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PHYSICS IN SCHOOLS IV: SUPPLY AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS

Monday 30 June 2008

Dr Pamela Robinson & Professor Alan Smithers

In their fourth report on physics in schools, Supply and Retention of Teachers, published on 30 June 2008 by the Carmichael Press, Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson of the Centre for Education and Employment Research question whether the physics GCSE entitlement promised for September 2008 is achievable. The government has already retreated from making it statutory. There also has to be doubt over whether the target for a quarter of school science teachers to be physics specialists by 2014 will be met.

In the latest year for which complete statistics are available, 2005-06, 26 per cent more physics teachers left than were replaced by physics specialists. Applications to physics teacher training are currently down 27 per cent on last year. Physics is at the sharp end, but teacher training applications generally have fallen by ten per cent as tuition fees begin to bite.

Data from the Graduate Teacher Training Registry show that while physicists comprised 30 per cent of science teacher trainees in 1983, by 2007 the proportion had fallen to just 12 per cent.

These figures conflict with the most recent censuses of the Training and Development Agency for Schools, which show substantial increases in physics teacher trainees. But an important factor here seems to have been the providers re-classifying general science trainees as physics trainees in response to being paid a premium of £1,000.

The report is based on a re-analysis of national statistics and four specially conducted surveys of admissions tutors, teacher trainees, deployment across schools and leavers.

The report makes five recommendations for improving physics teacher supply and three technical recommendations to straighten the numbers out.

Dr Robinson said, "it is difficult to be sure of the current state of teacher supply because the government's target is hard to pin down and there is wide divergence in the statistics of the different agencies."

Read the full report in PDF format: physics-teachers.pdf (2,445 KB)

Report by the Web Team