Teacher absence has disrupted students taking GCSE examinations in more than half of the most disadvantaged schools this year, according to a report published today.
Some 51 per cent of teachers in state schools with the highest levels of deprivation said that extended teacher absence had disrupted teaching for the current Year 11 cohort, compared with 42 per cent of those in the most affluent state schools.
The report, compiled by Teacher Tapp and SchoolDash and funded by the Gatsby Foundation, shows the figure is far higher than the 28 per cent of teachers that work at fee-paying schools.
The figures, revealed in a Teacher Tapp survey of more than 10,000 teachers and leaders, show a similar level of concern across all levels of deprivation on the impact of teachers leaving on the teaching of this year’s GCSE cohort.
The concerns over GCSE disruption come amid warnings that the ongoing legacy of the pandemic could lead to an even “wider divide” this year.
Non-specialist teaching more common in disadvantaged schools
Today’s report also reveals that the use of non-specialists in GCSE classes is more common in the most disadvantaged state-funded schools.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) of teachers in these disadvantaged schools reported the use of non-subject specialists for some teaching of the current Year 11s, compared with 19 per cent of teachers in the most affluent schools and just 10 per cent of fee-paying schools.
Meanwhile, the poll showed that recruitment difficulties have been experienced by 77 per cent of leaders in the most disadvantaged schools, compared with 69 per cent of leaders in the most advantaged schools.
Becky Allen, chief analyst at Teacher Tapp and one of the report’s authors, said: “Leaders tell us that the recruitment challenges they face are negatively impacting upon the education they can provide for their students, and this is particularly true in the most disadvantaged schools.”
The latest government data showed that one in 10 of all qualified teachers - equal to 43,522 - left the state-funded sector in the 2022-23 academic year. And the government missed its target for recruitment of secondary teacher trainees by 50 per cent this year.
Behaviour concerns heightened in disadvantaged schools
The Teacher Tapp poll also reveals that teachers in the most disadvantaged schools are more likely to cite behaviour as a driving factor for leaving teaching altogether, with 17 per cent raising this as a concern compared with 13 per cent of those in the most affluent schools.
And the report showed that behaviour has a larger impact on teaching in poorer areas.
More than half (53 per cent) of secondary teachers in the most disadvantaged schools said that poor behaviour entirely stopped learning at least once in the last lesson they taught, compared with 37 per cent who reported the same in the most affluent state schools.
The figures are even starker at primary level, with 62 per cent of teachers in the most disadvantaged schools claiming that poor behaviour entirely stopped learning at least once in the last lesson they taught, compared with 50 per cent in the most affluent state schools.
There have been increasing concerns over pupil behaviour since the pandemic. The latest Department for Education data has revealed that the number of pupils in state-funded and non-state-funded alternative provision (AP) has soared in the past year.
Concerns over availability of qualified teachers
While the report reveals a decreasing concern from headteachers around the availability of adequately qualified teachers, the level of worry “remains much higher than 2020” at both primary and secondary level.
This year, 31 per cent of primary and 48 per cent of secondary teachers said they were more worried about filling all roles with suitably qualified staff than last year, down from 34 per cent and 64 per cent respectively.
Earlier this month, DfE data for November 2023 revealed that full- and part-time teacher vacancies had increased by 20 per cent since 2022.
The most disadvantaged state-funded schools are more likely to have no applicants for a job advert compared with the most affluent state-funded schools - 44 per cent versus 38 per cent.
And schools in areas of high disadvantage are more likely than those in the most affluent areas to report problems with candidates withdrawing from the appointment process before signing a contract, according to Teacher Tapp data.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) of teachers in the most deprived schools reported this problem, compared with 20 per cent of those in the most affluent schools.
School Dash data also revealed that there has been a larger increase in adverts for smaller subjects in secondary schools since 2019.
Core subjects such as English and maths saw a 3 per cent increase in adverts between September 2023 and May 2024, compared with the same period in 2018-19. But languages adverts have seen a 22 per cent increase, the arts a 24 per cent increase, technology 25 per cent and the humanities 26 per cent.
Spend on supply teachers soars in most deprived schools
SchoolDash analysis also revealed that the schools with the highest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals have seen the biggest jump in supply spending between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
Spend on supply teachers in the least deprived schools grew by 36 per cent in this period, compared with 45 per cent in the most deprived schools.
A Tes investigation earlier this year revealed the “sickening” extent of supply cost rises facing trusts and schools across the country.
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