Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has launched a major initiative to recruit 6,500 teachers, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced.
In a bid to “reset the relationship” with the education sector, Phillipson will address all education workers on Monday and meet with union leaders and other key figures in the coming days.
The government will also reinstate and expand the Every Lesson Shapes a Life recruitment campaign, which directs potential candidates to the Get Into Teaching website. The site offers support and advice from teacher training advisors, a contact center and a national events programme.
Labor pledged during its election campaign to make the recruitment of 6,500 teachers a top priority. The new posts are expected to be funded by raising taxes on private school fees, although the exact timeline for this policy remains unclear. This proposal, included in the Labor manifesto, has sparked debate, with some seeing it as a fair measure to increase incomes, while others argue it unfairly targets parents.
Phillipson expressed her determination to elevate education to a central national concern and improve the perception of the teaching profession. The DfE stressed that these efforts are crucial to tackling the current crisis in teacher recruitment and retention.
Phillipson stated that her immediate priority is to reconnect with the education workforce, emphasizing that for too long the teaching profession has been “talked to the side, sidelined and denigrated.” Relations between the teaching unions and the previous government were tense, leading to several strikes over wages last year.
While the 2024/25 teacher pay offer has yet to be announced, unions have expressed optimism over Phillipson’s appointment. Daniel Kebede, secretary general of the National Education Union (NEU), stressed the importance of rebuilding trust between ministers and teachers, hoping for a period of stability and seriousness under Phillipson’s leadership. He urged the new education minister to immediately publish the wage and funding offer to correct the “first of many mistakes” by the former government.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), congratulated Phillipson on her new role, but warned of the significant challenges ahead. He reaffirmed NAHT’s willingness to work with the new government and looked forward to working with Phillipson and her team in the years to come.