Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy: More part time, less scrutiny, teacher dating website

[noblegiraffe]

OK not a teacher dating website, but a website where wannabe part time teachers can hook up with other wannabe part time teachers to create the perfect jobshare (I’m a bit dubious about this tbh).

Anyway the gist is nothing earth-shattering although the bit from the attached photo is nice - Ofsted don’t care about data tracking or targets or predictions and won’t ask for lesson planning or marking evidence (although they’ll do book scrutinies so presumably they still want to see marking?). No changes to GCSEs or A-levels within the current government (so the next 6 weeks then).

Teacher training bursaries to be staggered like maths is this year to encourage retention (will this affect recruitment if you don’t get a fat sum upfront?). NQTs+1 will get a 5% reduction on their timetable which is good.

They want more teachers to work part time. Apparently in the real world 40% of women in the workforce are part time but in teaching it’s only 28% and loads of secondary teachers who quit full time teaching go on to part time jobs elsewhere. I guess timetablers will have to get over the notion that splitting classes is bad for the kids, when not having a qualified teacher to teach them at all is worse. Will encouraging more teachers to go part time retain enough teachers to make up for the drop in hours though?

ITT applications process is to be streamlined to make it less confusing with all the possible routes available. I searched the document and couldn’t see anything about teaching apprenticeships so wonder if that’s been kicked into the long grass.

Disappointingly, the thing that would make the biggest difference: increased PPA, is nowhere to be seen for experienced teachers.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/773755/6.5092_DFE_Teacher_Retention_Strategy_Report_v10.pdf

[noblegiraffe]

Oh and if you’re an NQT hoping for 5% reduction next year, I don’t think it will come in till 2021. Sorry.

[astuz]

The part-time thing pisses me off. basically the government want us to fund our own PPA by going part-time.

This is what they've managed to get GPs to do, but they earn a much higher wage in the first place than teachers!

[bridgetjonesmassivepants]

Exactly Astuz! This is what I have already have to do - I work part time because otherwise I would never see my children. I have had to take a pay cut to ensure that my job is in any way manageable.

What about some cash or extra PPA thrown at the experienced teachers? We are really the ones that the government should be looking to retain.

[noblegiraffe]

I think the government looked at the figures and decided that the biggest need for money was new teachers because 1 in 5 are gone within 2 years.

Older teachers will be sorted by them going part time.

I don’t think there was any mention of the promised 1 year sabbatical after 10 years in the report either. Wonder if that’s been binned.

[Yumyumbananas]

I would like to see part time being easier for senior leaders!

[Piggywaspushed]

I must be a lone voice here : I don't want to work part time : I never have. I want more pressure put on leaders to reduce workload and resist fads, and to support their staff, especially in supporting discipline.

I read something today that said, the longer you stay in teaching, the more jaded you become by constant policy change,and the less tolerant. Sounds about right.

We'll end up with a workforce of part time women and full time men : surely this exacerbates the gender pay gap and the dominance of men in senior teams?

Of course, if you want to eb aprt tiem, all power to you and your wroking conditions should be better than they are.

[astuz]

I'm agreeing with you Piggy, when I said what I did upthread - the only reason the government want to make it easier for us all to go part-time, is so that we effectively do our PPA time for free (i.e. we go down to 3 days or whatever, then spend the other 2 days doing PPA, effectively for free).

For the reasons you state, they need to make full-time do-able, which costs money because it would almost certainly involve increasing PPA time, so this government will never agree to it.

[Piggywaspushed]

So very true!

[MissMarplesKnitting]

Well part time to me has been career suicide in that no school allows even second in department TLR to part timers.

If this improves I'll be impressed. I feel like I'm wasting my brain. I can't go full time right now with husband's job but I'm increasingly frustrated at not having an impact.

[Dermymc]

How about addressing the real issues. Why do the government not look at the reasons why so many teachers quit? They can earn more money for far less work/pressure in other jobs.

Why not try and keep the workforce they have.

I don't want part time.

[Holidayshopping]

Going part time just to enable you to cope with the obscene workload is pension suicide though.

Maybe that’s what they want!

[noblegiraffe]

Hah you and me both, MissMarple. It’s very frustrating seeing people with less than half my experience be promoted above me.

[Mrsrockwell]

It’s a shame they didn’t remove the “outstanding” judgement that schools seem to endlessly obsess about if you ask me

[MissMarplesKnitting]

Agree Noble.

Half of me gets so damned frustrated by the utter crap that goes on in school. The time spent of stuff that actually doesn't help the kids LEARN. The arse covering. The parent placating. The trying to keep SLT off your back constantly.

That's what grinds me down. I couldn't do full time at the moment. Not enough hours or brainspace.

[MidniteScribbler]

Focusing on recruiting new teachers is missing the point. Retention is the problem. My old school, I would look around and there were all these bright bubbly new graduates who didn't have a clue what they were in for, and a very small handful of mostly jaded older teachers who just didn't have time in their day to be the mentor they wanted to be to the young teachers. Gone are the days when there was a good mix and experienced teachers would pass on their knowledge to the new grads and help them develop their skills. You're going to end up with a workforce of people who stay in the job for 3-5 years, and then be back at square one trying to work out how to convince new people to become teachers. There are plenty of teachers, you just need to retain the good ones that are already there.