The government’s controversial new teacher training recruitment system has now kicked into action for school-led routes as they reach the 75 per cent minimum level for PE teachers.
Providers were emailed last night and informed the total number of trainees required for PE is close to being hit.
School-led routes have reached the 75 per cent minimum recruitment level for PE teachers and higher education institutions (HEIs) have already recruited the remainder of places, the email said.
Providers were urged to regularly check daily data published by UCAS so they have “a clear picture of the rate recruitment is moving”.
The government changed its policy this year of recruiting teachers to guide more trainees down their preferred school-led routes by capping the numbers HEIs could recruit.
Oxbridge said it would have to close its history course under the new system – as it had not recruited enough teachers when the history cap had been hit.
But ministers stepped in and tweaked the policy to ensure some providers could recruit 75 per cent of the number of trainees they had last year.
PE was the first subject to reach its HEI cap, and is now the first subject to have an impact on the school-led courses.
It looks like education is headed in the same direction as the NHS. Nurse training was cut back dramatically despite young people wanting to become nurses. Now we have a dire shortage of nurses and are forced to recruit from abroad. 25% of all UK nurses currently working in the NHS are from overseas.
We are told that there is a recruitment crisis in UK schools, so the government restricts teacher training opportunities. Universities are closing teacher training courses because with a limit on places their courses are no longer financially viable. Universities can no longer keep up with the last minute changes dropped on them.
The DfE believes that schools are going to miraculously train all the teachers they need whilst at the same time not having enough staff to teach their pupils. There is no co-ordination of supply and demand. This is market economics gone mad, and no-one seems to be making much fuss about it. Soon, I fear, it will be too late! Get ready for your children to be taught by teachers whose 1st language is not English.