A NEW campaign aiming to tackle the shortage of teachers in Essex has been launched.

Essex County Council, which plans to spend £200million to create thousands of new school places in the next five years, has launched the drive to meet the demand for teachers.

The Teach In Essex campaign aims to promote the county as an excellent place to teach and live.

The council is working closely with the Association of Secondary Headteachers in Essex and Essex Primary Headteachers' Association.

It will target areas of the country where there is a known surplus of teachers.

The campaign will initially run until the end of March, although it is anticipated that there will be further phases in the future.

Ray Gooding, councillor responsible for education, said: “Essex is on a fantastic school improvement journey.

“More than four in five of the county’s schools are now rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted and exam results are also continuing to improve.

“Clearly a good supply of quality teachers is imperative if that progress is to continue and all pupils are to receive the best possible education.

“I am therefore delighted to have launched this campaign and look forward to continuing to work with schools in the future.

“Essex is a wonderful county to teach in and I would urge any teachers looking for a fresh challenge to take a look at what is on offer.”

For more information, visit essexschoolsjobs.co.uk