A quarter of state secondary schools in England will start the new term with no dedicated physics teacher, with schools in poorer areas worst affected, according to analysis by the Institute of Physics (IoP). The lack of specialists means more than half (58%) of pupils studying for a science GCSE will have the physics component taught by a teacher who has not studied a physics-related subject beyond the age of 18.
An estimated 700,000 pupils are affected, the IoP said, calling for urgent action to tackle what it describes as a “chronic and critical” shortage of specialist physics teachers. The report says students in schools without a specialist physics teacher are half as likely to go on to study A-level physics, “a crucial gateway” to further studies leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).
The IoP calculates that more than 12,000 students are missing out on taking A-level physics as a direct result of having no specialist teacher, while more than 300 English state secondaries are failing to produce any pupils who progress to study physics at A-level. The shortage is having a bigger impact on students in disadvantaged areas, with only 4% of students in the lowest socioeconomic status quintile taking physics A-level, compared with about 11% in the highest quintile.
The lack of physics teachers is down to three decades of low recruitment and high attrition rates, leaving the state system in need of an additional 3,500 specialists. While recruitment has improved, with physics teacher training recruitment up from 17% of the government’s target in 2023 to 30% last year, retention remains a problem: nearly half (44%) of newly trained physics teachers leave the profession within five years.
The IoP is urging the UK government to invest in a £120m, 10-year programme to tackle the crisis. Tom Grinyer, the IoP’s chief executive, said: “This report paints a worrying picture of an education system struggling to find and keep the physics teachers we need. That means hundreds of thousands of young people being taught physics by non-specialists.” A Department for Education spokesperson said the government is delivering on its pledge to recruit and retain 6,500 more teachers, with a 25% increase in teacher training acceptances in Stem subjects.
