Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the Teaching Regulation Agency on the adequacy of its guidelines on (a) misgendering and (b) preferred pronouns, in the context of the case of Joshua Sutcliffe.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Guidance on ‘Teacher misconduct: the prohibition of teachers’ (the Advice) sets out the arrangements for the regulatory system relating to teacher misconduct. These arrangements are operated by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), an executive agency of the Department, which acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, as the regulator of the teaching profession. The Advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-the-prohibition-of-teachers--3.
The Advice sets out the factors to be considered by an independent professional conduct panel convened by the TRA for the purposes of regulating the teaching profession. The Advice is used to inform panel considerations, findings and recommendations to the Secretary of State about whether to impose a prohibition order on a teacher. A panel must consider each case on its own merits. The decision maker who acts on behalf of the Secretary of State also uses the Advice when considering the panel’s recommendation and in deciding whether to make a prohibition order.
Given the independent nature of the panel, it would be inappropriate for the Secretary of State to comment on the specifics of any case or look to direct a panel in any way.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the initial teacher training core content and early careers frameworks prioritise adaptive teaching for children with special educational needs and disability in accordance with individual need.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) has been designed with the knowledge that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in improving outcomes for pupils, particularly for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with additional needs. Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers in relation to supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the Early Career Framework (ECF) builds on that learning for early career teachers (ECTs). These reforms support the department’s ambition that all new teachers starting in the profession learn how to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
Both the CCF and the ECF outline what trainee and new teachers should learn, and should learn how to do, in respect of adaptive teaching. The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement for trainee teachers and places a duty on ITT providers and their partner schools to meet this entitlement through incorporating the CCF into their course curricula. Courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5 that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. To be recommended by an accredited provider for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), trainees must demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. To pass statutory teacher induction, ECTs must demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards through a formal assessment, signed off by their head teacher and independently checked by their appropriate body.
The department is exploring opportunities to build teacher expertise through a review of the CCF and ECF frameworks. Aiming to conclude by the end of 2023, the review will identify how the frameworks can equip new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which trainees and early career teachers understand the legislative requirements, including their professional responsibilities, which relate to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) has been designed with the knowledge that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in improving outcomes for pupils, particularly pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with additional needs.
Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers in relation to supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The early career framework (ECF) builds on that learning for early career teachers (ECTs). These reforms support the department’s ambition that all new teachers starting in the profession learn how to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement for trainee teachers and places a duty on ITT providers, and their partner schools, to meet this entitlement. In addition to the content detailed in the CCF, it remains a statutory requirement of providers to ensure that their curricula ensure trainees are fully aware of their duties in respect of safeguarding and equalities legislation.
Courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5 that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
Part two of the Teachers’ Standards outlines that teachers must have an understanding of, and always act within, the statutory frameworks which set out their professional duties and responsibilities. To be recommended by an accredited provider for the award of qualified teacher status, trainees must demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. To pass induction, ECTs must demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards through a formal assessment, signed off by their head teacher and independently checked by their appropriate body.
The department is exploring opportunities to build teacher expertise through a review of the CCF and ECF. Aiming to conclude by the end of 2023, the review will identify how the frameworks can equip new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of Outer London pay scales on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) Enfield North constituency and (ii) the London Borough of Enfield.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is concentrating funding in the teaching profession with school funding in 2024/25 due to reach its highest level in history per pupil and in real terms, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Department implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations for the 2022/23 academic year of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.
This uplift raised starting salaries to over £32,400 in Outer London, including Enfield North and the London Borough of Enfield. The Department hopes that further rises next academic year will see starting salaries reach £30,000 in all areas of England, ensuring that they are competitive relative to alternative professional graduate starting salaries.
Decisions on pay ranges and allowances, such as the London pay scales, are based on recommendations by the STRB, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions. This year’s written evidence to the STRB sets out the Government’s position on pay awards this year, detailing how these need to strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst not increasing the country’s debt further or exacerbating inflation. The evidence includes an assessment of recruitment and retention trends broken down geographically, including for areas such as Outer London. The final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined later this year.
The Department announced a financial incentives package of up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the last cycle. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
The Department also provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and the list of eligible schools are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of Outer London pay scales on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) the London Borough of Hounslow and (ii) Outer London.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government is concentrating funding in the teaching profession with school funding in 2024/25 due to reach its highest level in history per pupil, and in real terms, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Department implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations for the 2022/23 academic year of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.
This uplift raised starting salaries to over £32,400 in Outer London, including Hounslow. The Department hopes that further rises next academic year will see starting salaries reach £30,000 in all areas of England, ensuring that they are competitive relative to alternative professional graduate starting salaries.
Decisions on pay ranges and allowances, such as the London pay scales, are based on recommendations by the STRB, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions. This year’s written evidence to the STRB sets out the Government’s thinking on pay awards this year, detailing how these need to strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst not increasing the country’s debt further or exacerbating inflation. The evidence includes an assessment of recruitment and retention trends broken down geographically, including for areas such as Outer London. The final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined later this year.
The Department announced a financial incentives package of up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the last cycle. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
The Department also provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has carried out an impact assessment on the impact of Outer London pay scales on teacher recruitment.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government is concentrating funding in the teaching profession with school funding in 2024/25 due to reach its highest level in history per pupil, and in real terms, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Department implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations for the 2022/23 academic year of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.
This uplift raised starting salaries to over £32,400 in Outer London, including Hounslow. The Department hopes that further rises next academic year will see starting salaries reach £30,000 in all areas of England, ensuring that they are competitive relative to alternative professional graduate starting salaries.
Decisions on pay ranges and allowances, such as the London pay scales, are based on recommendations by the STRB, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions. This year’s written evidence to the STRB sets out the Government’s thinking on pay awards this year, detailing how these need to strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst not increasing the country’s debt further or exacerbating inflation. The evidence includes an assessment of recruitment and retention trends broken down geographically, including for areas such as Outer London. The final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined later this year.
The Department announced a financial incentives package of up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the last cycle. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
The Department also provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of teachers in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London who have left the profession in the last (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers leaving service nationally, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
The table below provides the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of qualified teachers leaving, and the leaving rate, from state funded schools in the London Borough of Enfield, London (inner and outer) and England for academic years 2016/17 to 2020/21 (the latest data available). The requested figures by parliamentary constituency are not available.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) qualified teachers leaving and leaving rate1 from state-funded schools as at November 2016 to 2020
Enfield local authority | London (inner & outer) | England | ||||
Leavers | Leaving rate | Leavers | Leaving rate | Leavers | Leaving rate | |
2020/212 | 283 | 9.0 | 7,052 | 9.7 | 36,262 | 8.1 |
2019/20 | 234 | 7.6 | 6,064 | 8.5 | 32,249 | 7.3 |
2018/19 | 334 | 10.6 | 8,115 | 11.4 | 41,150 | 9.4 |
2017/18 | 298 | 9.6 | 8,296 | 11.7 | 43,102 | 9.8 |
2016/17 | 353 | 10.8 | 9,090 | 12.6 | 46,667 | 10.6 |
Source: School Workforce Census
1: Leaving rate is the number of leavers divided by the total number of qualified teachers in post in November each year
2: For example, 2020/21 leavers are those who left service between November 2020 and November 2021.
Leavers are defined as qualified teachers leaving the state funded sector in England, for example due to a change of career or joining other UK education sectors and those leaving on career breaks such as maternity leave or secondments outside of the school sector. Some of these teachers may re-join a state funded school in England at a later date.
Almost 9 in 10 (87.5%) teachers who qualified in 2020 were still teaching one year after qualification, and just over two thirds (68.8%) of teachers who started teaching five years ago are still teaching.
As at November 2021 (latest data available) there were 465,500 FTE teachers working in state funded schools in England, of which 75,700 were in inner and outer London and 3,200 were in Enfield. This is an increase of 4,400 since the previous year (7,000 increase in London and 120 in Enfield).
One of the Department’s priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract, retain and develop the highly skilled teachers needed to inspire the next generation.
The Department has set out a range of measures to make teaching an increasingly attractive profession, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing for those starting teacher training in 2023/24.
In addition, through the Department’s Levelling Up Premium, specialist teachers in the first five years of their career will be able to receive up to £3,000 tax-free each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25.
The Department has made good progress towards raising starting salaries to £30,000, with all new teachers to earn at least £28,000 from September – an 8.9% uplift, alongside a 5% pay award for more experienced teachers and leaders.
The Department is taking action to improve teacher quality and pupil outcomes by transforming the training and support provided for teachers, and attracting more people to teaching and enabling them to succeed.
The Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024, giving all teachers and headteachers access to world class, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career.
The Department has made a pay offer to unions that was fair, reasonable, and recognised teachers’ hard work. As per the Department’s published calculations, the pay offer would also have been fully funded, and we welcome the Office for Statistics Regulation’s recognition that we have communicated this transparently.
Just last week, thousands of schools received additional funding, as part of the extra £2 billion of funding the Department is providing both this year and next. As a result, school funding will be at its highest level in history next year, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) reduce class sizes in state funded secondary schools (b), ensure that teachers in state funded secondary schools have manageable workloads and (c) increase the level of teacher recruitment.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is up to schools to decide on class sizes that are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential. The exception to this is in infant classrooms, where there is a statutory limit of 30 pupils in each class, with some legal exemptions.
The Education Endowment Foundation found that the effect of reducing class sizes on educational attainment is low, compared to the high cost of doing so. Internationally, John Hattie’s work ranks reducing class sizes at 186 out of 250 influences on pupil achievement.
Despite an increase of nearly 850,000 pupils in state funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, average class sizes remain low. In secondary schools, the average is 22.3 pupils. Further information regarding average class sizes is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 (full time equivalent) working in state funded schools across the country. This is over 24,000 more than in 2010. The Department wants to continue to attract, retain and develop highly skilled teachers to inspire the next generation.
The Department has set out a range of measures to make teaching an increasingly attractive profession, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing for those starting teacher training in the 2023/24 academic year.
In addition, through the Levelling Up Premium, specialist teachers in the first 5 years of their career will be able to receive up to £3,000 tax free each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25, if they work in a disadvantaged school.
The Department has made good progress towards raising starting salaries to £30,000, with all new teachers to earn at least £28,000 from September 2023, which is an uplift of 8.9%, alongside a 5% pay award for more experienced teachers and leaders.
Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality, and the Department is taking action to support teachers to stay in the profession. The Department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, working with the profession to understand and address longstanding issues around marking, planning and data management.
The Department’s School workload reduction toolkit, developed alongside head teachers, is a helpful resource for schools to review and reduce workload. Working closely with schools and Trusts, the Department has added new resources to the toolkit to ensure it remains relevant. Further details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit.
The Department encourages schools to sign up to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter to build a shared commitment to promoting staff wellbeing. The charter sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff, including an explicit commitment to continue to support schools to drive down unnecessary workload.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of teachers in Lancashire who have left the profession in the last (a) one, (b) two and (c) five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
One of the Department’s priorities is to ensure that it continues to attract, retain and develop highly skilled teachers to inspire the next generation.
As at November 2021, the latest data available, there were 465,500 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers working in state funded schools in England, of which 9,600 were in Lancashire. This is an increase of 4,400 since the previous year, and an increase of 170 in Lancashire.
Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers leaving service nationally, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
The table below provides the FTE number of qualified teachers leaving, and the leaving rate, from state funded schools in Lancashire Local Authority and England, for the 2016/17 to 2020/21 academic years, which is the latest data available.
FTE qualified teachers leaving and leaving rate1 from state funded schools
As at November 2016 to 2020:
| Lancashire | England | ||
| Leavers | Leaving rate | Leavers | Leaving rate |
2020/212 | 658 | 7.0% | 36,262 | 8.1% |
2019/20 | 702 | 7.5% | 32,249 | 7.3% |
2018/19 | 783 | 8.4% | 41,150 | 9.4% |
2017/18 | 865 | 9.5% | 43,102 | 9.8% |
2016/17 | 1,037 | 11.1% | 46,667 | 10.6% |
Source: School Workforce Census
1Leaving rate is the number of leavers divided by the total number of qualified teachers in post in November each year.
2For example, 2020/21 leavers are those who left service between November 2020 and November 2021.
Leavers are defined as qualified teachers leaving the state funded sector in England, for example due to a change of career or joining other UK education sectors and those leaving on career breaks, such as maternity leave or secondments outside of the school sector. Some of these teachers may re-join a state funded school in England at a later date.
Almost 9 in 10 (87.5%) teachers who qualified in 2020 were still teaching one year after qualification, and just over two thirds (68.8%) of teachers who started teaching five years ago are still teaching.
The Department provides bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing for those starting teacher training in 2023/24.
Through the Department’s Levelling Up Premium, specialist teachers in the first 5 years of their career will be able to receive up to £3,000 tax-free each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25.
The Department has made good progress towards raising starting salaries to £30,000, with all new teachers to earn at least £28,000 from September, an 8.9% uplift, alongside a 5% pay award for more experienced teachers and leaders.
The Department is taking action to improve teacher quality and pupil outcomes by transforming the training and support we provide for teachers. The Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024, giving all teachers and school leaders access to world class, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, including providing specialist training to drive better literacy through a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy and a new National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the National Education Union on industrial action by its members.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government and the education trade unions took part in a period of intensive talks between 17 March and 23 March, where ministers and officials spent over 200 combined hours working with the unions to reach an agreed position. An in principle offer was made of a one-off payment of £1,000 for this year, and a 4.5% pay award for 2023/24, alongside a range of non pay offers.
It is disappointing that the education trade unions rejected this offer, and that the National Education Union has since organised two strike days in April and May, with three more due to take place in June or July. Final decisions on teachers’ pay for next year will now be made following the independent pay review process.
The Department recognises teachers’ invaluable work. This is why the Department implemented the recommendations of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for this academic year. This gave teachers the highest pay award in 30 years, going up to 8.9% for new teachers, alongside a 5% award for experienced teachers and leaders.
The Government is on track to deliver a £30,000 starting salary for teachers as per the manifesto commitment, ensuring teaching is a financially competitive career option within the graduate labour market. The Department has already increased teachers’ starting salaries to £28,000 this year. This year, the Department expects around 40% of classroom teachers to receive pay rises through progression or promotion, of between 8.5% - 15.9%. For experienced classroom teachers at the top of the pay scale, roughly a third of our classroom teachers, there is a strong starting salary with earnings of at least £43,685. Average classroom teacher pay of £39,500 remains significantly above the national average for full time employees, sitting within the top 40% of earners.
There is also a strong pay package for head teachers. The average primary head teacher earns £67,400, whilst the average secondary head teacher earns £94,900. These average salaries are in the top 10% of earners (full time employees in England).
Alongside this, teachers benefit from a Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) which is significantly more generous than the private sector average, with a 23.6% employer contribution in the public sector Defined Benefit schemes. The TPS is a defined benefit scheme, which means that members receive a guaranteed, index linked income in retirement. The TPS has a generous employer contribution element, provides insurance benefits, and is underwritten by HM Treasury. The TPS exists as a valuable incentive to enter teaching and a significant inducement for continuing in service. It compares very favourably with private sector pension schemes and most other forms of investment.
For the average classroom teacher on a £39,500 salary, the total remuneration package including the 23.6% employer pension contribution is worth £48,800.
We are committed to do more to ensure teaching remains an attractive profession. This includes tax free bursaries worth up to £27,000 and tax-free scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to train in key subjects such as chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics.
We have also introduced a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in their first five years, who work in disadvantaged schools.
This is part of a wider package of new measures to make teaching in England even more attractive to the best teachers and trainee teachers from around the world.