Jobs portal launched to tackle schools recruitment crisis

The UK’s only regional schools network, which represents 1,250 schools, has warned that education establishments face an uphill battle with nearly 89 per cent of headteachers reporting issues with recruiting staff in the past year.

And 72 per cent of school leaders anticipate that finding teaching talent will become more difficult in the future.

The data comes as SCHOOLS NorthEast launches an online regional jobs portal – www.jobsinschoolsnortheast.com – to support schools from the Tees to the Tweed with recruitment and retention of teaching staff.

Jobs in Schools|North East, which will operate on a not-for-profit basis, aims to bring all vacancies – teaching and non-teaching – into one place to create a one-stop-shop for candidates to access career opportunities.

Mike Parker, director of SCHOOLS NorthEast, said: “Quality teaching is the lifeblood of our region’s future. We need to attract brilliant teachers who inspire pupils and give them the skills for life.

“North-East schools face significant challenges in finding quality teachers and the recruitment process can be a lengthy and costly experience. Our aim with this initiative is to give prospective candidates the widest view of the job opportunities available to them in the region’s schools.

“Nationally, nearly two-thirds of schools are making ‘significant’ cuts or dipping into reserves to stave off deficits and four in five school leaders say that budget cuts will have a negative impact on standards.

“In the North East, our school leaders report an ever more difficult drive to reduce unnecessary expenditure and focus it on where it really matters: on our students and young people. This regional recruitment solution will support North East schools to attract and retain the best teaching talent.”

Schools can upload unlimited vacancies for teaching and non-teaching posts for an annual subscription of £200 for primary and middle schools and £450 for secondary and all-through schools.

By offering a cost-effective solution, Jobs in Schools|North East will reduce the need for national advertising and retain talent in the region. It will provide schools with the opportunity to showcase themselves, while attracting quality candidates from the regional pool and making the most of the talent in the North East for their school.