Almost every teacher at a leading Weston secondary school is unqualified, statistics suggest.
In Priory Community School, rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, a total of 98.5 per cent of staff lacked Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in November 2018.
Acting general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union Chris Keates criticised schools with high proportions of unqualified teachers.
She said: “It is unacceptable that children and young people are being denied their fundamental entitlement to be taught by qualified teachers.”
The QTS statistics were unearthed by the Reach Data Unit, based on figures submitted by schools and local authorities to the Department of Education.
Most state schools require teachers to have QTS, but academies and free schools are allowed to recruit staff without it.
A person usually achieves QTS through a post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE), but it can also be obtained from some degrees.
The Bristol school with the highest proportion of unqualified teachers was Colston’s Girls’ School (CGS), where 27.1 per cent of teachers did not have an official teaching qualification in November 2018.
Across all state schools in Bristol - primary and secondary - 2.5 per cent of staff lacked QTS in November 2018.
CGS acting principal Kerry McCullagh said: "Whilst the vast majority, over 97 per cent, of teachers at CGS have qualified teacher status (QTS) there are some circumstances where subject knowledge and expertise is prioritised over the QTS status.
"All teachers at CGS are provided with the same professional development programme and are held to the same exceptionally high standards of teaching and learning."
Bristol Live contacted Priory Community School for comment.
Priory Community School is an academy for students aged 11-16.
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