Oral Answers to Questions

Juliet Campbell Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to recruit teachers.

[Juliet Campbell (Broxtowe) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking to recruit new teachers.

[Tristan Osborne (Chatham and Aylesford) (Lab)]

10. What steps she is taking to recruit new teachers.

--- Later in debate ---

[Bridget Phillipson]

I give my hon. Friend that assurance and thank him for all the work he does for schools right across his constituency. Recruiting and retaining more teachers—particularly in the most disadvantaged areas—is critical to our opportunity mission, but I am also delighted that initial teacher training acceptances are up 12% in secondary. That is positive progress being made, with a 16% increase in maths and a 46% increase in physics. That is the change that the Labour Government are delivering.

[Juliet Campbell]

I thank the Secretary of State for her response and for the Government’s commitment to recruiting 6,500 new teachers. However, as we know, dyslexic children tend to leave school or education with disproportionately lower attainment levels. They are also over-represented in the criminal justice system and often have low self-esteem, with much of that coming from their experience in educational settings. Will the Secretary of State outline how she will ensure that the recruitment of new teachers will bring in those who can meet the education needs of dyslexic and neurodiverse children?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for all her work to support neurodiverse students in Broxtowe and beyond. From September, thanks to this Labour Government’s reforms, all new teachers will receive three years of evidence-based training, including significantly enhanced content on supporting children with additional needs. We know there is much more we have to do so that all our students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, are able to achieve and thrive, and I look forward to discussing that further with her very soon.