The Department for Education “lacks a cohesive plan” to meet the recruitment goals promised by the Government.
The Public Accounts Committee has stated that the Government’s promise of recruiting 6,500 new educators by 2029 does not have enough evidence to support how this will improve recruitment and retention.
In its report, the DfE found that it does not know the reasons behind the primary factors of teachers quitting their jobs. Workload and student behaviour were cited as being the two main challenges.
The PAC’s investigation found that in just one year (2023-2024), the percentage of former teachers citing student behaviour as a cause for leaving increased from 32% up to 44%.
While the DfE intends to tackle the issue by creating new attendance and behavior hubs, only 17 percent of schools and colleges signed the wellbeing charter.
The Committee said that it was also unclear how the Department considered pay in conjunction with other initiatives.
The DfE acknowledged that increasing teacher pay was an important way to attract new teachers but had not evaluated whether other initiatives, such as the Early Career Framework Programme, would have better results than simply raising pay.
The DfE concluded that it had not compared the cost-benefit of incentives to pay increases.
According to PAC there is no clear indication of how the government plans to deliver 6,500 additional teachers. There is also no indication as to how this will affect current and future teacher shortages.
It said that “DfE was unable to explain how the pledge is calculated or how they will fill teacher gaps. There are estimated to be up 12,400 additional teachers needed in colleges by 2028/29.”
The committee wants to know more about how “urgent” shortages will be addressed in the field of further education.
The report also highlights the recruitment and retention issues faced by schools located in poorer areas. 34% of the teachers in these areas have less than five-years’ experience, while only 20% are in areas that are not as disadvantaged.
Sarah Olney, a member of the committee, said: “I cannot thank teachers enough for their hard work.
Our report confirms that teachers are increasingly leaving the profession due to the increasing workload and difficult pupil behavior.
The DfE said that the quality of teaching is more important than quantity. This is a reassuring argument, but it’s hard to believe that there are no teachers in some subjects in the most disadvantaged parts of the country.
The PAC is calling on the government to “take a serious look” at teachers’ working conditions, flexible work arrangements and pay increases.
Olney said: “The debate surrounding these issues is a long one, and it’s far from being over.”
If the recommendations in our Report are followed, then the government, based on their own analysis and evidence will be able to give an explicit answer on whether or not it is the right time to pay teachers more and/or offer them more flexibility.
Jack Worth, Education Lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research said that it was “critical’ for the government to come up with a comprehensive policy.
He said that schools were eager to know the specifics of the plan the government has for supporting the teacher supply.
The teacher shortage in secondary and higher education can be addressed by a targeted and strategic approach that aims to improve the attractiveness of teaching in certain key subjects, and in particular in disadvantaged areas.
The NFER research confirms that it is important to build a strategy around key factors such as teacher workload, student behaviour, the lack of flexible working arrangements, and teacher incentives and pay.
A spokesperson for the DfE said: “Since the first day, the Education Secretary has worked to reset relationships with the sector. He announced pay awards of almost 10 percent over the next two years, and he committed to tackle the high workload and poor well-being, including encouraging schools offer more flexible work opportunities.
We are committed to working as partners with teachers in the push for improvement, driving high standards and increasing standards through our Plan for Change so that every child can achieve and thrive.
Subscribe to our weekly HR news and guidance
Every Wednesday, receive the Personnel Today Direct newsletter.
Personnel Today has HR positions in the Education sector.
Find more education HR jobs
