“Any attempt to address the worrying shortage of teachers is obviously welcome, but this scheme does appear to be an attempt to patch up a system that is already broken.
“Last year the government missed its target for secondary teacher recruitment by 50 per cent overall, and in 15 out of 18 subjects. The recruitment and retention crisis extends right across the profession, not just in a few areas that are deemed ‘vital’. Targeted approaches like this will only serve to further demoralise those who are not eligible for pay incentives, particularly those working in subjects where teacher shortages are just as severe.
“The government needs to recognise that all teachers have a vital role to play, and that significant action is required to attract more graduates to the profession. Pay erosion over the last decade needs to be reversed and steps must be taken to reduce workload, but it is important that this is applied fairly across the education sector. This will require significant resources but small recruitment schemes and incentives will not be enough to shift the dial and end the recruitment problems that school and college leaders are facing on a daily basis. A comprehensive, long-term strategy is what is needed to solve the recruitment and retention crisis. Reactionary, short-term measures that appear to primarily be in service of the Prime Minister’s Advanced British Standard, are just not going to cut it.”