Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession in the period between (a) 2010 and 2015, (b) 2015 and 2020 and (c) 2020 and 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the number of teachers leaving state-funded schools and the number of teachers by subject in state-funded secondary schools in England are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistic available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the year to November 2022, the full time equivalent (FTE) of 43,997 qualified teachers left the state-funded sector in England, while 47,954 qualified teachers joined.
The latest available data shows that in November 2022, the latest data available, there were 7,184 FTE teachers teaching music in state-funded secondary schools, a slight increase from 7,003 in the previous year.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers1 of music in state-funded secondary schools
2011/12 to 2022/23
| Number of teachers of all years |
2011/12 | 8,043 |
2012/13 | 7,432 |
2013/14 | 7,268 |
2014/15 | 7,109 |
2015/16 | 6,862 |
2016/17 | 6,720 |
2017/18 | 6,480 |
2018/19 | 6,525 |
2019/20 | 6,543 |
2020/21 | 6,837 |
2021/22 | 7,003 |
2022/23 | 7,184 |
Source: School Workforce Census, published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/94487fba-1bd5-4bef-b77d-08dbd08e1875
1: Teachers were counted once against each subject and key stage they taught, irrespective of the time spent teaching.
The requested figures for music teachers leaving the teaching profession are not available.
The quality of teaching remains the single most important factor in improving outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Department plans to update the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, originally published in 2019, and build on existing reforms to ensure every child has an excellent teacher, including in music. The strategy update will reflect progress in delivering these reforms, and set out priorities for the coming years.
For those starting initial teacher training in music in the 2024/25 academic year, the Department is offering £10,000 tax-free bursaries. This should attract more music teachers into the profession and support schools in delivering at least one hour of music lessons a week.
The Government will also be placing a stronger emphasis on teacher development as part of the Music Hub programme in the future, including peer-to-peer support through new Lead Schools in every Hub.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the recruitment of classics teachers in state sector schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
The Department’s teacher recruitment and retention reforms are aimed at supporting teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects, including classics.
The Department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.
The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. The bursaries are focused on subjects experiencing teacher shortages where schools are likely to devote the most teaching time. This ensures the Department is spending money where it is needed most. For 2022/23, classics exceeded its postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) target, reaching 193% of the target, compared to 150% of the target the previous year.
While classics does not attract a bursary, the Department offers a £25,000 tax free bursary for languages, including ancient languages. Additionally, all trainees on a tuition fee funded course (including classics trainees) will be able to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) his Department's revenue budget and (b) the adequacy of revenue funding for (i) schools, (ii) sixth forms, (iii) further education colleges, (iv) universities and (v) childcare provision; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on all aspects of the Department's revenue budget. The Government is committed to providing a world class education system for all and has channelled significant funding to achieve that.
Over the last year, the Government has announced substantial additional funding for education, on top of the sums promised at the last Spending Review.
At the Autumn Statement in November 2022 the Government announced additional funding of £2 billion for schools in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25.
In March 2023, in the Spring Budget the Government announced significant new funding to expand the free early education entitlements from April 2024, together with an additional £204 million this year, and £288 million next year, to increase the hourly rates paid for the existing entitlement offers. By 2027/28, the Government expects to spend in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education. This represents the single biggest spending on childcare in England ever.
In July 2023, the Department announced an additional £525 million of funding this year to support schools with the teachers’ pay award, and £900 million in 2024/25, with a further £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25, to drive forward skills delivery in the further education sector. Next year, school funding will be more than £59.6 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil.
The Government currently provides significant financial support for the higher education sector of approximately £17 billion per year, including £10.7 billion in taxpayer subsidised tuition fee loans in the 2022/23 financial year.
The Department is funding an additional £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen post-16 education and training. This includes £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25 to help colleges tackle recruitment and retention issues in high value technical, vocational, and academic provision.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering higher starting salaries to people entering the teaching profession with wider professional experience relevant to the subjects they teach.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document (STPCD) sets out the four pay ranges for teachers in maintained schools in England. A teacher must be paid a salary within the minimum and maximum of the pay range as set out within the STPCD as the relevant body determines. A link to more information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-teachers-pay-and-conditions.
In the recent pay award, teachers and leaders in maintained schools received a pay award of 6.5%, the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The Government also delivered its manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London. The Department is committed to ensuring that teaching is a financially competitive career option within the graduate labour market.
The Department wants to ensure there are excellent teachers where they are needed most. The Department has announced a £196 million initial teacher training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 ITT recruitment cycle, a £15 million increase on the last cycle. This includes increased bursaries worth up to £28,000 tax free and scholarships worth up to £30,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Department is also providing a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the Department will be investing £100 million each year to double the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 tax free.
The Department continues to consider longer term pay priorities to attract and retain the best graduates whilst also delivering value for money on taxpayers’ investment in schools. The next remit to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is due to be published shortly, which will include the strategic areas that the Department will consult the STRB on and look to implement in the next academic year.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of maths teachers in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) sixth form colleges.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recruitment to mathematics remains challenging in both schools and colleges. However, school teacher recruitment performance against targets has increased consistently since 2019/20 in mathematics before stabilising in 2022/23.
The Department has put in place a range of measures for trainees in 2023, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented individuals to apply to train in key subjects such as mathematics.
For those intending to work as mathematics teachers in colleges, training bursaries worth £29,000 each are available in 2023/24. The Department’s Taking Teaching Further programme also supports new teachers training in colleges, including teachers of mathematics.
The Department is offering a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
Alongside financial levers, the Department continues to take action in attracting the best teachers where they are needed most through its teaching marketing campaign and support services for prospective trainees, and its new in house teacher recruitment journey and associated digital services.
The Department is also widening the pool of people who can access teacher training for schools, across all subjects including mathematics, through programmes such as High Potential Initial Teacher Training, Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Career Changers programme.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the proportion of male primary school teachers.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to ensure that teaching is an attractive career choice for people from all backgrounds. This includes men looking to work in primary schools.
Alongside monitoring overall numbers of male teachers in the profession, our in-house teacher recruitment services, such as the Apply for Teaching Training service, generate real time data and insights into recruitment of male primary initial teacher training (ITT) candidates, along with the recruitment practices of schools and universities that offer ITT.
Whilst men make up a smaller proportion of the teaching workforce than women, since 2010 there has been an increase of over 6,500 male teachers in state funded nursery and primary schools, rising from 28,180 in 2010/11 to 34,818 in 2022/23.
Recruitment campaigns are targeted at audiences of students, recent graduates, and potential career changers, regardless of gender. The Department takes every effort to ensure that our advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials used. The Department is also working with our Teacher Vacancy Service to ensure online case studies encourage more male primary teachers into the profession, through sharing positive and encouraging stories from teachers.
The Department wants teaching to be an attractive and competitive profession. From September 2023, starting salaries will raise to at least £30,000 in all areas of the country. In fulfilling this manifesto commitment, the Department is ensuring that all teachers launch their career on a competitive starting salary.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the recruitment of trainee secondary school teachers in 2023–24; what assessment they have made of whether there will be a shortfall in the number of those training to become secondary school teachers during that period; and what steps they are taking to ensure that secondary schools in England continue to have enough teachers.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines relevant information for England only.
There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
The Teacher Workforce Model is used by DfE to calculate postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets for individual subjects. The model considers a broad range of factors including but not limited to projected pupil numbers, all forms of teacher recruitment (not just ITT), and the expected level of teacher retention. The PGITT target for secondary teachers in 2023/24 is 26,360. The targets are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets.
The Department monitors and reviews teacher recruitment through the annual Initial Teacher Training Census (published each December). The latest information on ITT recruitment reported against PGITT targets can be found in the Initial Teacher Training Census statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23. The performance against targets for the 2023/24 academic year will be published this December.
As expected, the unprecedented increase in new entrants to ITT during 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic has since declined. The graduate and general labour markets became more competitive and pay has risen in competing sectors.
To boost teacher recruitment and retention, the Department has introduced the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding.
The Department has also accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders, resulting in a pay award of 6.5% , the highest for teachers in over thirty years. This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years, teacher pay is increasing by more than 12% on average.
There is still further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. To address this a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
A Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free is also being offered for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first 5 years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) support, and (2) guidance, they are offering to schools to enable them to maximise teacher retention.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department’s reforms are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, through an attractive pay offer and financial incentives such as bursaries, but also at ensuring teachers stay and succeed in the profession.
There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
The Department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and head teachers, resulting in a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest for teachers in over thirty years.
To support retention in the first few years of teaching, the Department has rolled out the Early Career Framework nationally, providing the foundations for a successful career in teaching, with over £130 million a year in funding. Beyond these first few years, the Department’s priority is to help all teachers and head teachers to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so every child in every classroom in every school has the best start in life.
The Department has therefore launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and head teachers at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Since autumn 2021, eligible teachers and head teachers have been able to access scholarships to undertake fully funded NPQs.
These measures will create a golden thread running from Initial Teacher Training through to school leadership and rooting teacher and head teacher development in the best available evidence.
The Department has also published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, and therefore support retention, including the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which schools are being encouraged to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. Developed in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts, the Charter can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter.
Additionally, a workload reduction toolkit has been developed for schools alongside head teachers and has been published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit. On 13 July 2023, the Department also announced that it will convene a Workload Reduction Taskforce to explore how it can go further to support trusts and head teachers to minimise workload for teachers and head teachers by building on previous successes.
The Department is also taking action to promote flexible working in schools. The Department has published supportive resources on GOV.UK, including non statutory guidance and case studies: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/flexible-working-resources-for-teachers-and-schools#guidance-for-flexible-working.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what sum her Department spent on the recruitment of teachers in each of the past five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department funds a range of initiatives to support Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment.
The Department has announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial ITT in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
As well as bursaries and scholarships, the ITT financial incentives budget includes grant funding for salaried ITT courses.
The Department recently announced that the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and head teachers have been accepted in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the reasons for which there has been a decline in the number of people training to become art and design teachers.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department monitors and reviews teacher recruitment and retention regularly through the annual School Workforce Census (SWC) and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Census. As at November 2022, the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England – an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. There were 12,589 FTE art and design teachers in state funded secondary schools. From 2018/19 to 2022/23 inclusive, between 96.3 and 96.5% of all hours taught in art and design were taught by a teacher with a relevant post A level qualification, an increase from 89.0% in 2014/15. The school workforce statistical publication is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
The latest information on art and design ITT recruitment reported against Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) targets, is published in the ITT Census statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23. This shows that 478 postgraduate trainees were recruited in 2022/23 (provisional), where 90% of the target (530 trainees) was achieved. This compares to 780 trainees recruited in 2021/22 (revised), where 134% of the target (580 trainees) was achieved.
The Teacher Workforce Model is used by the Department to calculate PGITT targets for individual subjects. The model considers a broad range of factors, including, but not limited to projected pupil numbers, all forms of teacher recruitment (not just ITT), and the expected level of teacher retention. The model also increases (via an adjustment) targets, where relevant, to build in the impacts of recruitment being below target in the previous two ITT recruitment rounds.
The 2023/24 PGITT recruitment target for art and design is 825, an increase of 295 on the 2022/23 target of 530. This increase was driven by the need to make an adjustment to the 2023/24 target relating to recruitment being below target, when no such adjustment was required for 2022/23. The latest published set of targets are available on GOV.UK: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets.
As expected, the unprecedented increase in new entrants to ITT in 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic has since declined. The graduate and general labour markets became more competitive and pay has risen in competing sectors. The best graduates have more choice, and we are competing for graduates who are in high demand in the graduate labour market.
The Department recently announced that the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and head teachers have been accepted in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The Secretary of State speaks regularly to her Cabinet colleagues on a broad range of issues, including the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. While there are no specific ongoing discussions between them on teacher recruitment and retention, it remains one of this Department’s top priorities, and Department’s reforms will support teachers across all subjects.
In terms of the funding offered for recruitment, the Department reviews funding for ITT before the start of each annual recruitment cycle, which includes taking into account bursaries in each subject, historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need. This ensures the Department provides funding where it is needed the most.
The Department does not fund subject specific continuing professional development for art and design. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, headteachers, and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge their own requirements. Teaching School Hubs promote and deliver other high quality evidence based professional development, including subject specific CPD, to teachers and head teachers across all subjects.
More generally, the Department has put in place a number of initiatives that support all teachers’ career development pathways. The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support, and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. The Department has also launched new National Professional Qualifications for teachers and school leaders at all levels. Since autumn 2021, eligible teachers and head teachers have been able to access scholarships to undertake fully funded NPQs, with £184 million of new additional funding to be spent over the course of this parliament. Further information is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs.