Michael Scott, senior economist at NFER and the blog’s author, said: “Special schools are a vital part of the education landscape in England, but relatively little work has been done to understand the issues facing teachers and staff in these schools.
Use of staff without QTS in special schools is highest in the East of England and London, areas where special schools appear to have greater teacher shortages, according to the research.
Rob Williams, senior policy adviser at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Support staff play a vital and rewarding role in helping children in special schools – but these findings echo what we hear from school leaders in these settings about the difficulties they face in affording, recruiting and keeping hold of teaching assistants.
Schools for children with special educational needs employ teachers without qualified teacher status more often than mainstream schools, research has suggested.
Margaret Mulholland, Send and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “There are serious recruitment and retention pressures in all types of schools and colleges, but the impact is particularly severe in special schools and alternative provision settings.
