Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research, which states that teacher unfilled vacancies are at their highest rates since records began.
“The government must heed this warning before it is too late. We are far beyond the point where small steps and half measures can address the scale of the recruitment and retention crisis in education.
“The government’s target of recruiting 6,500 new teachers is a step in the right direction, but there is no clear plan for achieving it. Success will require action on a scale far greater than anything seen so far.
“Meanwhile, the government’s proposal of an unfunded 2.8% pay award for school teachers in 2025-26 is likely to make matters worse, not better. It falls short of what is needed to improve recruitment and retention, and expecting schools to make further ‘efficiencies’ – after years of cuts – is completely unrealistic. Colleges face an even greater challenge, as their funding constraints make pay awards even harder to deliver.
“Reducing excessive workloads is key to tackling teacher shortages, but this requires systemic change. While artificial intelligence may help ease some pressures, it is no silver bullet. Schools and colleges have increasingly been asked to do more with less. To compound matters, Ofsted’s plan to introduce a new five-point grading scale for inspections will only increase pressure on leaders and teachers, making recruitment and retention even harder.
“The government must take decisive action to address teacher shortages and ensure that schools and colleges have the staff they need to deliver high-quality education. This is particularly urgent for institutions serving disadvantaged communities, which often struggle the most to recruit and retain staff. The upcoming spending review must provide the necessary funding for the Department for Education to develop a meaningful strategy to tackle this crisis.”