“Over” 485 ex-teachers have come forward to cover teacher absences caused by Covid this term following a national drive launched by the education secretary before Christmas, the Department for Education said today.
However, the DfE effort was dismissed as “too little too late” and “unlikely to prevent school closures” as data showed yesterday that 44,000 (8.6 per cent) of teachers and school leaders were absent from open schools on 6 January, up from 42,000 (8.0 per cent) on 16 December.
“Initial” data from around 10 per cent of supply agencies shows 485 former teachers have signed up to cover teacher Covid-related absences, with some teachers already placed back in the classroom this term, the DfE said.
A further 100 Teach First alumni have also expressed interest in supporting the workforce, the DfE added.
However, Teach First told Tes it is too soon to say how many will be placed in schools. The education charity said it is now working with the former teachers to confirm their interest, understand what time commitments they can offer and what support they might need to make the return to classrooms.
‘Unlikely to prevent closures’
James Zuccollo, director of school workforce at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said the numbers were “relatively low” and “unlikely” to prevent schools from “having to close”.
“Staff shortages will continue to be a critical issue for schools this term, and the government was right to launch this scheme as part of efforts to mitigate the problem,” he said.
“Some schools could be forced to switch to online learning this term if they are severely understaffed, so it’s crucial that we address this problem urgently.
“However, today’s figures show a relatively low number of sign-ups to this scheme and it is unclear whether this intervention is enough to make a significant impact.
“While schools will welcome any additional staffing support, this intervention is unlikely to reverse the recent increases in absences and prevent some schools from having to close.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the call for ex-teachers to help face-to-face learning continue despite the spread of the Omicron variant has come “too little, too late”.
He said: “The numbers quoted by the government barely scratch the surface of the huge level of staff absence caused by Covid 19.
“This initiative, while well-intentioned, was too little, too late, and the government should put more resources and effort into supporting measures to reduce the risk of transmission such as ventilation and testing.
“It should also be doing more to support schools and colleges with the significant costs involved in hiring supply teachers to plug the gaps caused by Covid. The current scheme to provide financial assistance has so many complex conditions attached that it is inaccessible in many cases.”
Heads told Tes last month that the costs of such a scheme may be unattainable for many schools with supply budgets already stretched.
Although the DfE says the actual number of ex-teachers who have signed up is likely to be much larger, the levels of teacher absence due to the Omicron variant is “expected to remain a challenge throughout the rest of the school term”.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the number of former teachers who have signed up is “a drop in the ocean” compared to the challenge facing schools.
He said: “Despite the tireless work of school leaders and their teams, and the immense good will of every teacher who has returned to help out, there is no escaping the fact that if a school has a quarter of its workforce off, that will have a significant impact on education.”
Nadhim Zahawi, education secretary, said: “Making sure all children and young people can attend school or college remains my number one priority.
”I want to thank all former teachers who have come forward to support the national effort and help keep our children in face-to-face education. I call on all other former teachers who are able to do the same to come forward now.
“The vaccine continues to help us pave the way out of this pandemic and more than ever it is absolutely vital that all those eligible get their booster or second jab, as well as continuing to test regularly.”
