Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers with expertise in Physical Education.

Over 465,500 (FTE) teachers work in state-funded schools across the country, which is over 24,000 more than in 2010.

As of November 2021, there were 23,708 teachers of physical education (PE) in state-funded secondary schools in England. Recruitment to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) has been high for PE and has consistently exceeded its target. The Initial Teacher Training Census shows that in 2022/23, PE was at 143% of its target. In 2021/22, it was at 163% of its target. These figures can be found online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23.

One of the Department’s priorities is to continue to attract, retain and develop the highly skilled teachers needed to inspire the next generation. The Department’s reforms will support teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects, including PE.

The Department is transforming the process of becoming a teacher In October 2021, the Department rolled out its new digital service, ‘Apply for teacher training’. This was a key milestone in the delivery of a more streamlined, user friendly application route. The Department’s marketing campaign provides inspiration and support to explore a career in teaching and directs people to the ‘Get Into Teaching’ service.

The Department remains committed to delivering starting salaries of £30,000 to attract and retain the very best teachers. The Department has implemented the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a significant 8.9% pay uplift to teacher starting salaries outside London in the academic year 2022/23, bringing them up to £28,000, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.

The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, including those of PE. Underpinning this is the new ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.

Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality, and the Department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices.