MPs call for ‘super teachers’ to tackle school staffing crisis

A
new grade of ‘super teacher’ is needed to fill vacancies in England’s
most challenging schools, a cross-party committee of MPs has recommended.

Greater
efforts must also be made to attract people from ethnic minority groups into
teaching, the House of Commons education select committee said.

The
MPs found no evidence of general recruitment difficulties, but said specific
schools did have problems. They said extra pay was unpopular as a way of
keeping people in teaching so alternative rewards should be explored.

But
the MPs added that money had been successful in recruiting people to teach
specific subjects.

"Where
there are persistent problems of recruitment, it is surely right, in the
interests of children’s education, that financial incentives are available to
attract teachers," the report said.

The
MPs raised concerns that less than 50 per cent of those who begin teacher
training are still working in the education system after five years. Committee
chairman, Barry Sheerman,
said the drop-out rate was an "enormous waste of taxpayers’ money"
and of people’s time.

But
the MPs admitted that teaching should no longer be seen as a "career for
life".

"What
is needed is a good balance within the profession – those who have long-term careers
in teaching, those who teach and then move on to another career and those who
come to teaching as a second or third career," said the report.

By Daniel Thomas

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