‘Call to arms’ for retired teachers amid staff crisis

NADHIM Zahawi has urged retired teachers to return to the classroom to plug staff shortages caused by Covid.

The Education Secretary believes pensioners could help keep schools open when rising numbers of teachers are self-isolating.

He wants to help former teachers sign up with agencies to help with the Covid effort.

In an email to heads yesterday, Mr Zahawi said: ‘We know that in areas with high absence a particular issue can be the availability of supply staff.

‘We want to make sure that as many supply staff as possible are available to schools and colleges.

‘We will work with sector leaders and supply agencies over the coming days to offer advice to exteachers who want to provide support to schools and colleges.

‘We will help them to register with supply agencies as the best way to boost the temporary workforce available to the sector.’

He also urged heads to encourage teacher friends in their ‘professional and personal networks’ to sign up to the scheme. The announcement comes after Robert Halfon, Tory chairman of the Commons education select committee, said an ‘army’ of retired teachers should be enlisted.

Last night, the National Education Union expressed concern that plugging the gaps with retirees would put them at greater risk.

Joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: ‘Of course we support measures that could help to reduce education disruption... [but] some of these older colleagues will be concerned about their chance of contracting Covid and better mitigations will be necessary to reassure them.’