Teachers are leaving the profession partly because of poor classroom behaviour and the proportion of ex-teachers citing this as a reason rose from 32% to 44% between 2023 and 2024. However the top concern is the huge workload teachers are expected to take on.
The shortfall, which particularly affects specialist subjects such as computer science, means some pupils are simply not being given the option of taking specific courses - which means they are “at risk of being locked out of particular careers” in later life. Lower-income neighbourhoods have the biggest shortages, and 31% of schools in the most disadvantaged areas do not offer Computer Science A-level compared to 11% in the least disadvantaged areas.
MPs said the Department for Education recognises the problems but does not know what is causing them, including why workload is so high. They called on the government to consider changing teachers’ contracts, including potentially introducing more flexible working. Jonathan Walker.
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