Two in five teachers quit within a year, say ATL

A speech made by Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, questioned former Secretary of State Education Michael Gove's intentions when in the position, stating that 'not only are record numbers of teachers leaving the profession mid-career, but there is also a crisis of teacher supply'. The ATL's analysis discovered that 38 per cent of teachers, 10,800 people, were not in teaching a year after earning their qualified teaching status (QTS). This is compared to 20 per cent, 3,600 people, in 2005.

Bousted said: "Why are we losing the next generation of teachers, that new blood for the profession which should be bright-eyed and bushy tailed, full of promise and ambition? Is it, I wonder, because trainee and newly qualified teachers see very early on just what teaching has become and decide that they do not want to be a part of it? Is it that they learn as they work with exhausted and stressed colleagues that teaching has become a profession which is incompatible with a normal life?"

Bousted accused Ofsted as a prime reason for why teachers may leave or never join the profession. She claimed that Ofsted was 'beset with internal and external cracks', leaving prospective and newly qualified teachers with little confidence in inspection teams. During the speech, Bousted offered her opinion on locally based teams of teachers and school leaders carrying out inspections instead of the government's current regulator force.

Her speech also questioned the significance of Ofqual, the qualifications agency, who she accused of placing too much importance on 'worshipping the exam'. She said how: "A tsunami of curriculum and qualification changes threaten to engulf schools and colleges as Ofqual, the qualification agency, marches on – leaving dismay and devastation in its wake."

Read Mary Bousted's speech