Comment following the NAO report, which states that the government is on course to miss maths and physics teacher recruitment targets:
Roop Bhumbra, Strategic Director at Hays Education, the leading recruiting expert, urges the government to focus not only on teacher training targets but also on the quality of teachers generally:
There is a definite shortage of secondary school teachers in maths and science, which is apparent across the UK. We agree that the government should put a strategy in place to increase the number of teachers specialising in shortage subjects such as secondary maths, science and English but the quality of teaching must also be addressed. As schools across the UK struggle to recruit quality professionals we urge the government to invest more time in attracting these individuals and making sure qualifying teachers have the right skills and competencies to make a real difference to the learning and development of children. Whilst candidates need a strong academic background the focus should be on all the attributes needed to be a good teacher, and this includes soft skills such as the ability to communicate and inspire students.”
