Quantity Over Quality? Why the Teacher Recruitment Push Makes Me Want to Cry

This week, a Schools Week article highlighted the Department for Education’s push to urgently recruit 6,500 more teachers. On the surface, this sounds like good news - we’re facing a national teacher shortage, and quick action is needed. But as a recruiter, I read it and honestly… it made me want to cry.

Why? Because once again, quality is being treated as an afterthought.

Yes, quantity is important. Yes, we desperately need more teachers in classrooms. However, if we ignore quality, we are simply storing up bigger problems for the future. The idea of solving a recruitment crisis by waving through underprepared or underqualified candidates is not just flawed - it’s dangerous.

Hiring Mistakes Cost Schools and Students Dearly

I see firsthand the damage done when schools are forced to hire out of desperation. Unqualified or ill-suited candidates might look like a short-term fix, but they almost always result in long-term pain. Poor teaching impacts student outcomes, causes disruption in schools, and contributes to staff turnover as stretched colleagues pick up the slack. These are real consequences that ripple far beyond the classroom.

Worse still, these hiring mistakes are expensive. We’re talking millions of pounds in wasted government funding, recruitment costs, lost time, and, most crucially, lost learning for students. And who pays for all this? Ultimately, the taxpayer.

If we want to build a sustainable education workforce, we need to invest in quality first, rather than hoping that it will somehow sort itself out later.

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom: The Opportunity for Education Suppliers

Despite my frustration, there is a glimmer of hope, and it comes in the form of our fantastic education suppliers. Providers like Best Practice Network and others are already stepping up to the plate, offering high-quality training and support for both unqualified and newly qualified teachers.

This surge in applications, however mixed in quality, is an opportunity. With the right infrastructure in place, we can take enthusiastic but underprepared candidates and turn them into excellent teachers. But that requires coordinated support, mentoring, and rigorous training, not just a bigger intake form.

Education suppliers are well-positioned to assist here, whether through subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses, mentoring frameworks, leadership development, or SEND training. This is a moment for the sector to innovate, collaborate, and demonstrate the value it brings not just to schools, but to the future of the entire profession.

A Final Plea: Let Quality Lead

Recruiting at scale without maintaining standards is a false economy. The focus must be on quality first, even if it takes longer or costs more in the short term. Anything less risks undermining the very fabric of our education system.

So yes, by all means, let’s go out and recruit. Let’s hit the targets. But let’s also remember that every application is not a solution until the person behind it is truly ready to teach. Schools deserve better. Students deserve better. And frankly, so do taxpayers.