Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 36
36
Deferred
Paragraph: 147
Increase maths teacher recruitment targets substantially and maintain other shortage subject targets
Conclusion
Targets for maths and other shortage subjects should not be reduced unless the shortage is reversed, and recruitment targets are met, over a sustained period of time. Considering Government plans for compulsory until the age of 18 the maths target must be increased substantially unless the Government can set out other plans for delivering functional or practical mathematics through an alternative cohort of teachers.
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on improving school attendance and pupil behaviour, detailing new statutory guidance and support for children with SEND. It does not address the committee's recommendations regarding maths teacher recruitment targets or targets for other shortage subjects.
Paragraph Reference:
147
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We agree that the relationships between schools, pupils and families are critical to improving behaviour and attendance. Our newly statutory Working together to improve school attendance guidance sets out clear expectations for all parties, starting with a “support-first approach”. Parents have a responsibility to send their children to school. Schools and trusts have a responsibility to create welcoming, engaging and inclusive spaces for pupils. This includes working with families to rebuild the child’s sense of belonging. We understand that children with additional needs face greater challenges with their attendance at school. Across the sector, work is being carried out to provide support for children with SEND and we know that parents have struggled with getting the right support for their children, particularly through a long and difficult EHCP process. We aim to rebuild confidence in the SEND system through partnership. Data suggests there is considerable variation in school level practice. Working in collaboration with the national Attendance Ambassador Rob Tarn and the sector, the Department has released an attendance toolkit to help schools identify the drivers of absence and adopt effective practices in improving attendance. To complement this, our Attendance Hubs work to share best practice across the sector so that the schools who have made strong improvements in attendance can share that learning with their colleagues - be it resources, systems, leadership or approach. Alongside this, the Department’s £10 million Behaviour Hubs programme pairs schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) with exemplary behaviour practices with partner schools or MATs who want and need to improve behaviour in their setting. The programme is flexible and non-prescriptive, with tailored support and a team of six Behaviour Advisers responsible for overseeing programme development and design and supporting delivery. The Behaviour Advisers bring experience from across the school sectors, including alternative provision and special schools, providing broad representation of all schools and their specific needs. It is for schools to develop their own approaches to engaging parents that are best suited to the local context of the school and individual families. Although there is no longer a statutory obligation to have home-school agreements, some schools use them successfully as a way to engage parents. A home-school agreement could cover, for example, the practical ways that each pupil’s parents could support their child’s learning. A guide for Parents on School Behaviour and Exclusion is also available which outlines the role of parents and the school in ensuring pupils understand how to behave well, which includes any detail on reasonable adjustments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).