The new Schools Minister Damian Hinds will be questioned by the Education Committee in the final session of its inquiry into teacher recruitment, training and retention.
The Minister will be asked for his views on claims that the country faces a “crisis” in staffing levels across the schools sector, particularly in specialist subjects like maths, sciences, IT and languages.
On 7 December, the Department for Education revealed that its targets for recruitment to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses was missed by 50% for secondary schools, a downgrading from 57% in 2022/23.
The persistent failure to hit targets for recruiting specialist teachers has meant that STEM subjects are increasingly taught by non-specialists. The Minister will be asked about ways to expand and improve Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses, designed to train up existing teachers to deliver shortage subjects such as physics and maths.
