These changes come at a time when the teaching profession in England is suffering a significant recruitment crisis. This year, we are down 400 teachers, and 1,400 fewer educators are coming into the field for the 2024-25 academic year than last year. Newly-released statistics paint a less rosy picture. Only 41,736 new teachers entered the profession. This number accounts for only 9.2% of all teachers, the lowest share on record. This drop happens despite the government’s commitment to hiring an additional 6,500 teachers. Unfortunately, leading others typically continues the fight to attract and retain talent in the education sector.
With this, for the ninth time in ten years, schools have missed their targets for recruiting trainee teachers. This trend continues all the way through secondary education. Most educators identify low pay and lack of working conditions as central reasons pushing them away from the profession. While this “retirement wave” has been somewhat mitigated from what it could’ve been in pre-pandemic years, the number escaping the profession entirely is still at a crisis level.
Alice Cole, Teacher at Oasis Academy Warndon, on why she became a teacher and her experiences so far. She took a leave from her professional life with the arrival of her son, Oliver, last May. She went back to work half-time in April, on a flexible schedule that she expects to continue for at least the next 12 months. Cole shared her clear passion for teaching and how being a parent made her think differently about work-life balance.
“I really loved my job, and I loved working full-time. I couldn’t have seen that changing before I had a family.” – Alice Cole
Her story is not unique. Over 80% of the teachers reported being burned out, and more than half would look to other jobs with more work-life balance or pay potential. Often, reality catches up quickly and Sam Alner, an IT/computer science teacher, often wonders how much longer he can stick it out in his position from burnout. He’s realistic enough to understand that the constant grind of teaching can quickly cause educators to question their dedication.
“Relentless is probably a word people would use when they talk about teaching,” – Sam Alner
Dan Botting, the executive principal of Portsmouth Academy, agrees with Alner’s perspective. He finds it increasingly difficult to recruit professional staff to come and teach computing. The government’s own targets for recruiting computing teachers are ambitious. It has just hit 37% of its long-term national goal through 2024-25. Botting believes that better recruitment efforts are essential to ensure schools have “the right skills and expertise to be able to deliver for the pupils who need it most.”
“There’s always more you can do because you can always spend that little bit extra time on making a lesson better,” – Sam Alner
Even with all of these obstacles, many educators are still committed and excited about the work they do. Victoria’s new vice principal Sam Poole loves the “hustle” of school life and isn’t ready to give up the classroom. He says the writing is already on the wall as many of his colleagues, including senior staff members, are actively looking, if not jumping ship.
The effect of these trends can be seen in classrooms all over the nation. Portsmouth Academy has been limited to having only one GCSE computing class per year. Botting thinks they could scale this program pretty quickly if there were more teachers to draw on.
“We could probably triple,” – Dan Botting
The struggles teachers are dealing with are a reflection of a more systemic problem that runs deep throughout all levels of education. The Education Secretary has made many warm statements about how central to government efforts to solve the recruitment problems.
“Delivering on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers… fundamental to improving children’s life chances,” – Education Secretary
As schools prepare to jump back into the action of a new school year, educators remain hopeful. They are convinced that improved support and working conditions will bring new recruits into their profession and keep them there. Now, with flexible working arrangements quickly gaining popularity—including those taken up by Alice Cole—there is an opportunity to change that.
“Working flexibly now has given me that precious time with my son which I wouldn’t change for the world,” – Alice Cole
