A bulge in the number of teachers approaching their mid thirties means that improving part-time working opportunities is a “critical” part of tackling the teacher shortage crisis, a researcher has warned.
It comes as the DfE prepares to launch its long-awaited teacher recruitment and retention strategy.
Jack Worth, lead economist at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), underlined the seriousness of the problem at this week’s Education Show in London.
“It’s clear that the perfect storm that has been gathering for several years of rising pupil numbers and under-recruitment is hitting right now,” he said.
“Teacher shortages will increasingly affect schools now and the next few years, particularly in shortage subjects and schools in disadvantaged areas.”
He told the event that NFER research had identified “an unmet demand for part-time working, which drives some to leave” – particularly in the secondary sector.
Education secretary Damian Hinds today suggested teachers could be helped into part-time job shares with a matchmaking-style service.
Mr Worth's comments illustrated the likely scale of the growing demand from teachers more flexible working.
He said: “The secondary school teacher workforce has a large cohort of teachers approaching their mid thirties, which is when part-time working tends to peak, that we have seen in historic data.
“It means that the next few years are critical for taking action if we are going to use this as a means for improving teacher retention.
“The government and also stakeholders in the secondary sector need to look at this issue of accommodating more part-time working and flexible working in secondary schools.”
Mr Worth also identified a lack of part-time and flexible working opportunities as a key barrier facing teachers who are thinking about returning to the profession.
“Not only is it having a negative effect on leaving rates, but it’s also creating a barrier to re-entry when a teacher considers coming back into the profession,” he added.
Mr Worth said NFER’s polling had shown that senior leaders “perceive the complexity of timetabling as one of the most significant barriers to agreeing and accommodating part-time flexible working patterns”.
However, he said that teachers themselves could help with this issue “by being flexible on the conditions and arrangements that they are willing to sign up to”.
He called for teachers to respect the fact that heads have to keep their school fully staffed at all times.
“It means that not all part-time teachers can work four days with Friday off, because senior leaders have a responsibility as well that needs to be respected,” he added.
