Schools in England struggling to recruit teachers are spending £1.3bn per year on supply staff, an increase of more than a quarter over two years, says the Labour Party. Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell says schools face “chronic shortages” of teachers and blamed the government for “talking down the profession”. Last week head teachers warned MPs of deepening recruitment problems. The Department for Education said Labour’s claims were “misleading”. “The number and quality of teachers is at a record high,” said a spokeswoman for the education department. Read the full article here via the BBC -> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35092066