Will you be taking a sabbatical?

[noblegiraffe]

Damian Hinds has just announced paid sabbaticals for teachers with 10+ years of experience of up to a year. It’s intended to improve retention.

The catch is you have to spend it doing something that will help you in the classroom on your return.

Not sure what I think. Wouldn’t a year away from the classroom just give people the nudge they need to leave teaching completely?

[PhoebeFriends]

I would certainly consider this. I am currently studying part time- distance learning for a post-grad in spld and it is tough going working full time and juggling family and studies. I need to find out more about the details, ie would it only apply to new study and how on earth would my school find someone to replace me!

[PotteringAlong]

I’d do it! Like a shot!

[noblegiraffe]

A paid masters would be great!

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

A year to sleep, plan and reshape a curriculum could be done from my bed - would that count?

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

In truth, though, no way will heads allow this - unless there is a grand plan to cover

[PotteringAlong]

You’ll just recruit for a year like maternity cover I imagine.

[PixieN]

I’d definitely think about it & would love to do a masters. I would also love to travel, but have family commitments that would make it difficult.

It’s good that retention is being considered. I’m 10 years in & would be really happy if part of my student loan could be paid off. A friend who qualified a couple of years before me had hers wiped off when she entered the teaching profession. That would be a real incentive for me - perhaps the government could match what you’re putting in when you’ve done so many years so it’s paid off quicker....

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I'd definitely be interested.

I'd like to finish my Masters and I'd also like time to properly coordinate my thinking/resources about the Literature texts, so that I could teach them better myself and also better support colleagues in teaching them. It would be amazing to have time to reflect, rather than just trying to do everything on the hoof all of the time, because we're had so many spec changes in the last ten years or more.

[PinkTipz]

I would rather have four blocks of three months, or even two blocks of six. I think the risk of having a full year off is at first I would just spend it catching up on sleep, and family life! I might be more productive in smaller ‘chunks’.

[CarrieBlue]

Who’s going to pay for it? Since experienced teachers not get shortlisted anymore which headteacher will pay both the teacher’s salary and cover for a year?

I also doubt that many ordinary classroom teachers will get a look in - middle management will be prioritised because ime bog standard teachers don’t matter.

And who is going to go back afterwards? Once you’ve tasted freedom it would be madness to put yourself back in prison!

[PurpleDaisies]

Will this actually help retention though? If the job is awful day to day, how many people will stick it out so they can do a sabbatical after ten years? The money would be miles better spent improving schools so teachers don’t want to leave.

[Mistoffelees]

I would definitely take advantage of it and use it to do some volunteer work in schools that match my teaching style to better understand how to implement that in my own school, I'd also go on some extended holidays/travelling which we'd be able to afford not having to go in term time. But I already hate going back after the summer holidays so I imagine going back after a year would be really difficult, especially if I'd found my dream school whilst volunteering.

[Mistoffelees]

*being able to go in term time

[Piggywaspushed]

I thought a couple of things :
a) at 10 years in, many many women are planning babies etc. How would heads view sabbaticals for female staff who have just taken a maternity leave? Or might be due to. DH thinks the sabbatical should be' used to have the baby' which could be a representative male view...
b) after a year in industry ( a suggested sabbatical) will the scientists want to come back
c) are you sure it's paid?
d) it doesn't have to be a year pink : it can be shorter, or done in blocks

I am aware that is not a couple of things...

There is someone at our school who did this unpaid a few years back, but he was a favourite, ex pupil of the school, ex head boy and a much required physicist. he went to America for a year , got married, cam back and took up his old job then got divorced

[Layla75]

I believe it works well for retention in Canada. They have a scheme which you can opt into which means you get paid 6/7 of your salary every year with year 7 being a paid career break. They had found that 7 years was the most frequent time for burn out. That said you could use the year out for anything.

As someone who is taking a much needed career break unpaid after 22 years at the chalkface I would have jumped at this opportunity.

[BringOnTheScience]

Where are all these one year placements going to come from?! It'll be entry level work surely?

[CarrieBlue]

I would also guess that ‘shortage subject’ teachers may not find it so easy to get a sabbatical approved - who will cover?

[spanieleyes]

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/teachers-offered-a-year-s-paid-leave-to-boost-recruitment-j8dm5h8fh
But don't all rush yet

"The government has given the scheme £5 million, which will cover 138 year-long sabbaticals or about 400 term-long breaks."

438000 teachers and 138 sabbaticals! There might be quite a waiting list!

[mnahmnah]

Frantically trying to think of what I could do for a year, that could justify them paying me, while doing the school run and zero childcare costs....

[Eggzandbacon]

Teachers with experience tend to teach the older year groups (in my experience) like year 11.
Replacing them with NQTs for a year (which is the reality of most year appointments) is a disastrous idea.

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I’d rather have a decent pay rise. That would solve the retention issue.

[castasp]

I'd take a sabbatical like a shot, but I think the money would be better spent just giving us all more PPA time.

It seems so blindingly obvious to me that this would massively reduce stress/workload, and therefore improve retention. I assume it's just too expensive though.

[Piggywaspushed]

Agreed emoji and cast!

I read about a MAT that gives all their teachers at least 20% PPA . Now, that's a start.

[castasp]

20% PPA would be perfect - the equivalent of one lesson a day at my school.

[gingerbreadbiscuits]

More PPA would be amazing. This year I am leaving teaching. I one of the 20% off staff at our school to have already handed in my notice. Many, like myself, are leaving with no job to go to.