Ref. 27054-10A HEADTEACHER has warned of an impending teacher recruitment timebomb.

David Williams, of Kingsdown School, Swindon, spoke angrily of Government interference and red tape during a highly-charged school presentation evening.

He told parents and governors at the Stratton St Margaret secondary school that he is being forced to turn to specialist international teaching recruitment agencies to fill vacancies.

He said: "It is certainly an indictment on teaching in this country when you have to look abroad.

"It's very sad when you cannot attract the staff particular graduates in certain key areas such as maths and English."

Mr Williams, who has also been at the helm of Headlands School in Cricklade Road since half term, said that in the last two weeks he has been in contact with six Australian and New Zealanders over vacancies at the schools. In the past Headlands has seen its school week reduced to four days because of staff shortages.

He blamed increasing red tape for the problem. "Schools are accountable to so many bodies it is no wonder that some lose their way," he said.

"How can we sensibly work day by day when we have to deal with the Department of Education and Skills, the Teacher Training Agency, Qualifications Curriculum Auth-ority, National College for School Leadership, Ofsted, LEAs? I could go on, and all that is before we've even considered talking to our pupils, staff or parents."

He said appointing and retaining good staff is proving increasingly difficult.

"Advertisements produce few applicants these days and on many occasions I have refused to appoint second best."

Although Kingsdown has made significant progress in online teaching, Mr Williams says that the teacher is still the number one asset in the classroom.

He said: "Our most important resource in the classroom is the teacher. Ask any student the effect that a dodgy teacher has on their motivation and learning.

"Watch their eyes light up when they talk about their favourite teacher who has really inspired them.

"The profession is becoming disenchanted and static. Education policy is utilitarian, centralised and over-monitored.

"The Government removes some of the chains but keeps us in the cage."

Mr Williams cited a quote in the national media from a teacher who said: "Teaching is a vocation for me but it gets annoying when you can't afford things in Asda."

He said last week's proposed 2.5 per cent pay increase for teachers was a "pay freeze" and said that it will lead to serious problems.

Ian Hill, local secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that foreign teachers are not the answer.

"Teachers from abroad need time to bed themselves into the system before they can deliver high quality teaching," he said.

"Staff shortage has been a significant problem in Swindon for the past four or five years.

"We are in the bottom three for funding and there is no doubt that schools are finding it hard. All their resources are being used up."

A Swindon Council spokesman confirmed it is looking at Australia and New Zealand to fill vacancies.

He said: "It seems to be the case that schools are no longer looking at recruiting from India and South Africa but instead at Australia, New Zealand and the USA for teachers. Hays Education Personnel visited Australia this year to try to recruit to Swindon schools."

Swindon Council currently has 16 full time unqualified oversees trained teachers on its books including 10 who completed their training outside the European Union. EU teachers are usually automatically qualified to teach in England.

Of these 16 unqualified teachers, four are in primary schools, 10 in secondary and two in special schools. The largest numbers of vacancies in secondary schools are in design technology, maths and science.

The council was unable to provide information on how many vacancies it has in its schools.

kshoesmith@newswilts.co.uk