ASCL comment on worldwide study of teacher shortages

24/10/2024
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a worldwide comparison of the factors involved in teacher shortages, published in Research Papers in Education and carried out by Professor Stephen Gorard and Dr Mark Ledger at the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education with colleagues from Birmingham and Warwick universities.
 
“This is a very interesting and valuable study into one of the biggest problems facing the education sector. The takeaway message is that teaching needs to be made more attractive to a wider range of graduates. This report shows shortages persist where teacher pay compares poorly to the highest paid professions, and that salary increases are far more impactful than temporary incentives or bonuses.

“In order to solve the recruitment and retention crisis, it’s clear that we need a strategy which at its core aims to raise the status of the teaching profession. Enabling competitive salaries, providing schools and colleges with adequate resources, and taking every opportunity to celebrate education staff and the vital work they do are all key parts of this.”