Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Unions warn over 1,000 unqualified teachers in county
‘Non-qualified staff should not be used to plug staffing gaps or provide cheaper staffing’
More than 1,000 unqualified teachers work in schools in Kent and Medway, official figures show.
Statistics from the Department for Education reveal that there are 920 teachers without formal qualifications in classrooms in Kent alone.
The figures come from the DfE’s latest workforce survey.
While the figure represents less than 10% of the total schools’ workforce, the number is on the up as academies and free schools are, under government powers, allowed to appoint those without formal teacher training qualifications.
Risked
Unions also claim maintained schools are increasingly recruiting unqualified staff to fill vacancies and to cut costs.
Latest national statistics show that Kent had 920 staff without qualified teaching status, while Medway had 180.
John Walder, the Kent NUT representative, said that schools risked appointing teachers who they knew little about, often for key jobs.
Mr Walder said: “You are talking about people who schools know very little about and what their skills are. They are unknown quantities. Heads are often having to fill vacancies at short notice.
“I have never met a parent who was happy about having an unqualified teacher in front of their childrens’ class.”
Phil Karnavas, the principal of Canterbury High School, said: “Head teachers should be allowed to appoint staff who they believe will best serve the needs of the students.
“In most cases qualified teach- ers are clearly the better option, but in others, staff without qualified teacher status may be better equipped to deliver some technical and vocational programmes.”
But he said it was wrong to use non-qualified staff as a way of filling gaps or saving money.
“What should not happen is that non-qualified staff are used to plug staffing gaps or provide cheaper staffing because qualified teachers cannot be recruited or because budget pressures require savings.”
The previous coalition government gave new powers to both academies and free schools to hire unqualified teachers, saying it was a way of allowing head teachers to bring in professionals with “great knowledge and new skills”.
What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk or write to Gazette House, 5-8 Boorman Way, Wraik Hill, Whitstable, CT5 3SE.