Commenting on the latest statistics released today by government, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The latest figures confirm that teaching remains insufficiently attractive to bring in or keep the numbers of teachers needed. Today’s figures show a record low number of teachers entering the profession, and retention rates at or close to record lows after the first two years of teaching. Record numbers of pupils are in classes over 30, and secondary class sizes are the highest since at least 1977.
“There is a cumulative impact from the years of missed recruitment targets. The high turnover is causing serious damage to children’s learning and their engagement. Having familiar teachers and experienced teachers is crucial for continuity. The fact that over a quarter of pupils are now eligible for free school meals is also alarming and a clear signal that measures to reduce child poverty that so affects children and young people’s education cannot be ignored and must be addressed.
“Teacher shortages will not be resolved until teacher pay and workload are significantly improved. All teachers have seen the real value of their pay cut by a fifth since 2010. These figures underline the importance of an urgent and fully funded pay correction, applied equally to all teachers, to ensure that we properly value, recruit and retain the teachers our education service needs. To reverse these entrenched patterns of teacher shortages, the Government must invest properly in education. Making teaching sufficiently attractive is the foundation on which all school improvement and levelling up of life chances is built”