Increase in proportion of unqualified teachers in alternative schools

Children excluded from mainstream schools are two-and-a-half times more likely to have an unqualified teacher, research has found. Analysis conducted jointly by education charity The Difference and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that the proportion of unqualified teachers in alternative provision rose by 17 per cent over the past two years, despite falling by six per cent in mainstream schools. Meanwhile, classroom vacancies in schools for excluded pupils have trebled over the past five years. As a result, excluded pupils are twice as likely to have a temporary supply teacher. The statistics come from analysis of Department for Education school workforce data, published in November. Analysts compared proportions of unqualified and temporary staff, and numbers of vacant posts in mainstream secondary schools, and special and alternative provision schools. Read more.