Hobhouse slams government over teaching

Bath’s MP has criticised the government’s treatment of teachers in our schools and colleges.

Wera Hobhouse believes that the government is failing in teacher recruitment and retention.

She said there has been major instability at the Department of Education, with the latest Secretary of State, Gillian Keegan, having been in post for less than a fortnight.

As a result, our MP believes that children are being left behind.

“Teacher recruitment is in disarray,” she said. “It is not hard to see why, as we have such a churn of instability at the top of the Department for Education.

“Gillian Keegan is going to have to get a grip of this situation immediately or we will see more children left behind as the Conservatives continue to sit on their hands.

“The Government must come forward with a credible strategy to address this fast or they are going to see children’s futures slip away.”

Since 2007 there has been a reported 8% real terms cut in teacher salaries and between 200910 and 2019-20 a 9% real terms cut in funding per pupil.

In B&NES it is said the pupil to teacher ratio has increased 7 per cent since 2014.