‘Teachers of the key subjects most likely to leave’
Why teachers must be valued
TEACHERS OF key academic subjects such as science, maths and languages are more likely to leave the profession – particularly early in their career, a study has suggested.
Around one in 10 of those teaching these subjects, along with technology, quit the classroom each year, according to an analysis of official data conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
The study, based on data from 2010 to 2015, calculated that around 10.4 per cent of science teachers left the profession each year, along with 10.3 per cent of maths teachers, 10.2 per cent of those teaching languages and 10 per cent of technology teachers.
English was just behind, with 9.7 per cent leaving each year. This is higher than other subjects – for example, 5.9 per cent of PE teachers left each year, along with 8.4 per cent of those teaching arts subjects such as art, drama and music, and 8.5 per cent teaching humanities such as history and geography.
Those teaching core academic subjects were also more likely to move between schools each year.
“We found that rates of earlycareer teachers in science, maths and languages leaving the profession are particularly high,” the study concluded.
“We also found that high leaving rates of science and modern foreign languages teachers, and shortfalls in the number of entries to teacher training in these subjects compared to the Government’s target, may make it difficult for the Government to achieve its aim for 90 per cent of pupils to be entered for the English baccalaureate (EBacc).”
The EBacc is a measure that recognises pupils who score at least a C at GCSE in English, maths, science, history or geography and a language. “Rates of teachers leaving the profession are highest in the first few years after qualifying to teach, for teachers of all secondary subjects and for primary school teachers,” the researchers said. “This has consistently been the case for at least 15 years.”
The Government has previously said that teacher retention figures in England remain steady, with around 70 per cent of those who start teaching still in the classroom five years later.
NOW THAT the main parties are finally publishing their prospectuses for power four weeks after Theresa May called a snap election, here are two lessons that still need to be learned by the powers-that-be.
Skills – academic, vocational, technical and digital – have never been more important and it therefore follows that teaching is a profession that needs to be cherished.
However this economic and social necessity is being compromised by a high turnover of teaching staff which is even more marked in those core subjects, like the sciences, maths and languages, which are so integral to a rounded education. One factor, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research, is because these teachers can secure better job prospects in other industries.
Pupils need continuity and consistency. They invariably excel when there’s a familiar face at the front of the classroom and less so when there’s a revolving door because teachers have either left, or are absent with ill-health. The recent rise in class sizes must also not go unchecked.
Young people only have one education. They can’t afford to be let down in such numbers, so the question that each party leader is duty-bound to answer is this: what are you going to do to improve the recruitment, and retention, of teachers so all pupils are taught by the best?