Responding to new research from the Royal Society of Chemistry, which found that some schools would struggle to offer three separate science GCSEs if the government takes forward a recommendation to give all students that option, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“While the idea of a triple science entitlement is welcome in principle, these findings underline the extent the scale of the challenge the government will face in ensuring schools have the teachers, resources and facilities needed.

“While recruitment to teacher training in STEM subjects improved last year, the number of secondary pupils on roll has increased significantly in recent years. To truly improve teacher availability in the sciences and across the curriculum, this improvement must be sustained.

“Crucially, action is also needed to ensure new recruits enjoy the job and do not choose to leave the profession within a few years, with the most recent workforce data showing almost a third (32.6%) of newly qualified teachers quit within five years, the highest proportion since 2014. 

“The government needs a clear focus on ensuring teaching in all schools and across all subjects is an attractive long-term proposition. That means acting to address concerns over unsustainable workload and a harmful accountability system which damages wellbeing, - while also going further in supporting flexible working and ensuring teachers are fairly rewarded for their efforts after a decade in which real-terms pay nose-dived.”