Recruitment crisis: Wales failing to train enough secondary school teachers

Wales is only training around a third of the necessary secondary school teachers, with nowhere near enough recruits and no improvement in sight, an education chief warned.

Hayden Llewellyn, the Education Workforce Council (EWC) chief executive, gave evidence to the Senedd education committee’s inquiry on recruitment and retention on June 5.

Mr Llewellyn identified a clear pattern in initial teacher education, with recruitment problems centred on secondaries and “no problem” in primary schools.

The head of the workforce regulator said the Welsh Government aims for about 600 primary teachers to be trained each year, with that number overdelivered in August 2024.

But he warned of a stark picture for secondaries, saying ministers are seeking to train about 1,000 teachers each year but the EWC issued 369 certificates, according to the latest data.

‘Lowest ever’

“About a third of the number of secondary teachers that Wales is looking for were managing to train,” he said, adding that a further 34 trained through an Open University route.

Mr Llewellyn stated the trend for secondary schools has gotten worse over the past ten to 20 years, with improvements during the pandemic “dropping back significantly”.

He told Senedd members: “I’m sorry to say, having tracked recruitment and retention for many years – I can’t really see secondary improving.”

He explained recruitment in some subjects – such as PE, history and geography – is fine but maths, English, sciences, Welsh and modern foreign languages are particularly low.

Mr Llewellyn raised the example of 27 maths teachers being turned out in August, with Wales looking for nearer 130. “It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen over the years,” he said, adding that Wales wanted 80 to 90 Welsh teachers but only 20 completed training in 2024.

‘Huge pressure’

He pointed to EWC data showing 75% of those teaching maths are trained in the subject and, speaking more generally, he said the number is lower still for sciences. He warned: “Given the picture with recruitment, we could see that picture deteriorating.”

Mr Llewellyn raised the example set by Scotland where teachers’ registration is linked to a specific subject or phase. “You cannot teach a subject you’re not trained in,” he said.

Eithne Hughes, the EWC’s chair, added that some in Wales are teaching not just their specialism “but possibly a couple of others, adding to the workload pressure”.

Ms Hughes said: “That becomes an issue when you’ve got reduced funding and headteachers just having to have somebody in front of classes. It doesn’t support standards.”

Mr Llewellyn said the number of Welsh-speaking teachers is 33% – higher than the census – but it has remained static despite initiatives, with a lower number among support staff.

‘Policy overload’

He told the committee the number of Welsh speakers currently completing training is about 20% for primaries and 18% for secondaries, against a target of 30%.

“When you magnify that down into particular subjects, you see those figures dropping,” he said, adding that only three of the 27 new maths teachers were Welsh speakers.

Ms Hughes, a former headteacher in an English-medium school, told Senedd members she found recruiting Welsh teachers extremely difficult during her experience.

Pressed about the key barriers and why Welsh Government targets are “continually missed”, Ms Hughes pointed to work-life balance, policy overload, pay, and behavioural problems.

She suggested teachers are expected to be a social worker, police officer and medical expert, stressing: “We have to allow the business of teaching… to be at the core”.

‘Tough gig’

Mr Llewellyn agreed: “What it means to be a teacher… in terms of workload, stress, bureaucracy, accountability, lack of autonomy, and pupil behaviour – it’s a tough gig.”

He urged policymakers to treat the causes rather than the symptoms as he questioned “flashy” promotional campaigns: “If what you’re trying to promote isn’t good, it won’t work.”

Pointing out that the starting salary for some bus drivers is near to teachers’ in Wales, he warned: “The reality is: to be convinced to be a teacher is increasingly unlikely.”

Asked about retention, he said around 2,400 teachers leave the EWC register every year, concluding: “We need to watch this really carefully because it’s OK when you lose individuals from the profession and you’re recruiting the number you need back.

“But… we are recruiting nowhere near the number of secondary and Welsh-medium teachers that we need. Attrition is OK if you’re replacing but therein lies the problem.”

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter