500% increase in number of unqualified teaching staff

The number of non-qualified teachers working in the UKís schools has increased by almost 500% since 1997, according to education recruiter Select Education. The figures, recently released by the DfES, indicate that whilst the total number of teachers in schools shows an increase of 8% from 399,200 to 431,700, the total number of qualified full-time teachers has increased by only 1% from 366,000 to 369,700. The DfES statistics show that the biggest increase in the number of total number of teachers in service relates to part-time staff and teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS).

According to Bob Wicks, Chair of Select Education plc, there are a number of reasons for this. He comments, ëThe increase in the number of teachers without QTS highlights continuing shortages of teachers in key subjects such as maths and science. Schools are taking imaginative steps to ensure that despite those shortages, suitable staff are available to take classes. Heads are to be congratulated on that but the use of non-QTS staff often seems to be a source of embarrassment for schools. That needs to change.í

The Government has introduced a series of initiatives to attract more graduates into maths and science teaching in the face of shortages, including higher bursaries, ëgolden helloí payments and lifting the cap on pay for maths teachers. These follow a report last year which stated that the UK was short of between 3,400 and 3,800 teachers, one for every comprehensive in the country. However, these initiatives will take some time to have effect, as borne out by the new DfES statistics which show that maths, science, business studies and IT still have the highest vacancy numbers for teachers. In addition, the UKís relatively buoyant economy means that many graduates are preferring to enter industry rather than the teaching profession, which is often a popular choice during economic downturns when graduates become more cautious about job security.

According to Bob Wicks, little if any headway has been made in attracting more maths, IT and science graduates to the teaching profession, in spite of these expensive initiatives. The introduction of changes in teachersí workload management from September mean that 10% of their teaching time must be set aside for planning, preparation and assessment, and this can only make the shortage of teachers in some subjects more pressing.

In the meantime, many schools appear to be coming to the conclusion that there is no alternative to employing non-QTS staff in some roles ñ particularly in secondary schools. Select Education says that this situation needs to be recognised so that pupils and parents understand better what skills and qualifications teachers hold and so that non-QTS staff are properly supported and developed. Bob Wicks comments, ëUntil more maths, science and IT graduates are persuaded to gain QTS ñ and just as importantly remain in the teaching profession throughout their working lives ñ there is no choice but to accept the current reality in many schools, which is that there is an increasing number of teaching staff who do not hold a teaching qualification. In a perfect world every class would be taught by only a qualified teacher with a degree in a relevant subject but the Governmentís own statistics show that since 1997 numbers of overseas-trained teachers and instructors without QTS have risen by almost 500% from 2,500 to 12,300. It is clear that for many schools there is really no alternative to employing non-QTS staff for many roles.í

The education service has become increasingly dependent on non-QTS staff, even though there is no clear structure for supporting and developing them as there is for qualified teachers. However, many non-QTS staff enjoy their teaching roles so much that they decide to take the Graduate Teaching Programme to gain their teaching qualification. Bob Wicks says that the role of non-QTS staff should be properly recognised. ë Failure to acknowledge that there is no realistic alternative to recruiting non-QTS staff to teach in many subject areas, including maths, science and information technology, means that there is also a failure to realise their potential, give them the support they deserve and recognise non-QTS staff and the important role that they play in education.í

He commented, ëThe Government may find it hard to accept that the increase in teacher numbers can largely be attributed to an increase in part-time and non-qualified teachers, but surely it is better that we harness suitably academically-skilled and talented people in our schools, even if they do not hold a teaching qualification?í