Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which explores factors influencing ethnic disparities in teaching.
“A diverse teaching workforce is good for society, recruitment, and pupils, and we would like to see more work done to better understand why some ethnic groups continue to be underrepresented in teacher training as well as leadership roles.
“Although recruitment remains very challenging, there is still widespread interest in teaching as a profession and it’s therefore vital that we break down any and all barriers that prevent potential teachers from starting training. There must be equitable recruitment across all the different routes that lead to a career in teaching.
“The government must set out a long-term plan for how it is going to fix the recruitment and retention crisis. No stone should be left unturned in identifying the factors – at all stages of the process – that are preventing people from entering the teaching workforce. Analysing the disparities in ITT rejection rates identified in this report, and carefully considering NFER’s recommendations, should form part of this work.”