Responding to an announcement from the
Department for Education that up to £6000 will be available for
teachers working in key STEM and technical subjects, Pepe
Di'Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said:
“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.”
