Nearly a third of teachers who qualified in England in the last decade have since quit. If that sounds a lot, it’s because it is.
350,000 qualified teachers not currently teaching. Thousands are leaving in Wales and Scotland too.
It’s clear what is to blame. Years of low pay, now exacerbated by inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.
At the same time, due to Tory cuts and austerity, schools are in the grip of funding crisis. Thousands of schools are even planning redundancies. In November, unions warned that 54% of schools will go into financial deficit this academic year.
That’s why those still teaching are balloting for strike action in England and Wales – and already are walking out in Scotland.
The figures on teachers quitting were released by the Labour Party after analysis of Department for Education figures. But Labour’s announcement was not accompanied by any solutions.
Labour’s only policy is to end tax breaks for private schools to fund a few thousand new teachers. But with Labour promising a continuation of Tory austerity, even this looks dubious.
The Socialist Party calls for:
- Investment in education – reverse school cuts and reduce class sizes
- Inflation-busting pay rises for teachers – end performance pay, win national pay scales and workload limits for all
- An end to academies – bring all schools, including private schools, under democratic local control
