**Teacher Shortage in Wales Threatens Education Reform Plans, Say Experts**
Wales is facing an increasing crisis in the recruitment and retention of teachers, with warnings emerging from educational leaders that this could undermine ambitious government reforms throughout the country’s schools. Concerns have been raised to the Senedd’s Children, Young People and Education Committee, highlighting that the Welsh Government’s drive to innovate in the education sector may falter unless urgent action is taken.
The latest figures reveal that one in five students enrolled in Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses to become secondary school teachers left their programmes during the 2023/24 academic year. This high attrition rate is a cause for alarm among those responsible for training new educators. University leaders suggest that negative perceptions about the teaching profession—specifically around demanding hours, elevated stress levels and overwhelming workloads—are a major factor deterring potential applicants.
Feedback from local education authorities echoes these concerns, painting a realistic picture of the challenges facing teachers. Long regarded as a profession with generous summer holidays, teaching is now associated with mounting pressures and significantly less appeal than in previous years, authorities note.
Dr Angella Cooze, Secondary Programme Director at Swansea University, addressed the committee to express her concerns. She emphasised that students considering a teaching career are increasingly deterred by perceptions of inflexible hours and formidable workloads within the sector. According to Dr Cooze, these negative views are more than just stereotypes—they reflect the authentic experiences of teachers on the frontlines.
The Welsh Government’s plans for education reform, including a new, more flexible curriculum and Wales-specific qualifications, hinge on having a sufficient number of high caliber teachers. Universities are now reporting that many student teachers are dropping out shortly after they undertake their first period of practical teaching, often described as a ‘shock’ to those with idealistic expectations about the profession.
David Stacey, Director of Initial Teacher Education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, reinforced these points, warning that without enough skilled teachers, the government’s educational ambitions hang in the balance. He stressed, “It is absolutely fundamental. This absolutely poses a risk to the very high aspirations of the national mission.”
Teacher shortages are felt particularly acutely in certain secondary subjects—including maths, chemistry, physics, and Welsh language—and are more pronounced in rural areas and within Welsh-medium schools. Education leaders report that the number of positions going unfilled is increasing, with some vacancies remaining open despite being re-advertised multiple times.
Councillor Deborah Davies, Deputy Leader of Newport City Council and the Welsh Local Government Association’s deputy spokesperson for education, told the committee that recruitment challenges are not driven by pay but by the increasing complexity and demands of the roles. “Children are entering school with greater needs… It’s not pay but the difficulties of the job which are creating problems in recruitment attraction,” she said.
Dr Lowri Brown, Vice Chair of the Association of Directors of Education in Wales, added that teaching is widely seen as an intense and high-pressure occupation with little flexibility compared to other professions, and that current efforts at reform are at risk if teacher numbers continue to decline. She pointed to societal changes, increased parental expectations and a fast pace of policy change as additional stressors.
School leadership positions are also proving difficult to fill. Councillor Davies reported that one secondary headteacher vacancy in her authority had to be advertised four times before being filled. She described the role as “all-encompassing” and “isolated”—factors which may be deterring qualified teachers from stepping up into leadership at a time when their skills are desperately needed.
The shortage of Welsh language teachers further complicates efforts to meet government targets to strengthen the use of Welsh in schools. With dwindling interest in entering the profession, unfilled posts, and growing demands on those who remain, education specialists warn that unless comprehensive action is taken, Welsh education reform could stall—impacting a generation of learners across the nation.