Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the February 2019 Sutton Trust report which found that disadvantaged young people are more likely to be taught by teachers with less experience and lower qualifications; and whether he is taking steps to improve teacher recruitment in disadvantaged areas.

In January 2019 the Department launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy which outlines four key areas for reform and investment. These include creating the right climate for leaders to establish supportive school cultures, transforming support for early career teachers, building a career structure that remains attractive to teachers as their careers develop, and making it easier for people to become teachers.

Designed collaboratively with the education sector, the strategy commits the Government to creating the strongest development and progression opportunities for teachers working in the schools and areas that need them most. The full strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.

As part of this, the Department is piloting two new financial incentives which encourage individuals to teach in disadvantaged areas. The Department is offering two uplifted mathematics early career payments of £7,500 rather than £5,000 to those who complete initial teacher training (ITT) and go on to teach in 39 high-need local authorities. It is also piloting teachers’ student loan reimbursement for languages and science teachers in 25 high need local authorities.

The Department is also investing more in challenging areas to create enhanced development and progression opportunities. For example, the Department is investing £20 million in scholarships to drive take up of the reformed leadership national professional qualifications in the most challenging areas.

The Department’s investment in Teach First (TF) also supports recruitment for schools in disadvantaged areas. The department funds TF to deliver an employment based route into teaching, with trainees completing a two year leadership development programme. It is a premium route into teaching, attracting high calibre trainees into the profession. In 2016/17, 93% of TF trainees had a 2:1 or above, compared with 73% across post graduate routes. These high quality trainees are placed in schools in disadvantaged areas that might otherwise struggle to attract this quality of applicant.

The Department recognises that some schools have greater issues with recruitment and retention than others. That is why it is delivering a £30 million investment in tailored support to get more great teachers into schools in disadvantaged areas that are facing challenges with teacher supply.