Schools may be back – but plenty left to do for the new Government class of 2024

While pupils may be back in class, the ongoing staffing crisis has the potential to disrupt education unless further, more appropriate action is taken by the new Government. That’s according to education recruitment expert, The Supply Register.

According to the specialist in teacher and supply teacher sourcing, while Labour’s plans to recruit 6,500 more teaching professionals is a step in the right direction, the impact will be limited unless it is accompanied by other methods to tackle the recruitment crisis.

Baljinder Kuller, Founder and Director of The Supply Register explained:

“We’ve seen first-hand the impact that staffing shortages are having on the education sector so we wholeheartedly welcome any investment in recruitment in the profession. However, the crux of the skills crisis in education isn’t just a lack of recruitment, there’s also a major problem with retention. We’ve seen record numbers of teachers leaving the profession, and not just for those reaching retirement age. Access to international talent is also extremely costly for schools, and Brexit has meant there are no guarantees that they will be allowed to stay indefinitely. On top of this, the negative press around teacher pay, the staffing strikes and growing struggles around the mental wellbeing of staff are all impacting the availability of staff in education. Simply increasing how many teacher jobs there are will have no long-lasting impact unless the reasons behind the staff shortages are addressed.”

“The investment into teacher recruitment is definitely a good start, but there will be more actions needed to tackle the issue head-on. If we put the figures into perspective, latest statistics suggest there are 32,163 schools in the UK. The vast majority of these will be experiencing staffing shortages, but the current plans only account for one new teacher for every five schools. A more sustainable approach to staffing solutions that not only safeguards permanent resources, but also allows for a more flexible distribution of staff, whilst still providing the benefits received by permanent teachers, is needed. Labour’s plans are a good start, but we hope to see more action taken in the future. Let’s see what their first year in power brings”

Ends

Press contact
Vickie Collinge
vickie@bluesky-pr.com
01582 790705