With recently released teacher recruitment figures again showing under recruitment in key areas, there continues to be a shortage of teachers in subjects such as maths and physics. Though hardly news to anyone in education, it’s clear that this is something that needs to be addressed and has been a priority for successive governments.
At the end of the scale, teacher retention is also something which has come into sharp focus during the pandemic. More and more staff are leaving the profession, overworked and burnt out; no longer willing to cope with the most trying times in modern memory.
With increased birth rates in the last few years, we’re set to see an explosion of new students in the next decade. So, with less new recruits, fewer teachers staying the course and many more students expected in the short to medium term, is a perfect storm brewing?
In short, we certainly need to see significant changes if this perfect storm is to be avoided. So, what can schools, colleges and the government do to support staff into the profession, and continue to support teachers to stay in the profession (as even if recruitment figures rise, a new teacher is not as valuable as an experienced one)?
Continual Professional Development
Well, with the government’s ‘golden thread’ CPD strategy unveiled in the last year, we have hopefully made a start on the key priority for developing good teachers. CPD is a key priority for those new to the profession, yes, but too often there is not enough targeted CPD for those who have been in the profession for several years. The new National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are certainly a move in the right direction, however more is still needed with the lack of a SEND National Professional Qualification a missed opportunity.
Additionally, most of these qualifications are aimed at those in Primary and Secondary education, and these qualifications are not always tailored to Further Education or Sixth Form teachers. Excellent, of course, that these qualifications are now fully funded, but the NPQs won’t suit all staff in all roles, and a more effective approach would be to offer funding (through teacher grants) for teachers to complete Masters programmes in TLA and leadership and management.
Timing is everything
Though there are a range of CPD options available to all teachers, the main difficulty staff face is finding time to do it. And this is reflected in all aspects of the job: whether juggling workload, completing intervention, attending meetings, answering emails or general admin, time is often the enemy. With burnout and workload often cited as reasons for leaving the profession, this is something all teachers need more of. So, what can we do?
Well, if the government is serious about recruitment of new teachers and retaining current teachers, a fundamental rebalance of timetabling and workload should be reflected in the hours teachers are expected to teach. Across settings and age ranges, many teachers teach somewhere between 22 and 24 hours – a reduction in this would not only revolutionise the way we work, but also help teachers in every way. Though moving to an 18-hour weekly timetable would not be cheap, the benefits of an ever-growing and more experienced workforce would far outweigh the financial cost.
Whether this time was given to staff to complete day to day tasks, or ring-fenced for CPD, the gift of time is something that all teachers need year-round.
It’s good to talk
For CPD to be truly effective, there should be time given to develop and implement innovation, but also time given to share and discuss that innovation with other practitioners. This will of course happen naturally in most settings, but opportunities should also be provided to teachers to discuss approaches with practitioners from outside their setting.
Over the years, exam boards and awarding organisations have often facilitated this (and it has become more common now that the world has moved to online and remote learning), but too many of these opportunities fall by the wayside with increased workload or no set agenda.
This is not to say that this should be formalised or tracked, but the DfE could certainly play a part in facilitating local and regional hubs using loose agenda points to discuss key priorities for all settings (potentially taken from evidenced backed reviews such as the Education Endowment Foundation’s latest release).
With professional development more important than ever before, it’s now more vital than ever that teachers have access to collaborative opportunities, the latest research and fully funded courses, qualifications and programmes. If the last 21 months have taught us anything, it is that we must always be prepared for whatever will support students best.
Eteach takes a blended approach to education recruitment with a suite of technology products and people services specifically designed to empower schools and colleges with a proactive recruitment strategy.
If you’d like to discuss education workforce solutions with one of our experts, get in touch today.
Client Portal Contact Us
About the author
Jonathan Kay
Jonny Kay is Head of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at a college in the North East. He has previously worked as Head of English and maths in FE and as an English teacher and Head of English in Secondary schools. He tweets @jonnykayteacher and his book, 'Improving Maths and English in Further Education: A Practical Guide', is available now.