National teacher shortage: Public Accounts Committee questions Department for Education leadership
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hear from senior officials at the Department for Education (DfE) as part of its inquiry into increasing teacher numbers at 3.30pm on Monday 19 May.
Meeting details
There is a nationwide teacher shortage. Secondary schools and colleges face challenges both recruiting and retaining teachers, and the Department for Education (DfE) currently sees not having enough teachers as a significant issue impacting educational outcomes.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the number of secondary school teachers rose by 3% between 2015-16 and 2023-24, compared with a 15% rise in pupils. Meanwhile, the proportion of secondary schools reporting at least one teaching position being vacant, or temporarily filled, more than doubled from 2010-11 (17%) to 2023-24 (46%).
In July 2024, the government announced that it had begun work to deliver a pledge of 6,500 new teachers for schools and colleges over the course of this Parliament. DfE has told the NAO that between 2023/24 and 2027/28, 1,600 more secondary teachers will be needed; and that 8,400 to 12,400 more further education teachers are needed by 2028/29. Ten months after the pledge was announced, DfE assessed its confidence in delivering the pledge as significantly challenging given the fiscal context.
The PAC’s session will see officials challenged on DfE’s current initiatives to recruit and retain teachers, including those designed to improve workload and wellbeing (common reasons for teachers leaving); what needs to happen, and by when, to deliver the pledge for 6,500 additional teachers; and disparities in shortages for certain subjects and schools in deprived areas.