Schools ‘should hire jobless teachers for substitution cover’

SCHOOLS have been asked by the Department of Education to hire unemployed teachers instead of retirees for substitution cover because of the huge number of graduates seeking work.

Almost 2,000 teachers have qualified from training courses as primary teachers this year, but education cutbacks have meant that most permanent jobs this autumn were taken up by teachers whose positions were lost at schools affected by increased pupil-teacher ratios.

However, concern has been expressed by some newly qualified teachers that schools are overlooking them in favour of retired teachers for substitution work which they need to gain classroom experience for future work.