Education secretary Gavin Williamson has told Northern school leaders that he knows some schools do not have enough teachers.
He also acknowledged that this was a big problem and a particular issue in the North East of England.
In a speech yesterday to the Schools North East academies conference in Newcastle, he said that he hoped that providing professional development to teachers throughout their careers would improve retention.
He said: “I know from conversations in many schools one of the big problems school leaders face, particularly here in the North East, is that they do not have enough teachers, especially in certain subjects.
“To address this we are rolling out new and improved training and professional development for teachers right across the country.
“I am sure you have read about our recruitment and retention strategy.
“This is about the aim to transform the profession by making sure that teachers have the same kind of quality training you would find in other professions.
“I don’t want people to think that their journey in terms of becoming a teacher ends when they finish their PGCE.
“Their learning about being a teacher is something that continues all the way through their professional development and their career.”
Yesterday the Department for Education launched the Opportunity North East development plan, which aims to improve results and life chances of pupils in the region.
This will include a two-year support programme for new teachers in the region to boost recruitment and retention.
The Opportunity North East report says this will be underpinned by the Early Career Framework, from September 2020, a year ahead of this being rolled out nationally.
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