Commenting on Closing the Workforce Quality Gap, a report from the Education Policy Institute, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Disadvantaged schools have particular problems retaining experienced subject specialists, on top of all the other issues that societal poverty causes. All teachers need to be properly and appropriately valued for the essential job they do. The recruitment and retention crisis now encompasses the entire profession across all areas of teaching. Narrow, targeted measures to improve conditions are not enough.
“There are fundamental issues affecting the sector as a whole: pay that is too low, workload that is too high, and inadequate funding. Rachel Reeves is forcing 76 per cent of primary schools and 94 per cent of secondary schools to make cuts this year. Refusing to fund any pay award for 2025/26 simply won’t wash. It will only make matters worse.
“The fact is that poverty has got considerably worse over the past fourteen years. Labour’s two-child limit is not helping. The eligibility threshold for free school meals is a disgrace, and even those who qualify are not necessarily getting what they are entitled to. We urge the Government to make sure no child is missing out, by investing in our pupils with free school meals for all – starting with primary schools.”