Teacher recruitment targets could be missed across many subjects

Teacher recruitment targets are likely to be missed in many secondary school subjects this year, including English, according to a report.

In February 2022, the number of applications to initial teacher training was 23% lower than in February 2021, suggesting targets for 2022/23 are also unlikely to be met.

Subjects which typically find it harder to recruit such as Physics, maths, computing, chemistry, design and technology and modern foreign languages are at greater risk.

Subjects that typically recruit well, such as English and art, may also struggle to meet their targets, according to the report.

Boost in starting salaries

The report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) notes that despite a recent boost to starting salaries, raising them to £30,000, teachers' pay in real terms is lower than in 2010/11 levels by 7% to 9%.

Teachers continue to work longer hours than similar professions during term-time, which could contribute to the challenges, the report said.

The biggest influence on whether senior leaders could take on trainees was their "concerns about the burden on school staff to provide support for trainees", according to a survey by NFER in autumn 2021.

Data from the autumn survey of senior leaders also suggested that retention rates could be returning to pre-pandemic levels too, with around a fifth of primary leaders reporting that teacher turnover was higher than before the pandemic, although more secondary heads said that staff turnover was lower than before the pandemic.

Actions needed to tackle the teacher supply

NFER school workforce lead, Jack Worth, said both the financial attractiveness of teaching as well as other aspects needed to be improved to tackle the teacher supply challenges re-emerging after the pandemic.

He added that improving the competitiveness of teachers' pay was important for both recruitment and retention, but that the Government's proposed pay increases for the sector seemed "insufficient on their own" to address this.

Easing teacher workload and more support for trainees would also boost retention, Mr Worth said.

"However, our survey data shows that schools' capacity for offering training placements remains squeezed, and senior leaders' key concern is the burden on school staff to provide support for trainees," he said.

“More substantial interventions are needed”

Cheryl Lloyd, education programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: "More substantial interventions are needed to encourage applicants to initial teacher training courses including physics, maths and modern foreign languages."

She added: "Addressing the ongoing shortfalls in teacher training applications should be a priority to ensure students can benefit from specialist teaching in these subjects and that schools across the country can offer a breadth of course options to their students.”

Words from school unions

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU Teaching Union, said: "The report from NFER shows what an unmitigated mess Government is making of education."

"Low pay, unmanageable workload and an overbearing accountability system is rendering the teaching profession unattractive to many," Dr Bousted said.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: "Teacher and school leader recruitment and retention has been severely damaged by more than a decade of eroded salaries, leaving the profession less attractive to graduates. Missed teacher recruitment targets this year are a direct consequence of that.

"Although the Government is moving towards a £30,000 starting salary for teachers, which is needed, they are doing that by imposing real-terms pay cuts on more experienced teachers and leaders. Graduates don't just look at starting salaries - they want careers that are viable and rewarding long term.”

"With over a quarter of primary and more than a third of secondary leaders quitting within five years of appointment, the Government just isn't doing enough to convince them that teaching is the career to choose."

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.

• Teacher