The Government is looking to recruit physics and maths teachers from abroad to tackle a recruitment crisis fuelled by rising pupil numbers and changes in the curriculum.
The Department for Education (DfE) has already identified the “target countries” where they believe physics and maths specialists can be recruited from to help with a shortage of teachers.
An email from a DfE official revealed the government has decided to look for teachers trained overseas as a solution.
It reportedly said that “the department has recently embarked on an exploratory Stem [science, technology, engineering and maths] international recruitment programme”.
“The aim of the Stem international recruitment project is to boost direct recruitment of high-quality mathematics and physics teachers coming from overseas,” continues the email, written in July by an official working in the department’s teacher-supply division.
The official added that the DfE is “building relationships with target countries”, and speaking to heads who are currently recruiting teachers internationally – and those who would like to.
The news comes despite ministers’ insistence that there is no teacher recruitment crisis, and amid warnings that another government department is obstructing existing attempts by schools to recruit foreign teachers.
However, the Government downplayed concerns and said teachers have always been able to recruit from abroad.
But there have been growing concerns of a crisis in recruitment of teachers as the Government has not hit its targets for hiring trainee teachers on a number of subjects. Some attribute the lack of teachers to growing pupil numbers, changes in the curriculum and growing workload, which puts people off the profession.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teaching union, told the publication: “This is overdue recognition and acceptance by the government that we have a teacher shortage.
“But it is just a sticking plaster. Until the government recognises that teachers’ pay is too low and the impact of constant government-induced policy changes, and does something to improve working conditions, teachers will continue to haemorrhage from our schools.”
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “I am pleased that the department is taking seriously the very significant difficulties that schools all over the country are reporting in recruitment. The challenge will be to ensure that whoever is appointed understands the English schools system.”
A DfE spokesman said: “The quality of teachers in this country has never been higher. The primary school recruitment target has been exceeded; we are making sustained progress at secondary level and have launched a package of scholarships and bursaries for priority subjects such as maths and science to recruit the best graduates.
“Schools have always been able to recruit teachers from overseas. Outstanding maths and physics teachers are in demand across the globe and where schools wish to recruit from overseas we want to ensure they are able to do so from those countries whose education standards are as high as our own.”
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