Responding to the government's announcement of £196m to support trainee teachers, Ian Hartwright, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“These proposals follow a well-worn path which has failed to deliver and by focusing so heavily on recruitment the government isn’t doing nearly enough address the similarly concerning crisis in retention of teachers and school leaders.

“It’s like filling a bath without a plug to keep the water in. Almost 44,000 teachers left the profession last year and retention rates for new recruits after their first year teaching actually fell. While the government points to record numbers of teachers in schools, it fails to mention that the number of pupils in state funded schools in England has risen by almost double the rate of the teaching workforce.

“Without a far more ambitious and comprehensive approach from the government, school leaders will continue to struggle to ensure all children have the teachers they need to flourish. It’s vital the government’s refreshed recruitment and retention strategy includes tangible measures to tackle the route causes of this crisis, including not only unsustainable levels of workload, but also the damaging impact of Ofsted inspections and the real-terms pay cuts inflicted on the profession over the last decade.”