• Teachers are facing increased workloads, higher stress and fewer resources
• Schools struggling to retain teachers with system propped up by goodwill of individuals 
• Plymouth has one of the lowest education spend per head in the UK 

Today in Parliament Luke Pollard MP asked the Minister for Schools what is being done to retain the best teachers in the profession. Teachers are having to contend with increased workloads whilst cuts to funding are limiting the range of subjects that can be offered. 

The system is now reliant on the dedication and goodwill of individuals who continue to teach out of passion for their job.  

Luke Pollard MP said: 

“Plymouth has one of the lowest education spends per head in the United Kingdom. Each of our children, on average, is valued £415 less than a child in a London postcode, and £300 less than the national average. That shortfall adds up. As a result of funding cuts class sizes have increased and the numbers of teachers and teaching assistants have decreased. 

 

“Budget cuts also mean that a lot of schools in Plymouth now offer just one language at GCSE. Teachers in Plymouth have told me that language A Levels are starting to disappear from curriculums. To teach more foreign languages in schools we need to recruit and retain the very best teachers. Recruiting teachers is becoming more difficult because they are being asked to more and more with less and less. 

 

“Since being elected I’ve consistently called for more funding to our schools. Labour would make sure schools are properly resourced by reversing this Government’s cuts and ensuring that all schools have the resources they need. We will introduce a fairer funding formula that leaves no school worse off while redressing the historical underfunding of certain schools. Plymouth students and their teachers deserve their fair share of resources.”