Staggered bursaries for all subjects would boost retention

Reform's 'Programme for Government', which provides recommendations for the new government on key policy areas, has said that while recruitment of teachers is a problem, it is only half the problem, with teacher retention a major issue too.

The report states that in 2017, over 15 per cent of newly qualified teachers left after just one year. Time-phased bursaries would be one way of ensuring that newly qualified teachers are incentivised to stay in the profession.

While the government has already set out its plan to introduce staggered bursaries for certain subjects, they should "extend this to all subjects", the report says.

From 2009-10 to 2018-19, total school spending per pupil fell by around 8 per cent,13 leading to all political parties pledging universal increases in school spending.

The finances of maintained schools, however, reveal a mixed picture. In 2018-19, while nearly 30 per cent of secondary schools and 8 per cent of primary schools were in deficit, a significant proportion of schools reported healthy revenue reserves (36 per cent of secondary and 42 per cent of primary schools had “excessive” surpluses). 14 In total, the surplus across all maintained schools in England amounted to £1.5 billion – eclipsing the total deficit of £195 million. However, of the maintained schools in surplus just under 10 per cent could have their reserves wiped out next year if their in-year balances remain the same.

According to Reform’s analysis of government spending data, 28 per cent of local authority maintained secondary schools and 8 per cent of maintained primary schools were in deficit in 2018-19. The average deficit was £570,000 per secondary school and £56,000 per primary.

The report says that the Government should be "smart in their spending by targeting additional funding where it is most needed."