Act ‘now or never’ to hit 6,500 teachers target, report warns
The government faces a “now or never moment” to hit its target of recruiting 6,500 new teachers in England by the end of its term, a new report has suggested.
Analysis by the National Foundation of Educational Research (NFER) says unfilled vacancies are at a record high and recruitment into teacher training remains “persistently low.”
All but five secondary subjects missed this year’s recruitment targets for new trainee teachers, which are set by the Department for Education (DfE).
The government says “work has already begun” to reach its target, including investing £233m next year to encourage more trainee teachers into shortage subjects.
The report says more funding will be needed from this summer’s spending review, which decides how much will be allocated to different government departments over the next few years, if the target is going to be met.
During the election campaign, Labour promised “to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers in key subjects” over the course of its five-year parliamentary term, funded by changing the VAT rules for private schools.