DfE data: Only HALF of required number of trainee secondary teachers in England recruited

[sunnydaytoday0]

Only half of the required number of trainee secondary school teachers in England have been recruited as the academic year gets under way, analysis shows. Ministers are on course to miss their recruitment targets by 48%.

The DfE said there were a record number of teachers in schools, up by 27,000 since 2010. The unions point out, however, that the number of pupils in state-funded schools in England has risen at almost double the rate of the teaching workforce.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/12/only-half-of-required-number-of-trainee-secondary-teachers-in-england-recruited

But hang on, those glossy soft-focus Get into Teaching adverts on TV show so many wonderfully happy and satisfied teachers, and classes fully of quiet, attentive students? And the government claims teachers are paid so well. Shouldn't training courses therefore be stuffed full of highly qualified graduates who want to do the job? I'm assuming teacher retention rates must be excellent at the moment that it explains why the government wouldn't need to be concerned about a huge crash in new bodies being recruited. Right?

Some grads don’t have graduate level jobs but would rather earn less than teach. They know teaching isn’t for them. Cannot say I’m surprised. It’s not a happy workforce portrayed in the media. It clearly is ok pay as you work your way up and still a great pension scheme with state contributions that others don’t get.

I see quite a few schools with satisfied teachers though. Mostly down to leadership. So where you work matters. It’s also great for part time working. Lots of my friends have had very child friendly teaching jobs. All have retired nice snd early too. No working to 65 for them! Others I know love it snd I don’t actually know anyone who has given up! I know others who have gone into teaching after starting another career and not liking that! However they all teach in decent schools. That’s the key I think.

I think it’s suffering from the poor publicity and grads not wanting the job or to
join a complaining workforce. Stem grads can get better jobs and many do. I suspect it’s stem that’s the big issue. We might need to go over to Singapore size classes!

Stem grads can get better jobs and many do. I suspect it’s stem that’s the big issue.

Numbers in all subjects except for history, PE and classics are below the government recruitment target.

@TizerorFizz teachers today won't be retiring till 67 or 68 (unless they take a reduced pension early) the 60 as pension age sadly has gone. Not sure how fit you'd be to put in the daily performance that is teacher at 67, but I shall find out!

Note that the government has reduced its targets too - so it’s less than half of a reduced target…

As many teachers retire well before 65 now and plenty before 60, I suspect hardly any will go on beyond 65 in the future. Other people already do work until 65 and beyond. The state sector pensions are still dependable and better because they are still generous.

I’m amazed they cannot recruit English teachers. Lots of English grads don’t get great jobs looking at the stats. Art and drama should be ok too I would have thought. However listening to all the complaints from teachers, is it surprising no one wants to join therm? I would not recommend it to my DDs. I do know DC who have become teachers and all have stayed in it. All doing well but careful about where they are employed.

We might need to go over to Singapore size classes!

Where teachers and education are revered. Unlike here, so that is going to help teacher retention.

I love being a teacher but I'm not at all surprised by this.

It’s also great for part time working.

It really isn't, rates are lower than for other jobs. It's so crap for part time working that female teachers in their 30s tend to quit teaching completely when they could be retained by a reasonable part time offer.

They are desperately looking for ways to improve flexible working for teachers to try to increase retention.

Google suggests singapore class sizes average at 32.5

After the infant class size cap my son has never been in a class that small! He topped out at 42 in his class for two years.

It's very sad. I'm in my mid-30's so around 20 years since I was in a secondary school as a pupil. My education wasn't perfect but I mostly had reliable teachers who were there for us every day. I feel sad that a lot of children today are not even getting that and are being passed from pillar to post.

Ultimately it's going to affect the UK's economic future and standing in the world if we can't provide a decent education.

Shall we bring in corporal punishment for boys from the age of 5 as a precursor to the penal system with the death penalty as well?

Not sure how you have made that leap from what I posted but you do you.

I thought the logic by Volvo was impeccable.

Is it worth also considering bringing in migrants (only working age adults, not their families, and housing them in cramped dormitories) to alliviate the workforce crisis as well?

How many teachers do you see who are in their 60s nowadays? In practice, I suspect many are long gone, capitalising on the fact that schools are so short of staff that private tuition in in demand.

I've taught in a challenging school for over 20 years. I can't imagine doing anything else but given how little the government and society seems to value us I'm not bloody surprised. If you're a maths or science graduate in particular, there are far more tempting careers. With the academisation of education, job security is less certain, Ofsted is a crippling pressure etc, I can see why it isn't quite the attractive career it once once was.

If teachers stopped complaining about the profession and stopped telling kids not to become a teacher maybe people would feel it's a profession worth pursuing.

I say that half in jest but it has become a self fulfilling prophecy. Teachers have shouted this mantra loudly and everyone's heard it so recruitment has dropped. Its a challenging profession, one that has got more difficult and teachers aren't being respected anymore. It's all a nasty spiral to the bottom. Someone needs to turn the ship around, I don't know how though. I think it's possibly too late.

@Fiiiish Perhaps if conditions were better teachers wouldn't moan so much?

Read teaching threads on here and get a glimpse of what some of us have to put up with despite being rare as hen's teeth these days.

@Fiiiish I value teachers telling the truth and it’s a bloody awful job.

Why can’t we do anything to improve working conditions rather than shut the teachers up?

Ive just left my permanent job (with no job to go to) as a shortage (STEM) subject teacher. Im a mid 30s mum and needed more work life balance or I was heading for a breakdown.

So the (large numbers of) teachers who are experiencing the "difficult, challenging conditions" you describe should in fact lie and give the impression it isn't? Isn't that one of reasons the trainee/NQT drop out rates are increasing - because they're been painted a picture of the profession by the government that for a large part is not reflective of the reality?

Them saying the conditions are awful (some are telling the truth, others are possibly exaggerating for clout) puts people off joining the profession. Why would anyone want to go into a career as awful as some (not all) teachers tell us it is? How many parents would want their children to enter the profession? So it naturally gets worse because the trainees don't sign up, so experienced teachers say conditions are getting worse so it puts more people off....

But conditions ARE awful in a lot of schools. Why would I want any of my students to put themselves into that situation when I know there are much better jobs out there?

I understand why you want to steer children into any job other than teaching. I also find it sad to hear from people who are in a vocational profession that it's defeated them. But if no children aspire to be teachers we end up with no teachers, then what?

No children want to be teachers because the conditions are shit. Fix the conditions and people will want to teach again.

Bullied out by management wanting cheaper more malleable teachers.

If people don't become teachers anymore, chances are, conditions will get better eventually. There is only so much money you can throw at new starters (which is what is happening now - recruitment is far less of an issue compared to retention).

For what it's worth, I love my job, the teaching bit, but I also don't have much of a life during term time. I hate that, to do a good job, I have to work 13h days most days, and a few hours over the weekend, too. I hate that abuse is a daily part of my life, and that it's now normal to be put in physical danger, too, and nothing happens. I hate pointless paperwork.

I am incredibly organised, and it is that which has saved my sanity over 2 decades of teaching. But I have also worked in other areas and I know just how much more relaxed, and humane, their working hours and conditions are.