Kirsten Griffiths’ child is one of thirty-five pupils in a GCSE English class taught by an overworked teacher who is unable to provide enough guidance. This is a prevalent issue across the United Kingdom, as many state schools struggle with an insufficient number of teachers, resulting in a lack of specialists that ultimately harms the education received. Schools have to acquire the services of cover teachers, who are not well versed in the subject and thus unable to provide pupils with quality education. Although Griffiths’ family can afford private English lessons, many families cannot access this service. This issue led her to join the teacher strikes because she noticed wider effects on her children’s education.
There is an extremely short list of subjects that do not worry headteachers if a teacher leaves, leaving many schools with a lack of specialists in essential areas. This situation is expected to worsen in the coming years, as the National Foundation for Educational Research has forecasted that teacher training courses will enroll less than half the needed number of secondary teachers based on applications received so far.
These circumstances affect all schools in the UK, as science teachers are the hardest to find, and therefore the same teacher may have to teach various subjects. Children studying mathematics may be taught by PE teachers, and little information is made available to parents. In some cases, schools turn to "reluctant appointments" and promote junior staff to fill vacancies, often leaving many gaps in knowledge that need to be supported by mentoring and additional resources.
Schools are struggling with a serious lack of specialised teachers nationwide, and the issue shows no sign of changes. Some schools are so desperate for teachers that they are accepting students they would not have taken before, requiring some trainees to finish teacher-training courses without receiving adequate preparation in their chosen subjects. Ultimately, this apathy towards recruiting, retaining, and developing specialists is likely to impede pupils’ education, reducing their future opportunities.
Matt Perks, an ex-physics professor and current trainer of secondary school science teachers at Southampton University, discovered about thirty job postings for science teachers in local schools during the month of February. However, many of these have still not been filled. Perks’ course will only see twelve trainee teachers graduate this summer, which is half the amount from last year. This has left him feeling troubled about the future of education.
According to Perks, "the quality of teaching can have a significant impact on the academic achievement of students. Moreover, when a department is short-staffed, it places more pressure on the remaining employees. This can lead to burnout and ultimately make them leave."
Will Teece, the head of Brookvale Groby Learning Campus, a secondary academy in Leicester, stated that their recent advertisement for a business teacher received no applications. Teece noted, "In previous years, we’ve had 15 or 20 applicants for this type of role. Parents are rightfully concerned if they see teacher vacancies. They would assume that you should have done something to resolve the issue. But if you’ve published multiple job ads and still find no one suitable, there’s little you can do."