Teacher recruitment and retention has been an ongoing crisis for a number of years. Yet what is striking about NFER’s latest research is that there is a pool of potential talent that could help fill recruitment gaps, and that is not being tapped. The report into racial equality in the teacher workforce shows that there is significant interest in teaching from black and ethnic minority candidates – but that this is not translating into more teachers from these communities standing in front of classes.
But it isn’t and can’t be all about the pragmatism of filling teacher shortages. It seems to me that addressing the racial disparities that exist within teaching is important on a number of fronts.
First, every child deserves to have a qualified teacher leading their learning. Recruitment and retention rates are worryingly low. The National Education Union’s Statement of Education: The Profession survey warns that 44 per cent of teachers say they plan to leave the profession. For these reason alone, we surely should be reaching out to all those who are passionate about doing the job and being proactive about finding routes for them to train.
