Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 20
Teacher numbers remain insufficient despite absolute increase, with missed recruitment targets.
Conclusion
There are now over 468,000 teachers which we accept as an improvement in absolute terms though not relative to pupil numbers. However, we recognise that this is still insufficient, particularly when we know recruitment targets continue to be missed, the number of teacher vacancies doubled between 2020 and 2022 and that secondary pupil numbers are expected to peak at around 3,230,000 this year. Progress on recruitment needs to be sustained and improved in order to manage and meet the needs of this demographic ‘bulge’.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the importance of high-quality teachers and the challenges, stating its core objective is sufficient teachers and that it has pledged to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers while committing to tackling systemic issues.
Paragraph Reference:
20
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
At the centre of this government’s plans to break down barriers to opportunity is the goal to see every child achieve and thrive, and this starts in the classroom. As the report raised, we recognise that children cannot receive a great education without great teachers. Teachers are the most important factor in a child’s education and great teachers can help break the link between young people’s background and future success. The school workforce is one of the biggest enablers of our Opportunity Mission and Growth Mission. Our core objective is to have a sufficient number of high-quality teachers across all subjects and in all parts of the country. This is why the government has pledged to work with the sector to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers across schools, both mainstream and specialist, and colleges over the course of this parliament to raise standards for young people. Whilst there has been some progress since the previous government published the 2019 recruitment and retention strategy1, there are shortages of qualified teachers across the country and there is much more to do to meet our goal to ensure every child is taught by a great specialist teacher. For subjects like Maths and Physics or Design & Technology, recruitment targets have been missed each year for 10 years. To achieve our ambition, further work is needed to improve the experience of being a teacher and re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join. This includes addressing broader factors such as workload, wellbeing, and career development opportunities because we believe the best recruitment strategy is a strong retention strategy. Teacher retention is key to ensure children and young people receive the excellent education they all deserve from experienced and high-quality teachers. We have inherited a system with deep-rooted and persistent challenges; and the new government is committed to tackling these systematic issues as a priority. It has been particularly challenging to recruit and retain enough teachers in the context of significantly rising pupil numbers. This issue has been concentrated in secondary schools, which have seen pupil teacher ratios rise and acute challenges within particular subjects.