Responding to analysis from the National Foundation for
Educational Research (NFER), which states that increasingly
uncompetitive pay, high workload and a lack of flexible working
options are driving prospective graduates away from the teaching
profession, Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary of the Association
of School and College Leaders, said:
“Despite worsening teacher shortages posing a real threat to
educational standards, there is cause for optimism as a result of
this report. NFER's analysis suggests the number of young people
interested in teaching, and similar careers that benefit others,
is broadly stable or even slightly increasing. There is therefore
no reason why the government's ambition of recruiting 6,500
teachers cannot be achieved or surpassed, providing the right
steps are taken to put teaching on an equal footing with other
graduate professions. This means offering pay that is comparable
to other graduate jobs and ensuring manageable workloads across
the board.
“This analysis shows that the motivation to become a teacher
remains for many young people and it is now incumbent on the
government to remove all disincentives and barriers as quickly as
possible. It is essential that the next generation of aspiring
teachers feels that the profession is a viable career choice for
them.”
