Ministers face swapping a 鈥渃risis of quantity for crisis of quality鈥 in teacher recruitment after providers were told to accept more applicants. Susan Acland-Hood, the DfE鈥檚 permanent secretary, asked teacher trainers in April to 鈥渞espond鈥 to a 鈥渉igh level of interest鈥 by considering more offers and expanding training cohorts, shows a letter seen by Schools Week. The government is under pressure to deliver on its flagship promise to recruit 6,500 more teachers. No provider will turn away good-quality applicants on a whim Recent figures show applications to train as a secondary school teacher are 12 per cent up on last year. But Acland-Hood told providers that the 鈥渘umber of candidates who have received a rejection remains high鈥. She pointed to an 11 per cent rise in domestic secondary applicants this year, while offers had risen by only 5 per cent. 鈥淚 would like to encourage you to consider whether you could increase your offer-making and take a larger number of trainees on to your course,鈥 she urged providers. Nine in 10 ‘concerned’ about quality But a snap poll by Schools Week of 182 school-based teacher training providers (SCITTs) this month found nearly 90 per cent 鈥渃oncerned鈥 about applicant quality. More than 70 per cent said quality was 鈥渄ecreasing鈥, while 22 per cent said it remained the same. Emma Hollis Emma Hollis, the chief executive of , which represents SCITTs and which ran the poll, said pressuring trainers into accepting unsuitable applicants 鈥渞isks swapping a crisis of quantity for a crisis of quality鈥. Schools Week commissioned the poll after the issue was flagged in a recent NASBTT member survey. Eleven of 34 providers involved raised specific concerns about 鈥渄eteriorating applicant quality and rising support needs鈥. One said there were 鈥渘o phases or subjects where we are seeing a steady supply of sufficient high-quality applicants鈥, adding primary was 鈥減articularly concerning鈥. One SCITT said it was receiving 鈥渉uge鈥 numbers of maths applicants, but 鈥渢he quality of candidates is very poor鈥. Another said applicant numbers were 鈥渟imilar to two years ago鈥, but the quality was 鈥渟ometimes lower with qualifications from abroad or degrees in different subjects so takes a lot of time to check subject knowledge meets our require[ments]鈥. Hollis said concerns focused on 鈥渜ualifications, subject knowledge, and candidate preparedness鈥. One ITT provider suggested a lack of financial support and the reputation of teaching could be factors. However, it appears to be a different picture among university training providers. James Noble-Rogers, the executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), said anecdotal reports showed the quality of applicants 鈥渋s actually increasing this year鈥. Drop in higher degrees While it does not necessarily dictate teacher quality, the percentage of postgraduate trainees with a 2:1 degree or higher has fallen from 74 in 2023-24, to 72 per cent of those starting training in September 鈥 the lowest level in a decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of new trainees with an 鈥渙ther degree class鈥 made up 7 per cent of those who started training this September, up from 6 per cent last year and between 3 to 4 per cent for ever year before that since 2015. The DfE said 鈥渙ther鈥 degrees included those below a 2:2 and those that did not fall into the standard UK classification system, such as overseas degrees. Hollis said any pressure on providers to 鈥渆xtend offers outside of their usual decision-making frameworks鈥 could mean 鈥渄iluting the quality of training鈥 as well as putting strain on mentors and other staff, and 鈥減otentially affecting retention rates over time鈥. 鈥極verwhelming schools鈥 concern 鈥淣o provider will be turning away good-quality applicants on a whim. The danger is that if pressure is put on to increase offers on an arbitrary basis鈥ou鈥檙e asking providers to accept somebody that they would otherwise have felt wasn鈥檛 right for the profession.鈥 One SCITT, which did not want to be named, said while it was 鈥渇lexible and optimistic鈥 about applicants and their suitability, it was 鈥渃autious about not overwhelming鈥 schools with high numbers of 鈥渢rainees who need significant additional support鈥. Hollis said that any growth in recruitment must be matched by the ability of schools and providers to maintain the quality of training, mentoring and support. 鈥淪chool capacity 鈥 which is already stretched 鈥 must be a key consideration in any strategy for expansion.鈥 NASBTT, responding to Acland-Hood, said many providers reported a 鈥渟ignificant increase鈥 in applicants for the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship 鈥 particularly for primary spots, which do not have a postgraduate bursary. However, the capacity of primaries to support apprentices 鈥 who are paid on the unqualified teacher pay scales at least 鈥 鈥渞emains extremely limited鈥. 鈥淎s a result, providers are having to reject many otherwise promising applicants where suitable employment cannot be secured,鈥 Hollis said. 鈥淭his mismatch between candidate expectations and employment realities is an area where a broader conversation would be valuable.鈥 Long wait for response鈥 But Acland-Hood was also critical that about 11 per cent of candidates waited more than 30 workings days for an application response. 鈥淭he longer a candidate waits for a decision, the more likely they are to drop out of the recruitment process,鈥 she said, urging providers to respond 鈥渁s quickly as possible鈥. Hollis said NASBTT has investigated the reason for the lag, and believes providers often communicate with trainees outside the application system. Acland-Hood also revealed the government would soon trial a new tool that allowed providers to find local applicants who had been rejected. This would help 鈥渆nsure that promising candidates are able to secure places even if their first-choice institutions cannot accommodate them鈥. Paul Stone, the chief executive of Discovery Schools Academies Trust, said applicants tended to have good subject knowledge, but many lacked 鈥減ractical knowledge鈥 and appeared 鈥渦nprepared to be adult learners鈥. 鈥淭hey are often waiting for somebody to tell them what to do鈥here鈥檚 no self-led leadership in them. They don鈥檛 have those skills.鈥 He also said financial incentives meant people choosing certain subjects 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 got a bursary, not because they鈥檝e got a love of [the subject]鈥. Covid consequences Annie Gouldsworthy, the director of ITT at The King Edward鈥檚 Consortium in Birmingham, said there had been 鈥渘o decline in the calibre of applications鈥 at her SCITT. But since Covid disrupted and stalled some university experiences, trainees sometimes needed more support with the 鈥渕ore outward-facing aspects of teaching鈥. This involved 鈥渋nterpersonal communication and coping with workload/time pressure鈥. Some providers have called for the reinstatement of a fully funded subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) programme to ensure that teachers were well-prepared and passionate about their subjects. SKEs help trainees top up their knowledge on specific subjects before starting their training, but the government recently cut the number of courses from 10 to five subjects. Gouldsworthy said 鈥渘egative rhetoric鈥 had 鈥渄ominated the conversation for too long when it comes to the so-called 鈥榪uality鈥 of applications鈥 and teaching in general. She said a positive change in recruitment could only happen if the profession was given due credit and celebrated its potential as a rewarding career. That included making it 鈥渇inancially rewarding鈥. The DfE was approached.
Sir in a school near you. 20 June 2025 Politicians do not want to pay teachers as professionals. They do not see teachers as professionals. This years 4% says it all. Completely inadequate in light of the recruitment and retention crisis. They still do not get it, because so many do not send their children to state schools.
21 June 2025 The total applicant to offer ratio can be misleading. Simple primary/secondary breakdown of ratio is better but still misses the fact that some subjects such as music often only attract applicants with qualities that provide high applicant to offer ratios whereas in other subjects the range of backgrounds and subject knowledge is much wider and produces a much greater ratio.