Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Monday 24 October 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Teacher vacancies have increased by 240% since 2011 according to data.
  • The Department has allocated 181 million for the current recruitment cycle, including training bursaries up to 29,000.
  • The Government aims to recruit and retain teachers by highlighting the positive aspects of teaching and addressing retention and workload issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Education
Context

Teacher vacancies have increased by 240% since 2011, with a National Education Union poll indicating that 44% of England's state school teachers plan to quit by 2027, 22% within the next two years. Experienced teachers are leaving due to issues like pay, stress, and workload.

Question

Teacher vacancies have gone up 240% since 2011; 44% of state school teachers plan to quit by 2027—22% within the next two years. What steps is the Minister taking to address pay, stress, and workload driving experienced teachers out?

Answer from Jonathan Gullis

The Department has £181 million for this year's recruitment cycle with training bursaries and scholarships up to £29,000. We aim to recruit and retain staff by highlighting the positive aspects of teaching; we have a £30,000-a-year starting salary and are addressing retention and workload through the Department's toolkit which has reduced workload on average by five hours.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The issue of pay and stress was not directly addressed with specific commitments or figures.

How: I Thank The Hon. Gentleman For That Great Question, Because Being A Teacher Is So Important And Positive

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Q2 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Education
Context

The government's efforts to recruit and retain teachers are failing, with high vacancies and a large number of teachers planning to quit by 2027.

Question

According to NEU poll, 44% of state school teachers plan to quit by 2027—22% within the next two years. What steps is the Minister taking to address pay, stress and an unmanageable workload which are driving experienced teachers out?

Answer from Jonathan Gullis

The Department is committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled teachers by investing £181 million in this year's recruitment cycle; training bursaries up to £29,000. We are delivering 500,000 training opportunities and reforming teacher training. The Government has a manifesto commitment of £30,000-a-year starting salaries.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The issue of pay and stress was not directly addressed with specific commitments or figures.

How: I Thank The Hon. Gentleman For That Great Question, Because Being A Teacher Is So Important And Positive

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Q3 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
Education Standards & Ethics
Context

The government's recruitment target is set to fall short by 34 percentage points based on DFE data. The Schools Bill has been withdrawn, and many council schools are in deficit.

Question

Government is set to fall short of its recruitment targets for secondary school teachers; will the Minister explain what specific action he will take to fix this issue?

Answer from Jonathan Gullis

The hon. Gentleman has been let out of detention by the Standards Commissioner for a recent letter regarding me. However, the Department is committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled teachers with £181 million investment in this year's recruitment cycle; training bursaries up to £29,000.

Not addressed: The issue of meeting teacher recruitment targets was not addressed directly.

How: I Am Glad The Hon. Gentleman Has Been Let Out Of Detention By The Standards Commissioner For The Very Naughty Letter He Sent Only Recently Regarding Me

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