Now Teach has written an open letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, asking her to reinstate funding to the Career Change Programme that was cut by the last government.
Over 325 career-changing teachers and other professionals from education, third sector and business have signed the letter too, urging the government to do more to support career changers to meet its ambitious teacher recruitment targets.
Dear Bridget,
In your first eight months in office, you have rightly recognised the urgent need to tackle teacher shortages across England. Like you, we believe every child deserves access to great teaching. A sufficient supply of expert teachers in all subjects and all schools is fundamental to breaking down barriers to opportunity.
That’s why we welcome your ambitious target for an additional 6,500 new expert teachers by the end of this Parliament.
Addressing the teacher recruitment challenge is both about recruitment and retention – attracting the best and keeping and developing them - especially in the highest-need subjects. We wholeheartedly agree when you say, “Our best recruitment strategy is to have a strong retention strategy.” Now Teach excels at both.
With this in mind, we strongly urge you to recognise the enormous value of career-change teachers in the upcoming Spending Review.
As the UK’s only dedicated recruitment and retention charity for career changers, Now Teach can play a pivotal role in strengthening the teacher workforce - not just by filling vacancies, but by ensuring career-change teachers and their valuable experiences are kept in the profession longer.
In so doing, they can help break down the barriers to opportunity in every part of the country and make a significant contribution to the government’s education mission."
Read the full letter and list of signatories here.
Read the coverage in the i newspaper.
Teacher vacancies in England are at an all-time high - six times higher than in 2010 and double the pre-Covid levels in 2019.
The government has set a target to recruit 6,500 new teachers but without a range of approaches, including specific support for career changers, we believe that they will struggle to get there. Last year, the number of teachers in England increased by only 300.
Career-changers supported by Now Teach stay in the role longer, bring real-world experience, and can inspire and inform the next generation about the world of work.
Yet, funding to support them was cut by the last government.
Now Teach has already recruited over 1,100 professionals into the classroom, with 95% teaching in shortage subjects.
Teachers, school leaders, and education charities are calling on the government to reinstate this vital funding for our Career Change programme.
If you believe every child deserves teachers with expertise beyond school, now is the time to support Now Teach's mission.
Share our letter today to spread the word about Now Teach's work.
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