SOT0044

Written evidence submitted by the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education

1. About ACME

1.1       The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) is an independent committee that develops advice on mathematics education policy. ACME was established in 2002 by the Royal Society and the Joint Mathematical Council of the UK (JMC) with the explicit backing of all major mathematics organisations in order to provide constructive and strategic advice on mathematics education.

1.2       In this response ACME draws the Committee’s attention to the supply of teachers of mathematics[1] at primary, secondary and post-16 level.

2. The importance of mathematics and mathematics teaching

2.1       ACME welcomes the Government’s recognition of the importance of high-quality teaching and its commitment to ensuring that teaching is a high-status profession.[2]  Mathematics is central to the Government’s aspiration to improve education.

2.2       To ensure that all students receive high-quality teaching and learning in mathematics there must be a sufficient supply of teachers.[3] 

2.3       In November 2015 ACME published its initial teacher education (ITE) report Beginning teaching: best in class?[4] In this report ACME notes that the quality of education cannot be separated from the shortages of teachers of mathematics.

2.4       A long term strategy is needed for the ITE of teachers of mathematics. A range of organisations need to work together to set out an action plan for the future of ITE for teachers of mathematics.

3. Teacher recruitment and supply

3.1       Recent reforms to mathematics education affect learning in the primary, secondary and further education sectors. More and better qualified teachers of mathematics will be needed to meet the increased requirements of these reforms. [5] In particular, the reforms to post-16 mathematics have increased the demand for teachers of mathematics. For Core Maths to be successful, thousands of teachers will require additional training.

3.2 The reforms come at a time when there is already a shortage of teachers of mathematics:

• At secondary level, an estimated 5,500 extra specialist teachers are needed to teach the mathematics lessons currently taught by non-specialists who do not hold an A level in mathematics.[6]

• Many primary schools have no access to a mathematics specialist teacher. Only 3% of the primary workforce hold a specialist degree and teaching qualification in mathematics.[7]

• The vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post for secondary mathematics teachers in 2014 was 1.4%. This is above the percentage for all teacher vacancies of 1.1%.[8]

• Schools are finding it difficult to fill their teaching vacancies. Ofsted conducted a survey of teacher recruitment in schools which showed that less than a third of schools had a good choice of well qualified entrants for all teaching posts advertised in 2013 – 14.[9]

3.3       More teachers of mathematics are needed every year:

• Approximately 3,000 entrants to secondary mathematics teaching are needed each year and it is acknowledged that the Department for Education needs to look beyond the 8,000 mathematical science graduates per year[10] to fulfil these needs.

• Additional teachers will be required to meet the needs of the growing school population. By 2023 there will be 900,000 more primary learners (9% more than in 2014) and 480,000 more secondary learners (17% higher than 2014).[11]

3.4 There are not enough teachers in all areas in England.

• Ofsted has noted geographic inequities in the provision of initial teacher education and has warned that good and outstanding schools have the opportunity to ‘cherry pick’ the best trainee teachers, which could increase differences in local and regional school performance.[12]

• The Government has acknowledged that some areas struggle to recruit and retain teachers and has launched the National Teaching Service to deploy outstanding teachers and middle leaders to underperforming schools.[13]

4. Retaining and upskilling teachers of mathematics

4.1       Retention: The retention of good teachers is essential to the profession. Many teachers of mathematics leave the profession within three years of completing their initial training, and across all subjects almost one in four teachers leave teaching within five years.[14] In the 12 months prior to November 2014, almost 50,000 qualified teachers in England left the state sector.[15] 

4.2       Ofsted have highlighted the issue of teacher retention. Ofsted Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills Sir Michael Wilshaw stated that “It is a national scandal that we invest so much in teacher education and yet an estimated 40% of new entrants leave within five years.”[16] In Beginning teaching: best in class? ACME points out that far too little is known about why teachers leave the profession.[17] More data on this issue are required if cost-effective remedies for early departure are to be developed.

4.3       Professional development: The issue of teacher supply cannot be solved by recruitment of new teachers alone. There is a need to invest in the development of the current workforce. This has to be a major factor in achieving and maintaining a sufficient supply of mathematics teachers. Professional development has a significant role to play in strengthening the subject expertise and knowledge of existing teachers. There is a need to create a map of formal professional development activities in order to establish what is available to whom, where, of what quality and for what cost.

5. Some solutions

5.1       Some of the recommendations ACME makes in Beginning teaching: best in class? are set out in this section.[18]

5.2       Investment in data collection, analysis and monitoring: To plan for the future a clear picture of the current teaching workforce is needed. Much better information on the recruitment and retention cycles is needed. Continual monitoring of routes and of supply is also needed, and this evidence must inform policy.

5.3       Mapping initiatives and identifying gaps to develop an action plan: Many initiatives are underway to recruit more teachers.[19] All of the current programmes and initiatives to improve ITE must be mapped in order to identify gaps. The mapping exercise and identification of new areas of development should feed into a comprehensive action plan for initial teacher education in mathematics. This should be a long-term programme with all-party buy-in.[20]

5.4       Development of clear lines of accountability: Currently a range of actors are involved in provision of ITE.[21] An overarching strategy would be most effective if there were clear lines of responsibility and accountability. More clarity is needed about what this means at a local, regional and national level for future mathematics ITE supply. Further consideration needs to be given about who leads on the ITE strategy.

November 2015