Staffing crisis in schools - teachers/school staff, what's your school like?

[noblegiraffe]

Discussions with fellow teachers about the current crisis in school staffing has raised the issue of whether parents know how bad it is. I guess they won't know if we don't tell them?

My school - struggling to recruit teachers. There are subjects at A-level where students are currently teaching themselves, and with no prospect of a teacher on the horizon. Last year we had similar issues, pupils went into exams not fully prepared, and coursework was a huge problem. At GCSE where we couldn't recruit, there was a teacher in front of the class, but not qualified in that subject and pupils complained about the syllabus not being taught.

TA provision has been cut to the bone. There is only in class support if a child has an EHCP, this support is then spread to other children who need help. Due to backlogs with EHCP applications, and applications routinely being rejected (the assumption is automatic rejection, then appeal) some very needy children get no additional help in class. In addition, we have bigger classes due to leaving teachers not being replaced, so teachers are spread even more thinly.

There are huge concerns about teacher recruitment for next year as the number of trainees on local PGCE courses has collapsed.

And I know my school is in a relatively good position compared to others.

It is knife-edge. We are critically in debt and every attempt to balance a budget gets torpedoed by another government decision. This year it was an unfunded pay rise. We’d even tried to head that off by working an amount into the budget, but we didn’t foresee 5%.

As SLT we are doing our best, but staff are tired, overworked, pissed off and I don’t blame them. There’s no money for resources, people are increasingly having to teach outside of their subjects to fill up timetables and an inability to find supply staff means we are all doing more cover than a few years ago. We’re having to make decisions that we wouldn’t choose to make if we could afford to do otherwise.

It’s an outstanding girls’ school where behaviour is very good but we still can’t fill positions. We’ve had a revolving door of not-good agency staff in a couple of posts this term and could not fill another so have a whole load of teachers from other departments who were under-timetabled filling in gaps in the KS3 timetable. It’s tough.

As a HE parent active in the HE community, this government does NOT want parents to home educate. Not at all. They're putting in plan after plan to restrict us, to force additional admin on us, give us more hoops to jump through. Including forcing us to use their national curriculum (although private schools don't have to), and encouraging local authorities to overstep their legal boundaries: several now frequently doorstep HE families with the police in tow, with an assumption of guilt. So far we've largely fought it off.

What this government seems to actually want is to separate it the absolute toffs, then the lower level private pupils and a few privileged schools in good areas, and reduce the hoi polloi to uneducated masses. A more easily managed workforce.

Remember the tories in the early 90s? A return to Victorian values? Yup. Still the plan.

And I NEVER believed in conspiracy theories.

Am assuming the Tory plan is just reduce budgets. I mean most of them have never been to a state school before or now nor would they care to. Their assumption must be same as with NHS - it takes a large part of our budget - can we shrink it. It will have little impact on their lives, they dont really know much about it so why not.

What this government seems to actually want is to separate it the absolute toffs, then the lower level private pupils and a few privileged schools in good areas, and reduce the hoi polloi to uneducated masses. A more easily managed workforce.

Sadly I fear this is true

Dear Mrs xxxx,

Having agreed to meet with you on Monday morning, I have since come to realise that it would be a pointless exercise. I was hoping that School might pull a rabbit out of the hat, and xxxx a reason to want to stay in school, but it has dawned on me that this will not happen.

You have already confirmed that xxx would have to move class. Xxx's one pull factor for going to school at present was to be with his friend. Now that this opportunity has been taken away, there is nothing positive left for him at school. Xxx told me that he was worried about where he would end up. There are students that dislike him across the school year, and having to find his place in a new class would be a whole new level of stress.

It seems to me that historically he has always started the term well, but as time goes on things have got harder. Obviously Xxx is not completely innocent, but as his stress levels build up he finds it harder to control his feelings, and I have noticed these seasonal changes in him at home also.

I believe that one or two staff members might understand the bullying and rejection he is subjected to daily. But the majority of the time teachers do not seem to notice / care, as Xxxx is deemed to be the naughty one. The one at fault, always.

Academically, Xxx appears to be underachieving massively. He was assumed to be fairly intelligent while at primary school, yet he tells me he has been getting test results as low as 20% recently.

He was surprised to have been graded level 4 in his English test (one of his stronger subjects). He tells me he does not enjoy his lessons, has predominantly supply teachers, and does not believe that the teaching quality is adequate. He also tells me he has been getting into arguments with teachers a lot recently. I do not understand why this has started happening but obviously it is unhelpful for everyone involved. Academic success was one of my reasons for keeping him in school, but the possibility of this happening has been diminishing.

I am obviously not a perfect parent. If I was, then all three of my children would be "good", not just two of them. I have spent a long time trying to believe that trained professionals in school should know better than me. I have tried to work with school, but have come to realise that I cannot always take what is said at face value. To this day, I do not know whether concerns about the possibility of Xxxx having special needs were genuine or not. I was told that the social services enquiry would lead to Xxx, getting "the help he needs". I have no idea what that meant, when I told the social worker she seemed very surprised that anyone would consider their services helpful.

When I came to school last Monday with Xxx for a reintegration interview, having received a letter from the Head teacher over the weekend, my appearance seemed unexpected. We waited over twenty minutes before a member of staff (neither of which were mentioned in the letter) was found to have this meeting with us. This did little to reassure me that communication from the school can be taken seriously.

Honest communication is a must, from my point of view, and I am tired of trying to guess what school staff mean.

If I send Xxx back to school I am sentencing him to continue his downward spiral in happiness, learning, and behaviour. Although taking him out of school is a difficult decision, I believe that allowing him to stay at school whilst suffering essentially amounts to neglect.

Therefore Xxxx and I will not be attending the meeting on Monday, and Xxx will not be returning to school.

An official letter will follow in due course.

Yours sincerely,

I'm sorry to hear about your DS's experience at school, Anonymous. Schools are failing many children at the moment.

I don't know, I think Michael Gove as Ed Sec genuinely wanted to improve state education and make it equivalent to a private education (however misguided his approach).

I think since then, they just haven't cared enough about state education to pay it any attention, or give it any funding. More neglect, than a deliberate nefarious plan.

To be fair, children should not be arguing with teachers. It’s very disrespectful. I’d be furious if I found out that any of my kids were doing that, and I would not be sticking up for them either. How can anyone teach your son when that is his attitude towards authority?

Thanks @noblegiraffe for starting this thread. I'm a parent, not a teacher but I work in SEND as a legal consultant. I know exactly how bad things are at the moment and when I've got my parent hat on and the class WhatApp starts up with the moaning about school (and my child's school is actually very good, they're still up shit creek though) I always push back.

My job used to be, in years gone by, much more kicking schools up the backside because generally they were being a bit crap with SEN support/applying for EHCPs/trying to simply get rid of children with challenging behaviour by way of so many suspensions that parents gave up and found a new school. I'd do a handful of appeals/tribunals and they were certainly the more complex needs/cases often involving children who need special school places.

Not anymore. I'm routinely doing on paper appeals on Refusal to Assess and so so many Need, Provision and Placements (Sections B, F and I) in person Tribunals. Frequently. For nonsensical cases. So many schools now refusing to be named in Section I for new or existing pupils even when an EHCP is granted because even though they could meet need on a normal day/year with the funding NOW they can't because that funding just falls into a black hole of deficit and they can't recruit a 1:1 TA with the skills needed anyway!! Even if they did that 1:1 would inevitably end up shared around with other children who need support but don't get it unless the child has a parent who can advocate successfully enough to prevent that from happening.

I posted this below on a similar thread the other day and I'm reposting it here because it's very relevant. Even with SEND aside, things are bad, very bad. But this is making things so much worse.

"An enormous problem in state schools at the moment is the levels of SEN and the lack of funding, support and training.

That's aside from the other enormous issues of a general lack of funding/overstretched budgets, teachers having to work ridiculous hours with ridiculous expectations upon them and being made ill from the stress of it all, etc etc.

I'll caveat this by saying that I work in SEND (not in/linked to a school) and also have a child with SEND and an EHCP in a state primary. So when I talk about the children, know that I am not for one minute blaming them, their parents or the schools. You will of course have a handful of awful parents/teachers etc, but these are not the majority.

A key issue is local authorities having their fixed view everywhere you look that 'inclusion in mainstream' is the aim. Inclusion in mainstream for children with SEN is wonderful and should absolutely be encouraged IF it's right for that child and IF they can obtain a place at a school that can truly meet their needs. Inclusion at mainstream for lots of children is not appropriate, not do-able, and actually leads to the children not coping and eventually either being formally excluded or removed from school by their parents because they just can't cope with it anymore. Someone posted a link to a report that was recently published over on the SEN education board a couple of weeks ago and a corresponding protest by parents in one county. The report is absolutely hair-raising and heartbreaking. I encourage you all, especially teachers/school staff, to have a read.

My child does receive the support on her EHCP but only because I have the background and time to be able to (re)write an absolutely watertight (specific, quantified and detailed) section F, lock horns with the local authority when they piddle about arguing trying to make things woollier and trying to remove things that they shouldn't, and ensure that it's followed at school. Most parents do not have the background that I do so I understand why lots of EHCPs are just aren't worth the paper they're written on. My child's very first one was crap.

I see, in schools that I visit for my job and at my own child's school, (mainly primaries, I work less with secondaries) that you have classes now, where you might have 30 children. It's not uncommon for them to have at least 6-7 on SEN support, at least 1 with EHCPs probably 2 so that's around a third of the class. You've then likely got others who are flying under the radar because they're not disruptive but still need more help, perhaps they have a specific but as yet unidentified learning difficulty or they might just be finding it hard to grasp certain skills. The teacher has to maintain behaviour, support the children with SEN differently (and each of them will have differing needs), abide by the EHCPs and then alongside all that, actually teach, mark, review etc! It's an impossible ask. Especially given that most teachers have very little specific SEN training.

I know of one class at a primary just over the county border from me that's a prime example. KS1, 30ish children mixed year group. They have 10 children on SEN support for varying reasons, 2 with EHCPs, 2 with EHC needs assessments in progress. There's are a further 2 who likely will be on at least SEN support very soon. That's half the class! There is a class teacher, two 1-1 TAs for the EHCP children and 1 class TA who is supposedly for the class but ends up split between the two children who are going through the EHCNA process. Both of these children need 1-1 support at least some if not all of the time, without a doubt. Without it, they are highly disruptive, very violent to other children and adults, destructive to property etc and at least one of them leads to classroom evacuations probably once a week. It's not their fault, their needs are not being met and they're lashing out. Totally common for children with some SEN. But realistically how much can the school take? It is ridiculous for a mainstream classroom of approx 30 to have - if they get what they need along with the other EHCP children - a teacher and FOUR 1-1 TAs assigned to specific children.

Some children with SEN, when properly supported, can thrive in an inclusive mainstream and truly love going. My child is one of them (at the moment!). I am extremely lucky. But for those children whose SEN means that actually they are unlikely to ever be able to access the curriculum or behave in such a way that doesn't hurt people, or manage their day without significant and harmful levels of distress, inclusion in mainstream is NOT the answer. Sometimes, nor is the current 'bar' for special schools. There is a whole group of children with SEN out there that would never qualify for a special school place or actually do well there especially if they have no learning difficulties (I see lots of neurodivergent children, generally autistic or with ADHD who're averagely to extremely academically able) but equally who will never cope with a traditional mainstream classroom environment.

The answer for these children is enhanced provision/hubs within mainstream schools. There are a few cropping up now and for the most part if they're staffed with experienced and well trained in SEN teachers they're great. But they're not common and they're not well funded and let's be honest which school can afford these days to fund this sort of thing themselves. Where do the staff come from?

If the local authorities and the government fixed the issues with SEN in schools and dropped the 'inclusion in mainstream at all costs' bullshit then that would go a LONG way to resolving some of the issues that schools are experiencing. Wouldn't fix it all of course.

You'll notice in my (very longer than planned!) post I've barely mentioned the children in class without SEN. That's telling isn't it. The class teachers that I frequently see barely have time to pay to them either, and that's not right. All children are being let down by this shitshow, as are the parents (who are often blamed) and teachers (ditto)"

Parents can say teachers are moaning for no good reason all they like. They need to wake up and listen to the people entrusted to educate their children. Schools are in crisis. SEND is in crisis. And it's not going to get better any time soon.

I find is utterly ridiculous. A person with a UK degree needing to undertake secondary school exams to enter the teachers training. Somehow I find it almost offensive. Presumably the person entered the UK university somehow and their knowledge was reasonably enough and at least a pass? Because this is what’s required for the teachers training anyway. And this is to enter the profession most of people are running away from with a nervous breakdown.

My school got a grade 4 in summer (inadequate) and all our best staff are leaving in droves. We are facing a mid-year recruitment crisis. We are currently advertising for English, Science, Maths and Business teachers. That's BEFORE the ones that are leaving, leave.
We're also down on support staff and people are being moved from one role to another and then we struggle to find someone to fill that vacated role.

I've never known it this bad in 18 years of being there, and it was in special measures whe and I started
(it has been "good" in between times...)

@GivenchyDahhling we had long term sickness insurance for a couple of years. We ditched it because it was too hard to claim, so much paperwork, didn't cover stress etc. It cost much more than we ever got back.

It's what everyone else has to do. What's the problem?

getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/steps-to-become-a-teacher

Why do so many children have SEN these days? A poster above talks of a third in a class of 30? Is this the norm and is it getting worse? How are teachers supposed to teach in this scenario, it's an impossible job.

In my year 2 class, we have four children with EHCPs, two for children with severe autism and two for children with SEMH. None of these get full time 1:1 support, the local authority expects their additional needs to miraculously disappear at half past one! In addition, there are 10 other children on Individual education plans- with a part time TA for support. We are a Good school and known for at least TRYING to support children with additional needs, unlike a couple of other local schools who are well know for the opposite ( including one school which has NO children at all on an EHCP) . But it is crippling- both financially because the funding we get for the EHCPs comes nowhere near the actual cost- and emotionally because we know we are not meeting their needs but just getting by.

I think Parents should also be aware that an EHCP in itself does not bring additional funding to a school.

If an EHCP recommends support the funding for that must come from the school's budget or via an application for high needs funding.

In the case of our County, they mislaid the HNF bank account details some years ago so a meeting to request money is a bit of a waste of everyone's time. Nice to catch up though.

Tbf, I think a lot more SEN is diagnosed earlier these days - so some of those students will have issues such as dyslexia, the level of ASD that was previously called Asperger's, etc. Some may also have mild physical or sensory disabilities- in some cases this may be due to premature birth or illnesses which actually not too long ago they may not have survived. And actually there's no reason why, with proper support, they can't do well in mainstream. It's probably the most appropriate place for them. Historically some of them wouldn't have been diagnosed and those with eg an obvious hearing impairment would be sent to specialist schools.

However, especially at primary level, there will often be students in each class who would have previously been taught in a specialist setting. Lots of special schools have now been closed though, so even if it's what the family wants, it's very difficult to get a place. ECHP funding rarely covers the costs of meeting these children's needs and unless you have a well educated, dedicated parent, the ECHPs can be very woolly, or don't actually meet needs.

I also think lockdown really didn't help some of these students.

I do think this is a major issue in primary, but I don't think it's the key problem in secondary.

But obviously SEN education should be funded properly and it shouldn't be down to parents to battle for every little thing.

I do however think that parents have to acknowledge that their child with eg dyslexia will likely be one of >5 in the class through most of their school career with similar impairments, and so it's not reasonable to expect the class teacher to give them lots of specialised support each lesson. Parents often think "oh preparing X is only a 5 minute job" for example, but if you're making a different resource etc for 6 children that becomes a 30 minute job - after you've planned the actual lesson!

However to the teachers on here … I seem to remember you didn’t find it to be so dreadful at the time? Now you are seeming to be fairly disparaging about the merits?

It was hard work and didn't suit all children. Remote learning was done as a last resort, not a choice. We knew not everyone could access it, we knew it could only do so much and that for many families it didn't work at all. It's why many schools didn't do live lessons remotely.

Back in covid times I remember many threads where teachers and TAs were saying that they'd much rather be teaching in person properly, with proper safety measures in place to support them to do,so.

1/3 of our current year 7 are SEND. Teaching them is like trying to spin plates, knit spaghetti and juggle simultaneously.

Add to that the COVID side effects of not being ble to share, tattle telling and general intolerance and it's a heady mix.

Whether people enjoyed/ learnt from remote teaching , or not, has nothing to do with the shitshow that is school funding and teacher retention.

As PP said, many are children would previously gone to a special school but they always existed. Othrrs might not have been identified in thevpast and just seen as lazy or naughty or thick.

But one thing we are finding, that really is different is a huge speach and language issue. I think maybe support that used to happen before school started has gone? so the problems first get noticed at school and its much harder to work on. Maybe something social is happening too around phones /covid. But it started pre covid. I think its cuts at an earlier stage.

Lots of things, including...

• closure of huge swathes of special schools in Labour government's disastrous inclusion policy which has then been exacerbated by years of Tories very non inclusive education policies and lack of funding (This seemed like a good thing on paper, but was not backed up by provision or resources)
• better diagnostic techniques across the board - from autism assessments through to huge leaps in the field of genetic testing, meaning children who would not have had formal diagnoses previously, now being properly diagnosed and needs being assessed. (This is a good thing - but not backed up by provision or resources)
• the Equality Act in 2010 putting into place the right to reasonable adjustments in all areas based on need not diagnosis. (This is a good thing - but not backed up by provision or resources)
• more awareness in general regarding disabilities, sen and complex needs from parents and professionals eg a rise in communities online sharing information about children with similar conditions (This is a good thing)
• Better outcomes for babies with complex health needs...premature babies, babies with genetic conditions etc are surviving now, where before they would have died. Many of these children will go on to need some additional support (This is a Very good thing)

There are more reasons, including a rise in mental health awareness and a recognition of the importance of supporting this in childhood, Covid Absence and disruption and lockdowns, and things like a change in societal expectations - eg we didn't used to expect much of an education for children with severe learning disabilities and complex needs, now we understand that all children deserve an education...and it used to be the case that children with very complex needs would just be at home with a parent (usually the mum) and now most families have 2 parents working.

The situation in school sounds dire. It sounds like the education system is going to collapse and standards will nosedive. At this rate, sixteen year olds won't be able to pass GCSEs. The general public didn't know how bad it is, but they know more now, because information has been posted on this thread, intentionally to inform the wider community.

Government is seeking to slash public funding, not to invest in any area of it. The crisis comes from outside, we are told. War in Ukraine and world events make any government action limited in what it can achieve. It's bad. It's going to get worse, for everybody who has young kids and especially for those kids. Only the privately educated will learn what all kids learnt 20 years ago. Or so it seems.

Poster suggest what might help, or getting involved in thinking it all through? That's bad. How awful. Who do you think you are making a comment?

If schools closed for half the week, parents would have to do something, such as putting on YouTube videos for their kids to learn about maths and English Literature.

I presume that if schools couldn't teach as they used to, the government would bring in an alternative scheme to GCSE for those who weren't ready for the gold standard exam. Society would divide along economic lines, and those whose parents couldn't supplement their main education would have to let go of their career aspirations. So I think in the conditions which seem to be approaching for Britain, YouTube videos and BBC Bitesize games will be a lifesaver.

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions about why more children have SEN. It's clearly a very complex and difficult situation.

I'm also in an independent school and we have a major shortage of staff, a lack of TAs, no TPS and a much lower wage and pay offer than the local state secondary.
It's not all rosy in the private sector, I can assure you.