LABOUR PROMISE OF 6,500 EXTRA TEACHERS PAID FOR WITH VAT ON PRIVATE SCHOOLS 'MIGHT NOT FIX SHORTAGE'
Labour's plan for 6,500 new teachers funded by private school VAT might not even fix the shortage, according to a new official report.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said it is ‘not clear’ whether the pledge will solve the problem as there is currently no ‘delivery plan’.
It said Government projections for future teacher shortfalls do not take into account ‘existing shortages’.
In addition, the Department for Education (DfE) has admitted delivering the 6,500 pledge will be a ‘significant challenge’.
This is partially because offering teachers cash incentives will be tricky in a ‘fiscally constrained environment’, the NAO said.
The Government has repeatedly said its promise of 6,500 extra teachers by the end of this Parliament justifies its tax raid on private school fees.
From January this year, fees have been subject to VAT of 20 per cent, with some families now priced out of the sector.
The NAO said the DfE has budgeted to spend £700 million in 2024-25 on recruitment drives, including training bursaries and retention payments.
However, Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: ‘Despite the Government's pledge, secondary schools and further education colleges face a challenge in securing enough teachers to support growing student numbers.’
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee, added: ‘The DfE assesses that meeting the Government’s pledge for 6,500 more teachers will be very challenging.
‘Even if met, it is not clear that this will be enough to fix the nationwide shortage of teachers amidst growing numbers of students.’
The NAO report pointed out the demand for teachers in secondary schools and colleges is increasing because of a bulge in the pupil population.
It found the number of newly qualified teachers starting in secondaries in 2023/24 fell to 8,700 – the lowest number since 2010/11.
And it pointed out the DfE has missed its target for secondary school teacher training in nine of the 10 previous years.
There were around 1,500 teacher vacancies in secondaries in 2022/23.
The DfE has predicted that colleges may need between 8,400 and 12,400 more teachers by 2028/29.
Calling for a ‘delivery plan’ for the 6,500 teachers, the NAO said: ‘it is not yet clear whether this will fully address current and expected teacher shortages.’
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘The failure to recruit and retain the expert teachers our schools need over the last ten years is stark...
‘We’re already seeing green shoots, with two thousand more secondary school teachers training this year, alongside a boost in the number set to begin training in shortage STEM subjects, but there’s still much more to do.
‘Following last year’s 5.5 per cent pay award, and with hundreds of millions of pounds being invested to help us turn the tide, I’m determined to restore teaching as the attractive, prestigious profession it should be.’
Read more 2025-04-29T23:32:41Z
