ABSTRACT
The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. Across the globe, it is now accepted that first-rate teaching is one of the most important elements in creating and sustaining outstanding schools. According to figures on the School Workforce in England, there are now 7,000 unqualified full-time equivalent teachers in academies and free schools. This chapter discusses that the number of unqualified teachers is on the rise. In late 2013 South Leeds academy advertised for two unqualified maths teachers with a minimum of four GCSEs. There is now no requirement for teachers in academies and free schools to have GCSE qualifications, a degree or Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a crucial act of deregulation that is expected to be rolled out to all state schools at some point in the future. The vast majority believe that employing unqualified teaching staff in free schools was designed to save money, not improve standards.
