The government should consider paying off the student loans of graduate teachers to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis, the Association of School and College Leaders has said.

The proposal was made by the heads’ union on the first day of its annual conference in Birmingham.

ASCL said the government could pay off the annual repayment of tuition fees and maintenance loans owed by teachers for undergraduate courses and, where applicable, teacher training courses, for as long as they stay in the state school system.

It said the loan could be written off entirely after a certain period, for example 10 years.

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of ASCL, said: “Paying off student loans over a period of years is one way of making teaching a more attractive career option and this is particularly important in respect of maths and science graduates who can often earn higher salaries in the private sector”.

‘Direct and detrimental impact’

He added: “It is essential that action is taken urgently. Teacher shortages have a direct and detrimental impact on the education of young people.”

The association has also suggested supporting local partnerships in areas where there are severe teacher supply issues to look at the specific factors that are creating problems and to devise solutions.

It said the government should consider overhauling the system used to calculate teacher-training places, because it does not provide an accurate projection of the number of teachers needed in the system.

Its final proposal is that the government should develop a career strategy from pre-entry to executive leadership.

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