Shortage of Teachers

Britain could be in danger of experiencing a shortage of teachers in the near future, after Department for Education statistics revealed that the government had missed its recruitment targets for three years in a row.

Britain could be in danger of experiencing a shortage of teachers in the near future, after Department for Education statistics revealed that the government had missed its recruitment targets for three years in a row.

It emerged last month that 2,000 teacher training places had been left unfilled, the most significant shortfall since 2007. The news comes as the government promised to “deliver more maths and science teachers” and the launch of a national college for digital skills in 2015.

The quality of trainees has seen significant improvement, with a record three quarters of candidates obtaining a 2:1 degree or higher. The government currently offers bursaries of up to £25,000 to trainees in priority subjects such as maths, physics and languages. Despite this, some schools still struggle to employ high-calibre teachers in this area.

This year, only art, history, English, physical education and chemistry recruited enough new teachers. The other sciences under-recruited, with 67 per cent of places for physics filled and 85 per cent for biology. In maths, 88 per cent of the targeted places were filled, while a mere 44 per cent of the targeted number of teachers for design and technology were recruited.

Professor John Howson, a teacher workforce expert and an honorary professor at Oxford University, said: “This is the third year running the Government has failed to hit its recruitment targets in key subjects and the second consecutive year in which it failed to recruit even half the number of design and technology teachers that it needs.”

But a spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We always allocate more places than are needed to ensure a high-quality supply of teachers across England’s classrooms, we never expect to fill 100 per cent of allocated places and we are confident we will continue to meet future demand.”

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