Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initiatives or incentives are planned to either attract new entrants into the profession of teaching or to ensure retention of teaching staff within the profession.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter. This response outlines the information for England only.
Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the school workforce census began in 2010.
The department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession. The Get Into Teaching service helps to make teaching a career of choice and supports candidates to apply for teacher training. Prospective trainees can access support and advice through expert one-to-one teacher training advisers, a contact centre, and a national programme of events. The teaching marketing campaign provides inspiration and support to explore a career in teaching and directs people to the Get Into Teaching service: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/.
The department is accepting in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%, which is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. This award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. 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 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 can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
To support retention in the sector, the department has worked with schools and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing and to support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the Workload Reduction Toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter. The workload reduction toolkit is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit. The Charter is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,700 schools have signed up to the Charter so far. The department will also convene a Workload Reduction Taskforce to explore how we can go further to support trusts and head teachers to minimise workload. The department wants to build on previous successes and aim to reduce working hours by five hours per week.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number and proportion of (a) mainstream and (b) special schools that have reduced teaching hours due to staff shortages in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recent data shows there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
In November 2022 there were 27,140 FTE teachers and 86,410 FTE total workforce in 1,358 special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs). This is an increase from 20,617 FTE teachers and 64,171 FTE total workforce in 1,336 special schools/PRUs in 2013, the earliest comparable data.
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion of mainstream or special schools that have reduced teaching hours due to staff shortages in the last 12 months. The Department continues to take action to increase teacher recruitment in all school types and to ensure teachers across England stay and succeed in the profession.
The Department has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and headteachers in full. This means that teachers and headteachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%, the highest STRB award in three decades. This award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2022 sets out that an additional Special Educational Needs (SEN) allowance must be paid to teachers in a SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification and involves teaching pupils with SEN. The document is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1110990/2022_STPCD.pdf. It is for schools to determine the specific amount, but this must be between £2,384 and £4,703 per annum. Following the 2023/24 pay award, this is due to increase by 6.5%, subject to statutory consultation.
The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year.
The Department 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 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.
In May 2023, the Department published guidance for accredited ITT providers and their partners, to support the involvement of special schools and alternative provision in ITT. The guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1157879/ITT_-_special_schools_and_alternative_provision_May_2023.pdf#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20produced%20to%20help%20accredited%20Initial,units%2C%20and%20mainstream%20schools%20with%20SEN%20resource%20units.
Additionally, to support retention in the sector, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing, and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,700 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve staffing levels at special schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recent data shows there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
In November 2022 there were 27,140 FTE teachers and 86,410 FTE total workforce in 1,358 special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs). This is an increase from 20,617 FTE teachers and 64,171 FTE total workforce in 1,336 special schools/PRUs in 2013, the earliest comparable data.
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion of mainstream or special schools that have reduced teaching hours due to staff shortages in the last 12 months. The Department continues to take action to increase teacher recruitment in all school types and to ensure teachers across England stay and succeed in the profession.
The Department has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and headteachers in full. This means that teachers and headteachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%, the highest STRB award in three decades. This award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2022 sets out that an additional Special Educational Needs (SEN) allowance must be paid to teachers in a SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification and involves teaching pupils with SEN. The document is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1110990/2022_STPCD.pdf. It is for schools to determine the specific amount, but this must be between £2,384 and £4,703 per annum. Following the 2023/24 pay award, this is due to increase by 6.5%, subject to statutory consultation.
The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year.
The Department 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 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.
In May 2023, the Department published guidance for accredited ITT providers and their partners, to support the involvement of special schools and alternative provision in ITT. The guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1157879/ITT_-_special_schools_and_alternative_provision_May_2023.pdf#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20produced%20to%20help%20accredited%20Initial,units%2C%20and%20mainstream%20schools%20with%20SEN%20resource%20units.
Additionally, to support retention in the sector, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing, and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,700 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with headteachers of secondary schools on the level of workloads for teachers in those schools; and whether she is taking steps to improve working conditions for secondary school teachers.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is committed to working with head teachers and teachers to reduce unnecessary workload and minimise burdens on schools. Part of this commitment is the development of the School Workload Reduction Toolkit which provides practical resources to help reduce workload.
The Department has also conducted numerous research projects with head teachers and teachers to understand what works to reduce workload. The Department regularly surveys and engages directly with the profession to explore a range of policy measures, including working hours.
In addition, the Secretary of State recently announced that the Department will convene a Workload Reduction Taskforce. The group will be made up of experts, teaching unions and head teachers to explore how the Department can go further to support teachers and head teachers to minimise workload for teachers.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to support teachers following the recommendations of her Department's research report entitled Working lives of teachers and leaders, published in April 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The ‘Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders’ longitudinal study explores the experiences of teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders working in schools in England. The study covers a range of areas including workload, school culture and leadership, career reflections and future ambitions.
The report, published in April 2023, summarised findings from wave 1 of the study, which was carried out in spring 2022. Although this research report does not make any recommendations, the Department will use the findings as part of its broader research programme on the teaching workforce to design policies that better support teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders.
The Department continues to take steps to support teachers with reforms aimed at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, through an attractive pay offer and financial incentives such as bursaries, and also at ensuring teachers stay and succeed in the profession.
On 13 July 2023, the Department announced that it is accepting the School Teachers Review Body’s recommendations in full for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and headteachers, which means that teachers and headteachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over 30 years. This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years teacher pay is increasing by more than 12% on average. This award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
To support teacher retention, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the School Workload Reduction Toolkit and the education Staff Wellbeing Charter. More than 2,700 schools and colleges have signed up to the Charter, which has been downloaded over 30,000 times.
Building on a successful pilot, the Department is providing over £1.1 million to provide professional supervision and counselling to school and college leaders. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, doubling places this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to require all teachers to have training in mental health therapeutic approaches.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department want all schools to be calm, safe, supportive environments that promote and support pupils’ mental wellbeing. However, teachers are not mental health professionals and should not be expected to diagnose or treat mental health conditions.
The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) has been designed in the knowledge that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in improving outcomes for pupils. Managing pupil wellbeing is recognised within that. Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers to support pupils holistically, and the Early Career Framework (ECF) builds on that learning for early career teachers. These reforms support the Department’s ambition that all new teachers starting in the profession learn how to meet the needs of all pupils.
Both the CCF and the ECF outline what trainee and new teachers should understand in respect of adaptive teaching and meeting pupil needs. The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement for trainee teachers and places a duty on providers of initial teacher training and their partner schools to meet this entitlement through 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.
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 pupils and young people.
The Department has put in place a wide range of additional training and guidance to help education staff understand and respond to mental health issues in schools. This includes offering all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant, including more than 7 in 10 state funded secondary schools.
Teachers can access online resources such as Psychological First Aid training and the MindEd e-learning platform. The National Professional Qualification for Leading Behaviour and Change can also help teachers who support pupil wellbeing.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include training on therapeutic mental health approaches as part of teacher training courses.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department want all schools to be calm, safe, supportive environments that promote and support pupils’ mental wellbeing. However, teachers are not mental health professionals and should not be expected to diagnose or treat mental health conditions.
The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) has been designed in the knowledge that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in improving outcomes for pupils. Managing pupil wellbeing is recognised within that. Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers to support pupils holistically, and the Early Career Framework (ECF) builds on that learning for early career teachers. These reforms support the Department’s ambition that all new teachers starting in the profession learn how to meet the needs of all pupils.
Both the CCF and the ECF outline what trainee and new teachers should understand in respect of adaptive teaching and meeting pupil needs. The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement for trainee teachers and places a duty on providers of initial teacher training and their partner schools to meet this entitlement through 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.
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 pupils and young people.
The Department has put in place a wide range of additional training and guidance to help education staff understand and respond to mental health issues in schools. This includes offering all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant, including more than 7 in 10 state funded secondary schools.
Teachers can access online resources such as Psychological First Aid training and the MindEd e-learning platform. The National Professional Qualification for Leading Behaviour and Change can also help teachers who support pupil wellbeing.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) encourage people to enter the teaching profession and (b) improve staff retention in the education sector.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and at ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession.
The Get Into Teaching service helps make teaching a career of choice and supports candidates to apply for teacher training. Prospective trainees can access support and advice through expert one to one teacher training advisers, a contact centre and a national programme of events. The teaching marketing campaign provides inspiration and support to explore a career in teaching and directs people to the Get Into Teaching service: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/.
The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. 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. Additionally, for 2022/23, the Department raised starting salaries outside London by 8.9% to £28,000.
The Department 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 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework and the Early Career Framework available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.
To support retention in the sector, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,700 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to provide guidance to schools on implementing flexible working whilst maintaining education quality and the attractiveness of the teaching profession.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ensuring teaching is an attractive profession in which teachers are supported to succeed is a key priority for the Department.
Flexible working is increasingly a normal expectation of employees, and teaching is no different. The opportunity to work flexibly can help to recruit and retain talented teachers, enabling the high quality teaching needed to support pupil outcomes.
The Department is taking action to expand and promote opportunities for flexible working, whilst maintaining the quality of education. This includes promoting formal flexible working arrangements, such as part time working and encouraging informal flexibility, such as agreed ad hoc days off for personal or family days. It also includes opportunity to spend planning, preparation and assessment time working remotely, away from the school building.
To promote flexible working practices, the Department has published supportive resources on GOV.UK, including non-statutory guidance and case studies. The Department is continuing to build on this collection.
The Department is also funding support. In February 2023, a culture change programme was launched, focused on embedding flexible working in schools and multi academy trusts. This programme includes the delivery of supportive webinars. As part of this package of support, the Department is funding flexible working ambassador schools and multi academy trusts to provide bespoke peer support to leaders in education. In June 2023, the Department appointed seven new ambassadors and is currently in the process of recruiting more, building on the work of a previous cohort of ambassador schools.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of complaints received on the online Teacher Regulation Agency system for reporting teacher misconduct.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) plays an important role in regulating the teaching profession in England, and considering cases of serious teacher misconduct. Teachers are the most important factor in a child’s education and the overwhelming majority are highly competent and effective, and never engage in any form of misconduct.
The TRA will only consider allegations of the most serious cases of misconduct. A referral may be made to the TRA by employers, the public, the police, the Disclosure and Barring Service and other regulators and interested organisations. The TRA considers all referrals it receives and where the allegations could amount to serious misconduct by a teacher, the TRA will impartially investigate the matter and, if necessary, take appropriate action.
The TRA reviews all feedback on its processes. It does not sub-categorise complaints specifically in relation to the online referral service.
It is important that processes relating to teacher misconduct are progressed without any political involvement and Ministers in this Department cannot have any involvement in these independent investigations, related processes, and decisions.