Labour, the political party in the UK, has unveiled a plan to provide a financial incentive of £2,400 to early-career teachers in England in order to address the issue of teacher attrition.

As part of the proposal, Labour aims to reinstate the requirement for new teachers to possess a formal teaching qualification or be actively pursuing one. This requirement was eliminated by the coalition government in 2012. According to government data, nearly 20% of teachers who obtained their qualifications in 2020 have already left the profession.

Under Labour's plan, the £2,400 payment would be granted to teachers upon completion of the Early Career Framework, a training program that spans the first two years of their teaching career. The estimated annual cost of this pay boost is £50 million.

To fund these incentives, Labour intends to remove tax breaks currently enjoyed by private schools. Additionally, the party pledges to enhance professional development opportunities for teachers and consolidate the various funds that offer financial incentives to teachers into a single unified system. This consolidation is expected to facilitate addressing shortages in specific subjects or geographical areas more efficiently.

Labour aims to restore the status of teaching as a respected and esteemed profession, recognized as a skilled occupation that contributes to the nation's progress. The party asserts that the requirement for all new teachers to possess qualified teacher status will lead to the establishment and continual improvement of high standards in schools across England.

It is important to note that education is a devolved matter, meaning that Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have the authority to set their own regulations. The removal of the formal teaching qualification requirement in 2012 affected academies, free schools, and private schools. It remains unclear if Labour's proposed policy would apply to private schools as well. Photo by Ilmicrofono Oggiono, Wikimedia commons.