Scale of teacher shortage crisis in schools revealed

Nearly 40% of teaching assistants cover classes, research finds

- Sally Weale 

Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England and Wales are being educated “on the cheap” by low-paid teaching assistants (TAs) covering lessons for teachers who are off sick or have quit, according to new research.

A desperate teacher recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools across the country are struggling to put a qualified teacher at the front of every class, unions say.

TAs, who earn as little as £14,000, are being asked to plug the gaps, for little or no extra pay.

The survey of almost 6,000 TAs found almost 40% are covering

classes for regular teachers for at least five hours per week – roughly the equivalent of one school day a week or half a term’s cover over a school year – while 15% said they were expected to teach entire classes for at least 11 hours a week.

At primary level they describe being told to lead classes ranging from nursery to year six, with just a few minutes’ notice. In secondary schools, TAs are teaching subjects at GCSE where teachers have left and not been replaced.

Children with special educational needs (SEN) are among the worst affected by the crisis, according to research by the public service union Unison.