least disadvantaged schools. These schools also suffer teacher shortages in specialist subjects, such as in Computing (1.4% vacancy rate against 0.8% in secondary schools overall). This means that disadvantaged students are at risk of being locked out of particular careers due to a lack of trained teachers 31% of schools in the most disadvantaged areas do not offer Computer Science A-level (compared to 11% in the least disadvantaged areas), and 9% do not offer Physics A-level (1% in the least 5 disadvantaged areas). This issue is critical to the government’s mission of breaking down barriers to opportunity, but the Department does not have a timescale for when we can expect to see reduced variation between schools in more and less disadvantaged areas. Challenges extend to colleges which struggle to find trained teachers in specialist subjects, such as construction, where shortages in the wider labour market increases the competition for talent and means fewer people are likely to apply. recommendation The Department should work with schools and colleges to understand the reasons behind variations, particularly within deprived areas and core subjects, setting this out in published information to help identify and share good practice and ideas on what works best.
Government Response Summary
The government committed to evaluating the Targeted Retention Incentive, with reports planned for 2027 and 2028, and deciding on a longitudinal study by late 2026 to better understand variations in teacher retention.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. retention, including greater shortages in key STEM and technical subjects and in disadvantaged areas. The department has published some evidence of these variations in schools and works with schools and colleges to inform understanding of why the variations exist. School and college leaders are responsible for employing teachers. However, it is vital that the department supports the sector to recruit and retain teachers where they are needed most, which is why the department is offering the Targeted Retention Incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 per year after tax for early career teachers in key STEM and technical subjects in disadvantaged schools and all FE colleges. The TRI in colleges is available to teachers of a wider range of subjects than in schools, such as building and construction where vacancy rates are particularly high. In schools, the breadth of offer and location of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provision influences teacher supply. The planned evaluation of ITT reform should help identify disparities in ITT provision and recommendations for improvement. In addition, the High Potential ITT programme, currently delivered by Teach First, places trainees in schools in disadvantaged communities. The department is also investing in teaching apprenticeships to provide paid routes into teaching for those who may not otherwise have become teachers, including in disadvantaged areas. The department will continue to publish the FE Workforce data collection, which includes regional and subject specific data, and to implement improvements to the collection. In 2025, the department is running a one-off survey of the FE workforce to provide information on the experiences of teachers and leaders in FE. Alongside this, the department is exploring the feasibility of running a longitudinal study of FE teachers and leaders to better understand factors affecting teacher retention. A decision on whether to proceed with the longitudinal study is expected by late 2026. Whilst the department does not routinely publish information on reasons behind variations in areas and subjects in FE, it is currently evaluating TRI which will reveal the impact it is having on teacher retention across different subjects and provider demographics, to help shape its overall approach. The department plans to publish the first report from the evaluation in 2027, followed by a full findings report in 2028. The department will continue to invest in evaluation and understanding of the workforce, as well as working with stakeholders such as the Improving Education Together partnership, to better understand variances in the workforce. The department is committed to taking forward work to better understand and address the causes of lower retention in FE. This includes identifying and sharing good practice across the sector, and ensuring this insight informs future policy.