Theresa May’s decision for a snap General Election disastrously backfired and Britain is now facing a hung parliament. With nearly all results in, May faces ending up with 12 fewer seats than when she called the election. As of 09:58 BST the Tories are set to get 318 (-12 seats), Labour 261 (+31 seats), the SNP 35 (-19 seats), Lib Dems 12 (+3 seats) and the DUP 10 (+2 seats). The Tories remain the largest party but have fallen short of commanding the House of Commons and will now need support from minor parties to attempt to govern.    

Tory MPs were shocked and furious after the party lost much of its 20-point lead in the polls during the course of the campaign. Blame was now being pointed towards a badly received as well as on May’s personal campaign performance. She refused to take part in televised political debates, interviews and had to make a public u-turn on her social care policy. She refused to answer questions directly and has been mocked at for her constant repetition of the phrase ‘strong and stable.’ Conservative former minister Anna Soubry said she should "consider her position" and take personal responsibility for a "dreadful" campaign and a "deeply flawed" manifesto after choosing to go to the country three years early in the hope of extending her majority.

However, it appeared on Monday morning that May would not cave in to pressure and would continue as Prime Minister. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country." Corbyn today repeated his demand for May's resignation, adding he and his party were “ready to serve”. He insisted: “That's what we fought the election for.” “We are offering to put forward the programme on which we fought the election. We are there as the Labour Party, everyone can see the huge increase in our support.” After winning Islington North for the ninth time, Corbyn said in his victory speech “This election was called by the Prime Minister to gain a large majority in order to assert her authority.” “The election campaign has gone on for the last six weeks, I have travelled the whole country and you know what: politics has changed.” “Politics is not going back into the box where it was before. What has happened is people have said they have had quite enough of austerity politics, they have had quite enough of the underfunding of the health service, underfunding our schools and education service.” He added: 'I am very proud of the results coming in around the country tonight, of people voting for hope, hope for the future and turning their backs on austerity. If there is a message from tonight's result it is this: the Prime Minister called the election, she wanted a mandate. The mandate she has got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence.” “I would have thought that was enough to go and make way for a government that will be truly representative of the people of this country.”

 A nervous Theresa May waits for the declaration in her Maidenhead constituency[/caption] As May stood and waited for the declaration in her Maidenhead constituency she appeared shaken and distraught as she said “As we look ahead and wait to see what the final results will be, I know - as I say - the country needs a period of stability and whatever the results are the Conservative Party will ensure we fulfil our duty in ensuring that stability so that we can all, as one country, go forward together.” George Osborne, former chancellor sacked from the Cabinet by May told ITV: "Clearly if she's got a worse result than two years ago and is almost unable to form a government then she I doubt will survive in the long term as Conservative party leader." Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage echoed his voice calling for Theresa May to resign. He said “I think she’s failed completely, I think she has weakened they’re [the Conservative Party’s] own position not just within British politics but she’s weakened the UK’s position with these renegotiations."  

Since 2015 schools have lost almost £3 billion in budget cuts and are still facing real term cuts putting the Education sector into crisis. The subject continues to be a hot topic in the upcoming General Election and now parents, teachers and children are standing up against the cuts staging their own protests across the UK. During the week the three main parties presented their manifestos Education was the third most talked about subject on Twitter.  

With just a few days to go until voting day, a poll carried out by YouGov commissioned by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) found 43 per cent of parents (two in five) with children aged 4-18 consider education and school funding an important factor when choosing who to vote for. Of those who prioritised education, 83 per cent said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who will "support tackling education and school funding."  

Only Brexit (51 per cent) and Health (50 per cent) are bigger issues for parents when considering who to cast their vote to. The poll uncovered a high level of awareness about school funding problems, with 8 per cent saying they believed schools were in financial difficulty. Four in five parents (20 per cent) had been approached by the school for an additional financial contribution to their school.  

Teachers poll
In a separate poll consisting of teachers only 60 per cent said class sizes have become larger and 36 per cent have seen teacher numbers decrease in their school since the last General Election in 2015. Over a third (36 per cent) reported the number of teaching posts in their school had reduced over the past two years, with 28 per cent saying the number had remained the same, and 17 per cent stating it had increased. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said their school had lost teaching assistants, and 38 per cent of teachers said the range of subjects available to pupils had decreased since 2015. Forty-six per cent said curriculum breadth had stayed the same, with 9 per cent reporting the subject range had increased.   Every parent, teacher and school staff member knows the damaging effect a persistent lack of money has for the quality and type of education schools can give to children and young people. Without sufficient funds, schools will be forced to increase class sizes, drop subjects from the curriculum, or cut staff numbers. Schools are cutting spending on children with special educational needs. Buildings are going unrepaired and begging letters to parents for money are all too common practice.  

Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the NUT, the largest teachers’ union, said “The findings of this YouGov poll point unambiguously to a growing crisis in our schools. Parents and teachers are already seeing the devastating effects of underfunding and the largest school cuts for a generation. The polls confirm that the NUT’s campaign on school funding is closely aligned to the concerns of both parents and teachers." “Politicians of all parties should be aware that parents are saying school funding will influence their vote." “Education cuts never heal and we as a country can do better. On June 8, parents, teachers and other concerned voters must consider what is most needed for schools – and which party best fits that aspiration. At this General Election it is time more than ever to vote for education.”  

If Theresa May pushes through with her cuts in the Conservative manifesto, nearly one million children from poorer backgrounds and those struggling families will lose the right to a free midday meal. Instead, it will be replaced by a free school breakfast for every child up to the age of 7 which is cheaper at 10^th of the price costing around £60 million a year.

This includes more than 600,000 children who are defined as coming from ‘ordinary working families,’ the kind which Ms May has said she wants to support. Those from the poorest background will continue to be entitled to a free lunch meal. It is expected the move will cost families around £440 a year per child and it's thought to save around £650 million a year based on the current uptake. Universal free lunches for infants were introduced under the coalition government by Liberal Democrat education minister David Laws.  

However, experts have argued this could cost a lot more than the £60 million predicted, in fact, it could be more closer to £180 million and £400 million, depending on how many pupils take up the offer. Also, staffing costs haven’t been taken into account which could make this substantially higher. The party’s former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “This just confirms the sleight of hand from the Conservatives – scrapping universal infant school lunches hits some of the most hard-pressed families the hardest. The offer of free breakfasts won't reach the children who don’t come to breakfast clubs.” “All Theresa May’s talk of helping the ‘just about managing’ will ring hollow as long as this regressive decision remains in place.”

On hearing the announcement Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson, said: "Margaret Thatcher was known as the 'milk snatcher,' Theresa May will go down as the lunch snatcher."[/caption]   But a Conservative spokesman said: “We don’t think it is right to spend precious resources on subsidising school meals for better-off parents. So instead we will give that money to headteachers, to spend on pupils’ education instead. “We will make sure all those who need it most still get free lunches – and will offer a free school breakfast to every child in every year of primary school. So the most disadvantaged children will now get two free school meals a day rather than one.”  

Celebrity chef and ongoing campaigner Jamie Oliver has called it a “disgrace.” Famously known for improving the quality of school meals, said the move "puts our future generations at huge risk" by ignoring the proven benefits of "a decent lunch." "We've already seen the Childhood Obesity Strategy ripped to shreds, now Theresa May and her government have decided to remove free school lunches from millions of primary children," said Oliver. "This is a disgrace. It's a fact that children perform better after eating a decent lunch. "This move shows a complete lack of understanding of all the data that's been shared and puts our future generations at huge risk, as well as further undermining our teachers who benefit from well-fed kids."

 Jamie Oliver campaigned tirelessly for primary schools to offer a free hot meal to every pupil.[/caption] Speaking to Channel 4 News, Oliver said the “short-sighted” move would prove a mistake in the long run because it would harm children’s health and end up costing the country. “It’s awful, it’s awful. [Theresa May] will regret it. We know the diseases that the NHS are overtly paying for now and being punished for and crucified now on cost, which is largely obesity, type 2 diabetes and diet-related diseases.” “This tracks from childhood. It doesn’t just happen [during adulthood], it tracks from childhood. As far as I see it … the school is at the front line of the fight against obesity and diet-related disease.” Oliver, 41, began campaigning for healthier food for British schoolchildren in 2005, leading to the removal of fast-food options such as the infamous 'turkey twizzler' from school canteens and a move towards fresh food cooked from scratch   General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers Kevin Courtney called scrapping free school lunches for infants "mean-spirited and wrong-headed." The policy did not make sense, or represent value for money, given the investment many schools had already made in kitchens and staffing, he said. “It is a long time for a child to go without food from the morning until 15:30, which will be the case for many families in work but struggling.” Valentine Mulholland, head of policy for the National Association of Head Teachers, said many of the group's members had reported "significant improvement in concentration and engagement" from pupils since the scheme's introduction.  

How the parties manifestos compare on Education

Conservatives

• Increase overall schools budget by £4bn by 2022 and redirect £1bn of national funding formula to help schools
• Build at least 100 new free schools a year, end ban on selective schools and ask universities and independent schools to help run state schools
• No new places in schools rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted
• Free breakfast to every child in every year of primary school in place of free school lunches for first three years
• The return of grammar schools is a key part of May’s new “meritocracy”, and end of free lunches scraps a key Lib Dem achievement

The return of grammar schools is a key part of May’s new “meritocracy”, and end of free lunches scraps a key Lib Dem achievement.

Labour

• Create a unified national education service for England that is free at the point of use
• Abolish university tuition fees, reintroduce maintenance grants, and restore the education maintenance allowance for 16-18 year olds from lower and middle income backgrounds
• Free school meals for all schoolchildren

Labour hopes pledge to scrap tuition fees will attract students and 18- to 24-year-olds who still strongly support the party.

Liberal Democrats

• Invest nearly £7bn extra in education, increasing school budgets and the pupil premium
• Triple early years pupil premium to £1,000 and repeal rule that all new state-funded schools must be free schools or academies, giving local authorities democratic control
• Reinstate maintenance grants for poorest university students

Like Labour, the Liberal Democrats oppose May’s plans for grammar schools. The party doesn’t return to its disastrous pledge to scrap tuition fees, hoping to attract young voters through a second EU referendum and cannabis legalisation. Source: www.theguardian.com    

Budget cuts have been hard hitting for schools across England and have now . Just last week, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers Kevin Courtney has said “Strikes are a possibility” and London is seeing its first one. Teachers across three South East London schools planned a two-day strike against cuts even before the Tory funding cuts have begun to hit schools.          

Members of the NUT at Forest Hill School who are facing a £1.3m budget cut, Corelli College could stand to lose 17 jobs and up to 30 at Plumstead Manor School walked out last Thursday and on Tuesday of this week..

Plumstead Manor school on strike last Thursday, picture courtesy of Socialist Worker. Lewisham and Greenwich councils are overseeing the cuts. Joe, the NUT rep at Forest Hill School told Socialist Worker, the council released a statement following the strike last week. “It said they had considered the ‘value for money’ of the cuts. I thought it was scandalous.” Another protest made up of teachers and parents took place last Saturday following the strike. Lynley, a parent who joined Saturday’s march, also told Socialist Worker she was “very angry” at the council. “I don’t understand why councilors think they can say it’s not their problem.” “I’ve had councilors tell me that they’ve done all they can. But they haven’t. It’s not fair.” 

Plans of George Mitchell School in Leyton, East London turning into an academy led to a walk out on Tuesday of this week which forced the school to close. The growing privatisation of education is worrying teachers and the NUT is considering possible legal challenges against academies that are trying to bring in selection and grammar school status by the back door. More strikes have been planned over the coming weeks. Teachers from St Edward’s sixth form in Havering, East London will strike this Thursday over jobs cuts and increased workload. NUT members at the Inclusion and Specialist Support Team (ISST) in Hackney are due to strike on 9 May. The following week they plan two days of strikes, and three days the week after that. Workers there first struck earlier this month. NUT members at Hackney’s Parkwood School also struck alongside them—and could join the strikes next month. And NUT members at Dormers Wells High School and Dormers Wells Infants School in Ealing plan a strike on 11 May over proposals to turn the school into an academy. NUT members at Ark Elvin Academy in Wembley, North London, are set to strike on 3 and 4 May over redundancies and excessive workload.  

Members of the NUT vote in favour of a National strike, picture courtesy of Socialist Worker. A has already been agreed one-day next term after members of the NUT unanimously voted in favour of one. There are also more Saturday protests planned against education cuts in five areas across England. On 20 May Bristol, Sheffield and Leamington will all see protests. A protest will take place in Lancaster on 13 May, and another in Newcastle on 27 May. London delegates to the NUT’s annual conference voted to hold a regional protest in the capital on 24 June. The union should bring this forward—a Saturday protest over education in London could mobilise thousands onto the streets. NUT members in Lambeth and Wandsworth, South London, have called a protest at Old Palace Yard, parliament, on Thursday 18 May from 5pm.  

Applying for a job let alone being offered a job that you were not qualified in would have been unheard of a few years ago. However, this the stark reality facing many schools in England today; teachers teaching subjects they do not have a relevant degree in. Nearly 37.5 per cent of Physics teachers do not have any post-A Level qualification despite the fact thousands of children rely upon them to help them pass exams. This figure has risen by 4 percentage points in just 2 years and there are no signs of it stopping.

The recruitment crisis in Education has seen its biggest teacher shortages. 27.1 per cent of chemistry teachers and 26.3 per cent of maths teachers do not have a degree in the subject, both rising 3.2 and 3.9 percentage points respectively in two years.    

Computer Science/ICT, English, History, Geography, French and other languages are also the top subjects facing shortages. More than half of Spanish teachers did not study the language yet were teaching a class full of optimistic pupils. On a positive note subjects such as Drama, Media Studies and Citizenship have seen a rise in the number of teachers qualifying. John Pugh said: “The Government need to get a grip on this crisis. We need to stop allowing schools to be able to grab virtually anyone off the street and allow them to teach anything from physics to advanced maths.” “We need to support teachers rather than what the Government currently do – finding every opportunity to do the profession down.”

According to a survey by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) 68 per cent of staff said in the past year the number of professionals teaching subjects they were not qualified in had increased. The reason for this is down to a combination of the school funding crisis, lack of support and training particularly for Newly Qualified Teachers, shortage of teachers and growing class sizes. Schools are desperate and going to any lengths just to keep a float. As a result, the quality of teaching drops and the pupils learning begins to suffer. Members of the NUT have threatened to hold a national strike next term over budget cuts, job losses and pay caps.  

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) have threatened to hold a national strike next term over budget cuts that have led to job losses, activity cuts, lessons being cancelled and forcing staff to leave the profession altogether. The NAT has repeatedly called for the government to put an end to the 1 per cent pay cap on the public sector and restore the real term pay losses teachers have suffered since 2010.    

The vote to strike arose after Jo Yurky, co-founder of the Fair Funding For All Schools campaign told delegates at its annual conference in Cardiff that one school has been financially squeezed so much so that children wore hats and coats in their classroom for two weeks in January to save money on heating bills. She went on to say "Who would want their child to be in that classroom? Nobody. How does it help the child to learn? It doesn't.” "This is the state of things because there is a significant financial problem with our schools.” "The reason we are angry about it is because the Government does not accept there is a problem."

A secondary school switched of the heating in January to save money forcing pupils to wear their coats and hats during lessons.[/caption]   At another school a Spanish lesson was being taught by a teacher who could not speak a single word of the language. A school in Haringey, North London couldn’t afford to buy textbooks the pupils needed, but they also can’t afford to photocopy them because that budget has also been cut. There are also claims a primary school had to cut a teaching post, a teaching assistant post, its music club and its science club to save money. The NUT's general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said he would consult his union's members before pushing ahead with any strike, national or regional. However, as the union has an active ballot for strike action valid until August 31, before the NUT merges with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) this could be used as the legal basis for strike. He said: "There are places where the cuts are so bad and the degree of concern so big that strike action is a real possibility. We will consult with colleagues in the regions about the readiness of members to do this.” "If Justine Greening announces the funding formula is changing to make things even worse in some areas, that would be very likely to raise the level of anger in those areas to a point where action will take place." “Already class sizes are increasing, school staff levels are being cut or jobs not being replaced, subjects are disappearing from the curriculum and materials and resources are scarce. This clearly cannot go on.”  

The NASUWT teachers' union, has warned that schools are relying on donations from parents to for funding with some paying more than £400 per year. One parent told the NASUWT her daughter had been there a term and had received letters every week asking for money. Another parent said: "The school asks for a 'voluntary contribution' but if you forget to pay you are sent texts telling you that you haven't paid." The union's leader Chris Keates said that "access to education must not be based on parents' ability to pay." Speaking in favour of the motion, James Kerr, a delegate from Lewisham in south-east London, said: “It's absolutely correct to say national strike action should not be off the table.” While the vote was for a one-day strike, Mr Kerr said the union should be prepared for further action. “This has to be not the ending but the start,” he said. “We can’t rely on wishful thinking, we cannot rely on an isolated one-day strike, then go back to business as usual.” Cleo Lewis, also from Lewisham, said: “We have been passive for too long. The government knows that we have been passive, the government have taken advantage of that, and I’ve had enough. Nothing gets changed by sitting and discussing… at the end of the day the government are not accepting our nice words we need to show them that we are serious.”  

A spokesperson for the Department of Education (DfE) has defended this, claiming the DfE is aware of schools facing cost pressure but that spending on schools is at the highest levels on record at £40 billion in 2016-17. The DfE claim to have protected the core schools budget in real terms since 2010. Kevin Courtney, the NUT's general secretary, said: "At a time of a crisis in teacher supply and a buoyant graduate recruitment market, the government needs to do much more to make teaching an attractive profession." The NUT has warned the Government several times if it continues its strategy of below-inflation pay awards for teachers, cutting the real value of pay and reducing its competitiveness, teacher supply problems will persist and the quality of education provision will decline." Any ballot would have to require at least 50% of the turnout - and receive support of at least 40% of all those entitled to vote - to trigger industrial action.  

Education Secretary Justine Greening has announced schools across England are to receive a £2.4 billion cash injection to cope with struggling school places and building repairs.

 Since 2010 nearly 735,000 additional school places have been created, however a further 230,000 are needed between 2017 and 2020 to keep pace with a rising school-age population. The new funding will also support the extra classrooms in existing grammar schools, this is separate to the plans of . £1.4bn will be spent on improving 1,500 school buildings at grammars, academies, primaries and secondaries. It will pay to fix roofs, heating and other general repairs to improve the condition of schools. It will not be spent on or resources such as stationary and text books which many local authorities asked for.

However the National Audit Office recently said that it would cost £6.7bn to get all schools in England into an acceptable state of repair. Headteachers have argued this will do nothing to improve the ‘black-hole’ in the day-to-day running costs. They have been warning for some time now of having to cut staff, clubs and subjects because of . Something that is inevitable after Chancellor Philip Hammond failed to give more cash per pupil to existing schools in his budget. Russell Hobby leader of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said “This is money that was already allocated to building new places and so it does nothing to help fill the £3bn black hole in day-to-day school spending.”

Justine Greening said the £2.4bn allocated is part of more than £24bn the government has committed to investing in schools between 2015 to 2021.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said: “Our Plan for Britain is to build a fairer society, with a good school place available for every child. This £2.4 billion investment, together with our proposals to create more good school places, will help ensure every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. The £2.4 billion allocated today is part of more than £24 billion the government has committed to investing in the school estate between 2015 to 2021.”    

Two teaching unions; National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) have voted to form a super union by a vote of more than 2-1. The results show 97.2 per cent of NUT members voted for the merger and 2.8 per cent voted against. In the ATL 72.8 per cent members voted for and 26.8 per cent voted against. It will be called National Education Union (NEU) and will become the largest union in Europe for teachers and education support staff having more than 450,000 members. To tackle the issues facing the education sector and fight the government’s education cuts, strength in numbers will be vital.    

Until a single leader is elected in 2023 Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney the general secretaries of the ATL and NUT, respectively, will drive the NEU as joint general secretaries. Ms Bousted said the merger was a "historic moment". "With nearly half a million members, we will speak with a stronger voice on behalf of education professionals and the children, young people and adults they support," she said. "The government will need to listen when we speak on the key issues facing education - funding cuts, excessive workloads, the recruitment and retention crisis, the chaotic exam reform and accountability." Mr Courtney said: “This is a fantastic result for members of both unions and for education. For too long, governments have played divide and rule amongst education unions. Today marks the beginning of the end of that.” "The NEU will be a game-changer in the education landscape and I am delighted to be jointly leading it forward over the coming months and years." Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT is agreement with the new super union saying it would create a ‘powerful voice within education.’  

The NEU will officially form on 1^st September 2017 and for the first time it will be a union for teachers and ‘allied professionals,’ which means it will allow unqualified teachers to be members, something the NUT does not currently allow. Both secretaries have a clear vision and say the NEU will work with government to tackle some of the critical issues like workload and recruitment. However they will not agree to the expansion of grammar schools and will seek legal advice if the government tries to open new grammar schools without a vote in parliament to overturn the ban. One thing is for sure, industrial action will be stronger and have a bigger impact due to the large numbers. Courtney said strike action was “not what any set of workers wants to do” but “if push comes to shove, then we’re in a place where industrial action will be stronger. Governments should listen to that and not put us in a position where that happens.”

Education Secretary has announced sex and relationships education will be made compulsory in all of England’s schools. Up until now, this has only been compulsory in council-run secondary schools.

The current statutory guidance for sex and relationships education was introduced in 2000, however times have changed and seventeen years later it is out of date; failing to address cyber bullying and ‘sexting’. With the emergence of new technology that is easily accessed staying safe online is a key priority for both schools and parents.   

As part of the new move children as young as four in primary schools will be taught about safe and healthy relationships. While children in secondary schools will be taught in both sex and relationships. "Schools will have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs of the local community; and, as now, faith schools will continue to be able to teach in accordance with the tenets of their faith."

Ms Greening said: "Parents will continue to have a right to withdraw their children from sex education.       

The change makes the subject mandatory in all schools, including academies, independent schools and religious free schools and extends the subject to include relationships and modern phenomena such as internet porn and sexting.

One in four teenagers are ‘almost constantly’ online
Politicians, school leaders, parents, unions and campaigners have all welcomed the move which has been subject to years of campaigning. Former education secretary Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: "We welcome the announcements made today.” "We have long advocated age-appropriate sex education and PSHE, for all pupils in all schools, to help prepare young people for the challenges they will encounter in their adult lives and the current challenges they face beyond the school gates."

Sandra Horley, Chief Executive of the charity Refuge said the landmark decision could help reduce domestic violence for future generations. She said: "SRE provides young people with the knowledge they need to develop relationships based on equality and respect, how to recognise domestic violence, and how to seek support when needed.” "We believe domestic violence incidences will fall if the next generation is equipped with this knowledge from a young age. Today is a great first step towards a better and safer future for young people." 

England’s schools are facing its major challenge in recruiting and retaining teachers and senior leaders, MPS from the Education Select Committee have warned. Key subject areas such as Maths, Physics and Computing were the hardest hit. For the fifth year in a row the government has failed to deal with the problem resulting in missing recruitment targets. In a highly critical new report by the education select committee it calls for urgent action, including more focus on retaining teachers once they are in the classroom. It was revealed a third of teachers who began teaching in 2015 quit the profession within the first five years. One of the suggestions put forward is capping on the number of hours teachers work as high workload was one of reasons why so many are leaving the profession.    

MPs have pointed out while ministers have recognised there are issues, there is no long-term plan to address the recruitment crisis. They suggest there should be greater efforts to keep teachers from leaving the profession and moving to other jobs. It is more cost effective than recruiting new teachers and would strengthen the pool of future leadership candidates. Workload is not the only reason teachers are leaving the profession. It is a combination of factors including constant curriculum and policy changes, pay cuts, lack of support and finally government pressure which then led to poor health and feeling undervalued. In order to raise the status of the teaching profession, and improve retention, teachers must be entitled to high-quality, relevant continuing professional development throughout their careers. This must include a focus on subject-specific knowledge and skills to allow teachers to continually develop their practice and to create future leaders.  

Teaching is becoming a young person’s game
Pupils are in danger of losing valuable, highly experienced teachers as schools begin to recruit more and more NQTs over older teachers. Schools are reluctant to employ experienced teachers because they have to pay higher salaries compared to NQTs. Even though there are many excellent NQTs, pupils often end-up losing out through inexperienced teachers. Many have great skills but will lack the knowledge and competence that comes only with years of teaching.  

The concern here is teaching is beginning to be seen as something you can really do when you are free of life’s other commitments – not surprising based on the current demands of the role. Many teachers work late into the evening and weekend working has become the norm. Young, energetic teachers with fresh ideas are highly welcomed in schools however they need guidance, support and advice which only comes from those who have devoted ten plus years in the classroom, taught hundreds of children, encountered all abilities of learning and have learnt from endless mistakes. With no one there to mentor the new generation of teachers it’s no surprise that NQTs are not lasting in the profession. Being in the middle of a recruitment and retention crisis schools do not have the luxury to be a young domain and the highly experienced older teachers are a luxury to them.  

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said "This report should act as a wake-up call to ministers that falling back on sticking plaster solutions such as the failed National Teaching Service will do nothing to address the systemic causes of the teacher supply crisis." A Department for Education spokesman said “There are more teachers in England’s schools than ever before with secondary postgraduate recruitment at it’s highest since 2011." He said more than £1.3 billion would be invested in recruitment over this parliament, and that more trainees in physics and maths were recruited this year than last year. “The secretary of state has set out her ambition to continue driving up standards through investment in professional development so the best teachers stay in the profession,” he added. Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said the government was "failing to deliver on its most basic of tasks." "Recruitment targets are being missed, school budgets are being cut for the first time in decades and we have thousands more unqualified teachers teaching in our schools," she said, adding that "children deserve better."