The EA is pleased to join the Geographical Association, the Historical Association, the Association for Citizenship Teaching, the Association for Physical Education, and the National Association for Teachers of Religious Association in a shared statement highlighting the importance of subject specialist teachers. We hope that the incoming government hears this call to respect, build, and champion teachers’ subject expertise for the benefit of all learners.
You can read the full statement below, and the coverage of this statement in the tes (published 24 June 2024).
Joint Statement: Valuing the expertise of subject teachers
The impact of an educational system will always be determined by the quality of its teachers and young people deserve to be taught by teachers who are experts in their subjects and passionate for the benefits it can provide to their pupils’ lives.
Together we represent 10,000s of teachers across our respective subject specialisms. We know the value that our expert teachers bring to young peoples’ education. Indeed, we all owe our careers to ‘the’ teacher whose passion for their subject brought it to life in front of us and who encouraged us in our own futures.
However, we are concerned such positive experiences are becoming more limited, especially for young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. This is why we are calling on the next government to strengthen the recruitment of, and ongoing support for, expert subject teachers.
Currently, most secondary school subjects experience under-recruitment of trainee teachers, there is endemic use of non-specialists in the classroom, and a lack of ongoing commitment to subject focused professional support.
Together we call for the future Secretary of State for Education to build stronger links between relevant degree courses and teacher training programmes; review the ‘on-off’ approach to training bursaries and bring longer term stability; and provide a quantifiable career long CPD entitlement that can strengthen teachers’ subject expertise.
We regularly hear our political leaders, and other public figures, credit ‘their’ teacher – who’s enthusiasm and expertise helped them to set out on their own path. If all young people are to successfully navigate their own journeys into further study, the workplace and later life they deserve to be taught by similarly expert subject teachers too.
Yours,
Association for Citizenship Teaching Liz Moorse, Chief Executive
Association for Physical Education Sue Wilkinson MBE , Chief Executive
Association for Science Education Lynn Ladbrook, Chief Executive
English Association Dr Rebecca Fisher, Chief Executive
Geographical Association Steve Brace, Chief Executive
Historical Association Rebecca Sullivan, Chief Executive
National Association for Teachers of Religious Education Fiona Moss, Chief Executive
