Government needs to get the basics right on recruitment, says NAHT

Commenting on the announcement that the National Teaching Service will be scrapped, Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) says: “NAHT welcomed the pilot scheme when it was created. The idea of helping to get the right people into schools that need them the most was promising. I think we have learned now that we cannot rely on schemes that only transfer people from one part of the country to another. We must help local areas develop, support and retain their own staff.

“One reason the scheme has not delivered is that there are simply not enough teachers in the system. We have to get the basics right – proper starting pay and good working conditions.

“Yesterday’s annual report from Ofsted made this clear, and our own recruitment survey released in November confirms that schools are struggling to recruit. This is felt by all types of schools across all regions.”

James Bowen, director of middle leaders’ union NAHT Edge, says: “Whilst we are pleased that the government are finally taking steps to address the obvious problems with recruitment and retention, we need them to move beyond just tinkering at the edges with such schemes. Until they are prepared to address the real fundamental issues including teacher pay and workload these schemes are unlikely to have the desired impact.”