Education has been a particularly sore spot for the UK in recent times with a drop in new teachers and a raging battle over grammar schools. Now it has been revealed that almost a third of all teachers who started teaching in 2010 have quit just five years later in 2015.
Ministers were able to confirm that in 2010, there were 24,100 new teachers. After a single year, 13% quit. After another year, 18% had quit. After another year, 23%. After another, 27%. By 2015, 30% of new teachers from 2010 were gone.
The majority of the blame has been placed squarely on Michael Gove’s shoulders. John Pugh, a Lib Dem education spokesman, said the fault was down to Gove’s decision to reshape the curriculum and exam system and turn more than half of high schools into academies.
Pugh said:
“It is bad enough that dedicated teachers are being driven away from the profession they love, but this is also laying the foundations for a disastrous teaching shortage in years to come if we cannot train new teachers fast enough to replace the ones which leave.
“The government must urgently work with the teaching community to address the many factors which are making teachers feel demoralised and under-valued; as well as reversing their devastating cuts to school budgets, which are putting increasing pressure on teachers and schools.”
In addition, the official spending watchdog said the government had missed recruitment targets for four years running since 2012, so not only are we losing teachers, but recruitment is spiraling downwards too. Back in June, the Select Committee found that the government had no plans to tackle the teacher’s shortage. A report by Training New Teachers urged the government to draw up a plan regarding supply teachers, challenge recruitment failures, tackle the fact that many teachers are being forced to teach areas out of their specialty and ensure new recruits were well informed on how to become a teacher.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said:
“We want every child to have access to great teachers that aren’t weighed down with unnecessary workload so they have the time and freedom to do what they do best – inspire the next generation. We recognise teachers’ concerns and are continuing to work with the sector to find constructive solutions to this issue.”
