Teacher shortages in England have reached a “crisis” point, with the Government failing to come up with a coherent plan to tackle a lack of staff in core subjects, MPs have warned.

Ministers need to take urgent action to address the shortage, which is set to worsen with a pupil numbers at secondary schools expected to spike by more than 500,000 to 3.3 million by 2025, an influential cross-party committee of MPs said.

Without sufficient numbers of teachers to ensure a high-quality education for young people, the country will struggle to rise to the challenges of Brexit, according to Neil Carmichael, chair of the Education Select Committee.

“The situation is very, very challenging, and as the population grows, efforts to recruit and retain good-quality teachers become even more critical than before,” Mr Carmichael told The Independent.

“Key subjects, including technology and sciences, are being neglected. If we are gearing towards high-skill, knowledge-based economy, how are we going to do that without enough teachers in place?”

“A big question for us to consider is how we can make sure teachers feel trusted and valued,” he added. “But it’s also about rising to the added challenges that leaving the EU will create for us. The Government must act or we will find ourselves in a real crisis.”

According to official government statistics, the overall number of full-time teachers in secondary schools fell by 10,000 between 2010 and 2015, the latest year for which figures are available.

Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Show all 20 1 /20 Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Singapore Singapore was the top performing country across all three subjects (maths, science and reading) in the 2015 PISA tables. The small Asian country is renowned for its high academic standards and produces excellent results, particularly in mathematics. Pupils here learn maths by what is known as the “mastery method,” which teaches children how to solve problems as a class and errs away from more traditional recitations of formulae. Singapore selects its teachers from the top 5 per cent of graduates, and teachers are very highly regarded as societal influencers. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Japan Japanese schools came in 2nd for Science, 5th in the world for maths and 8th for reading skills. Japan has one of the best-education populations, with zero illiteracy recorded and strong emphasis on arithmetic and geography. While children around the world typically learn between 26 and 33 letters of the alphabet, Japanese pupils will know 1,006 kanji characters by the time they leave primary school. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Estonia Dubbed the “new Finland” by some, Estonia has risen rapidly towards the top of the Pisa rankings despite being one of the world’s youngest countries. Estonia spends around 4 per cent of GDP on education. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Taipei Taiwan has been known as a centre for technical excellence for decades and its students perform consistently well in technology, maths and sciences. Education is compulsory from age six, and some 95 per cent of all students continue their education after age 15. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Finland Children in Finland don’t start school under age seven, yet consistently produce some of the best results in the world. The country’s education system has a somewhat alternative approach to that of most OECD countries, placing emphasis on playtime and creative learning. Pupils don’t sit tests until they reach 16. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Macau Most schools in Macau are private or subsidized. There are only a handful of government or state schools, which tend to teach in Portuguese or have a strong emphasis on pupils learning the language. The majority of schools are also selective grammar schools which focus heavily on languages, mathematics and sciences over vocational subjects. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Hong Kong A former UK colony, Hong Kong education has been closely modelled on the British system in the past,. Education is free and compulsory in primary and junior secondary schools. Independent schools follow the International Baccalaureate, UK or US curricula. The territory participates separately from China (Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong) in the Pisa league tables. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education South Korea South Korea has long been one of the world’s top academic achievers, but at the price of very long school days for students. Many start school by 8am, and carry on until late at night at private study clubs. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education New Zealand While the New Zealand school curriculum is not dissimilar to the UK’s, children here are not required to start school until age six. The country also has eight state-funded universities offering degrees in a range of subjects. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education China Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Slovenia Slovenia scored highly in this year’s maths and science results. Basic education for children ages six to 15 is compulsory and free for children in Slovenia. International citizens are taught the Slovenian language at the beginning of school. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Australia Australian Pisa candidates came in 14th place for Science, 15th place for reading and 23rd place for Maths – slipping down in the ranks on previous years. Australia has the third highest number of international students in the world behind the UK and US, despite having a much lower population overall. The school system is split mainly into government state-funded schools, Catholic faith schools and independent fee-paying schools. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education United Kingdom The UK jumped to 15th place for science in this year’s Pisa tables, up from 21st in 2012. According to the report, teachers in the UK are among the youngest across all developed countries. The total amount spent on British education exceeds that of most other participating countries – and critics argue the education system should provide better results because of this. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Germany Schooling in Germany is governed by individual states, which each have their own education departments and policies. Normally, children begin primary school at age six but secondary school options vary widely. Germany increased its expenditure on educational institutions from primary to post-secondary non-tertiary levels, despite declining enrolments, and teachers have competitive salaries compared to others as a result. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Netherlands Dutch children were found to be the happiest in the world in a 2013 Unicef study. Schools typically don't give much homework until secondary level and students report little pressure and stress. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Switzerland Just five per cent of children attend private schools in Switzerland. Lessons are taught in different languages depending on the region of Switzerland, with German, French or Italian the most common languages of instruction. From secondary onwards students are separated by ability. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Ireland The majority of secondary schools in Ireland are privately owned and managed but state-funded, but there are also state comprehensives and vocational schools. The country performed especially well in Pisa reading tests - coming in fifth place globally. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Belgium Belgian schools came in 15th place for science in this year’s Pisa table. Schools here are free, and regulated and financed by three separate communities – Flemish, French and German-speaking. Boys in Belgium perform significantly better than girls in school according the latest OECD reports. Rex Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Vietnam Education in Vietnam is state run system of public and private schools. The country took part in the Pisa tests for the first time in 2012 and scored higher in reading, maths and science than the UK and US. This is believed to be partly a result of high spending levels on education and hardworking culture instilled in children from a young age. Getty Pisa rankings 2015: The best countries in the world for education Canada Education is compulsory up the age of 16 in most Canadian provinces, apart from Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick where pupils must stay on until 18 or when high school diploma is achieved. The education system varies between French and English-speaking provinces. Rex

The committee’s report, published today, raises concerns about a lack of qualified staff teaching core subjects, with around a quarter of physics teachers unqualified in the subject.

It follows growing concern among teachers about their working conditions, with many highlighting “unmanageable workloads” as a key factor for choosing to quit the profession.

The committee’s report says the Government lacks a long-term plan to address teacher shortages and consistently fails to meet teacher recruitment targets.

“While recruiting sufficient new teachers is, of course, necessary, the Government should place greater emphasis on improving teacher retention,” the report says.

“Not only is this a more cost-effective way to tackle some of the issues, but more teachers staying in the profession for longer would strengthen the pool of leadership positions.”

It calls on the Government and school leaders to consider options such as “capping” the number of hours teachers work outside of teaching time in a bid to retain staff.

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Last month, the Government was forced to relax immigration restrictions in order to fill school vacancies, particularly in sciences and computing.

The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) warned maths and physics teachers remained in high demand, adding that computer-science and science teachers should be added to the list of most needed professions from those applying to work in the UK.

Government recruitment targets were missed in the majority of subjects, including physics, by 19 per cent and mathematics by 16 per cent. Design and Technology only reached 41 per cent of its recruitment target this year, raising questions about the Government’s strategy, the Committee said.

Teaching unions welcomed the acknowledgement of a “deepening crisis” but said the situation was unlikely to improve with a Government “in denial”.

“The Public Accounts Committee and now the Education Select Committee have both warned that ministers have no clear plan to address these issues and that the Government’s analysis of current and future teacher supply needs is seriously flawed,” said Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT.

“This report should act as a wake-up call to ministers that falling back on sticking plaster solutions such as the failed National Teaching Service will do nothing to address the systemic causes of the teacher supply crisis.”

A National Audit Office report warned school budgets are facing a further real-terms cut of £3bn over the next four years and there will need to be a reduction in spending by an average of 8 per cent per pupil by 2019-20.

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said while “unmanageable workloads” were an issue for concern, dramatic cuts seen to school funding also needed to be addressed.

“It is important for people to understand that the current education funding crisis is contributing significantly to these workload pressures. Schools are having to cut the number of teaching and support staff, and this inevitably means more work for those who remain.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said in a statement: “There are more teachers in England’s schools than ever before with secondary postgraduate recruitment at its highest since 2011.