Recruitment crisis in schools ‘continuing’

SCHOOLS ARE struggling with a “leaky pipeline” of teachers with not enough joining the profession and too many leaving, headteachers have warned.

There is a continuing teacher recruitment crisis, according to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), which accused the Government of failing to ensure there were enough workers for a growing school population.

The Department for Education (DfE) insisted there was a record number of teachers in England’s schools, and that they were taking steps to address the recruitment challenges faced by schools.

Two thirds of school leaders said they were aware of staff members leaving the teaching profession for reasons other than retirement, according to an NAHT poll of its members.

The top reasons given for people leaving was workload followed by wanting a better worklife balance.

More than three fifths of those polled said they had had difficulty recruiting for vacant posts, while 18 per cent said they had failed to recruit.

Nick Brook, NAHT deputy general secretary, said: “Despite four years of warnings by NAHT the recruitment crisis continues unabated.

The Government is still failing to provide enough teachers for our growing school population.

“The recruitment pipeline is leaking at both ends.”