What Does Brexit Mean For UK Education?

It seems that you can’t go anywhere lately without hearing that insufferable word that has split our nation, BREXIT!!. No doubt, a time will come where we will never hear the word again, but for the time being; it is here to stay.

Wherever there is a notion of Brexit, education is rarely spoken of, it just seems to be the Northern Ireland border, import/export deals, the divorce bill or what will happen to our beloved fisheries!

What must we be asking within the education sector when Brexit finally happens in March 2019? (This is highly unlikely now). Will EU trained teachers still come to the UK? Will trained teachers from outside of the EU still come into the UK?

Will Brexit increase our current shortages of Teacher Talent across Kent, make for harder school recruitment which is currently extremely challenging, what does the future of our Education human capital look like?

Numbers from the EEA (European Economic Area) show that 4,795 QTS awards were given in 2015-16 which is a 10% increase from the previous year. Also, outside the EEA there was a 22% jump from the previous year (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US).

Most of these counties offer highly skilled teachers but quite often only deliver short-term solutions due to visa restrictions unless ancestry or on the highly skilled teaching list!

 These figures show promise as qualified teachers are increasing and, through personal experiences, it is generally more difficult to obtain a teaching role within these countries. Therefore, what must the UK do in order to have a higher application rate for positions? We must make the education market desirable; but how do we do this?

In Kent, we have a huge shortage of teachers within primary, secondary and special needs. In our experience over the last few years, we have witnessed several schools taking on non-qualified teachers or daily supply to cater to their requirements. Schools would be better hiring a qualified cover teacher/PPA teacher or a dedicated class teacher so that the children and students of their school will have continuity. We must lower work-load for a better quality of life, ensure our teachers and support staff are cared for and ensure that they are trained to the best of their ability through continuous development as a county. Only time will tell.

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