"Schools are facing significant teacher shortages as a result of the Government consistently failing to meet recruitment targets. The Government must now put in place a long-term plan to tackle the problems of recruiting and retaining teachers and address issues, such as teacher workload and access to professional development, which can drive teachers away from the classroom and into alternative careers," Neil Carmichael, Chair of the Education Committee, said.
The report found that the UK government has missed its targets for initial teacher training (ITT), particularly for computing, with only 68 percent of ITT places filled, as well physics and mathematics.
The report states that teachers in the United Kingdom cite the unmanageable workload among key reasons for leaving the profession.
Th Education Committee recommends that the government and the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) "recognise that changes to the school system and accountability play an important part in increasing workload."
Among its suggestions, the committee proposes providing relevant continued professional development (CPD) for teachers, including a focus on subject-specific knowledge and skills. The report further suggests that the government should provide targeted funding to this end.
According to a study by the UK Teacher Development Trust, published earlier in February, around 21,000 teachers in England are employed by schools without a budget allocated for continued professional development.
In December, the National Audit Office warned that schools in England are to face cuts of 3 billion pounds ($3.75 billion) under the proposed National Funding Formula (NFF), which is aimed at resolving inconsistent education funding levels.
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