Pay blamed for specialist teacher shortages
Staffing gap between deprived and more affluent areas grows
Schools are struggling to recruit the science specialists they need, with a growing gap between deprived and more affluent areas in England.
A new report by the Education Policy Institute highlights teachers with a relevant degree taught about 65% of total chemistry lesson hours at key stage 5, but less than 60% at key stage 4 in 2016. Moreover, there are stark socio-economic differences, particularly outside London.
In the least deprived areas, 68% of key stage 4 chemistry hours are taught by a subject specialist – a similar level to the most deprived schools in London. However, in the most deprived areas outside London, the figure drops to just 40%. The situation is even worse for physics and maths.
Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.
Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access
Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.
Get all this, plus much more:
- unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
- teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
- applications for funding to support your lessons
Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.
Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.