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.

Legally, the minimum entitlement is a 20 minute rest break if you work a six hour day. In theory, if you were employed say 9-2.30, your employer wouldn't have to give you a rest break of any kind- which is ridiculous in a job when you can't just nip to the loo or grab a drink during your working day.

Equally, if you work 8- 3.30, say, and are given 20 minutes at morning break, that meets the legal minimum- and so you don't get to have a lunch break. Except everyone knows you don't get a full 20 minutes, and it really isn't enough if you're dealing with stressful situations all day, and not able to have a snack or something to drink or go to the toilet.

But I have seen TAs who work with students with high medical needs told they could only have 20 minutes morning break, and had to be "on duty" the rest of the day- which often meant on their feet with no chance to go to the toilet or eat anything at any other point in the day. It's a horrible way to treat someone!

Ha ha I’ve just seen this. What a brilliant solution to the inability to retain staff in a shit low pay job with ridiculously high expectations, including constant demands to work more for free and cover people paid 3 times as much for nothing. Get some poor desperate youngster with no other prospects to do the job for half the money! Yep, that’ll do the trick! It won’t foster resentment and divides further at all!

Why is it that in male dominated jobs - eg, the recent hgv driver issue - the answer to short staff and retention crises is to provide free training and boost wages, but in female dominated jobs the only answer is to make everyone more and more desperate, enough to take anything, anywhere, no matter the conditions, pay or expectations? Hmmm, I wonder.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl
Because the expectation is that all staff will be working at a level of good or above.
So adequate isn't enough.

I'm hoping they come in and I'm blown away by their brilliance in January and I will do everything I can to support and develop them.

I hope as well that recruiters understand that the sort of trick above - requiring youngsters from very well supported backgrounds, ie middle class, as Gobbolino says - continues to foster the class divide. I walked away from teaching because it is very clear that education is for the rich in Britain, in terms of both financial limitations and in terms of the plastic fake culture they foster.

Which is one good reason why teachers are increasingly disrespected. Youngsters from poor backgrounds know now that they are being sold a bunch of lies. And while females may be expected to put up with that, the schools are full of those inconveniently destructive males, who won’t.

Can I throw the cat among the pigeons & point out there is parents who do know what's happening in the schools & have the time, energy and can afford the resources to fill the gaps. These kids will be fine as their parents are aware & can help. It's the rest that will fall behind which is awful.

Yes indeed. My kids are at a bog standard comp and thanks to mumsnet, I am alert to these issues and ask them quite regularly if they have their usual teachers, if any subs are teaching or just holding the class.
Can afford a small amount of tutoring, and all the revision guides, workbooks needed.
It's this knowledge I am grateful for, although completely awful having to think this way. As always, I am so grateful to all those who teach, in this increasingly more hostile world of education.

So many jobs in Wales now need the teachers to be fluent in Welsh, so it’s becoming increasingly hard for teachers to get a job there. I live just over the border and a Humanities role (not a shortage subject, usually far too many ECT teachers to number of roles) has been advertised several times, in different formats as they can’t get anyone Welsh speaking.

@EarthlyNightshade I thank mumsnet for so much. There's many questions or topics I wouldn't ask in real life, also many parents who may know aren't too forthcoming with information & others simply don't know. Feel mumsnet really helps keep me informed so I can help the dc & do my bit when I know there's a gap

So many jobs in Wales now need the teachers to be fluent in Welsh, so it’s becoming increasingly hard for teachers to get a job there.

In a few years time I can see it being a regulation of the fanatical SG that all teachers in Scotland will have to be fluent in Gaelic.

"the expectation is that all staff will be working at a level of good or above."- What does that actually mean? Do you grade individual staff/lessons?

The current Ofsted framework isn't really based around individual teachers and lessons, so what makes a teacher "working at a level of good", instead of adequate?

I'm not saying the people you interviewed were actually amazing, by the way, but I do wonder if this sort of language is part of the reason you're finding it hard to recruit?

Maybe I'm being oversensitive, but if someone told me their head/SLT used this sort of language about their school, I'd be wary.

Me too!!!

An Ofsted judgement regarding quality of education assumes the general quality of teaching and learning will have contributed to the outcome. As the grades are outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate, there is no 'adequate'.
But I agree with the posters above, the expectation of 'working at a level of good or above' is clumsily worded and might put applicants off.

The other thing that jumps out at me is how consistently teaching to an acceptable standard is routinely undervalued, often by leaders and aspiring leaders who think every lesson should be all-singing, all-dancing, general brilliance.

Adverts are a nauseating cocktail of inspirational, astounding, excellent, amazing, outstanding, consistently excelling, especially when recruiting for leadership roles.

There a lot to be said for being a decent, consistent teacher who knows your stuff.

Our school is great.

As the grades are outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate, there is no 'adequate'.

I've been doing this long enough to remember when it was
outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate.

Ofsted have moved away from grading individual lessons, though- and the clear implication is that heads/SLT should do the same.

100%- it's important to have teachers who turns up every day, has reliable lessons, decent behaviour management, does their marking on time, contributes to the boring department jobs that no-one especially wants to do etc.

I feel like this sums me up as a teacher- I don't think I'm outstanding, but I do think I'm reliable, and I try to do everything that's asked of me, and volunteer for my share of the less popular jobs. I'll do my best to help out in a crisis, but I expect something given back from the school too.

Generally, I think most parents and kids are happy with me, my line managers usually are, but I think often when SLT come to see me teach they want to see something more wizz bang/inspirational. I often get good feedback from HoDs/subject specialists, especially on my subject knowledge, but less positive feedback from middle/senior leaders who don't know me, or my subject well.

I’ve just seen a person with no experience take on quite an important role 3 grades above what they have enter d doing as they were the only applicant for the role, a couple of years ago this would have been unheard of.

LolaSmiles · 13/12/2022 20:33
The other thing that jumps out at me is how consistently teaching to an acceptable standard is routinely undervalued, often by leaders and aspiring leaders who think every lesson should be all-singing, all-dancing, general brilliance.
Adverts are a nauseating cocktail of inspirational, astounding, excellent, amazing, outstanding, consistently excelling, especially when recruiting for leadership roles.
There a lot to be said for being a decent, consistent teacher who knows your stuff.

-Almost a zombie thread I know but yes this with bells on.

Notice also that ofsted moved to a 'if you get an outstanding we'll leave you alone for longer' position but schools didn't. You can have 10 years plus of no issues, good observations, books etc and STILL have to be scrutinised to death to the same extent as the lazy fucker who never marks, never turns up to meetings, doesn't do any planning and gets shit to mediocre judgements on observations every year.

Should a solid, experienced teacher with good behaviour management, good results, no complaints etc etc really have to be picked to death every year with that level of scrutiny often by non specialists who barely teach with a tick box in front of them of things they should see in a lesson and it has to be really explicitly in there for them to notice it in my experience. So you'll get great feedback on all the important parts of the job but for the obligatory negative/area to focus on/whatever bit you'll get something like, 'I didn't see think, pair, share' when actually that was in there the fundamental of giving them time to think, discuss and then questioning was there you just didn't announce you were doing 'think pair share' like a clown.

And this is endless. In September appraisals and judgement on last years targets and having to set new ones, October book looks and obs by hod, November 'learning walks' where SLT can just appear at any moment in your lesson and make you jump out of your skin when you notice standing like a ghoul in the corner of your classroom and so it goes on. At the very least it should be that if you've had 3 years of positive appraisals, observations and results you are left the hell alone for the next two unless issues arise and then just go through it every couple/few years after that as a sort of check in.

The constant stress and extra work involved in all this is exhausting and takes time away and energy away from doing your job.

@swallowedAfly Yes, 100%. I don't think I'm an amazing teacher by any stretch but when I get observed by teachers who share my specialism, including SLT, I tend to get very positive feedback.

When I'm observed by others outside of my specialism, I tend not to get the same feedback unless, as you say, I make it VERY explicit what I am doing, which often annoys the students as it is very patronising.

A previous HoD wanted us to reformat all our powerpoints basically to make certain things explicit in order to show SLT what we were doing. It's just ridiculous.

A previous HoD wanted us to reformat all our powerpoints basically to make certain things explicit in order to show SLT what we were doing. It's just ridiculous

This kind of thing was endless with my previous hod despite the fact that any powerpoints (and even content for material going out to parents or onto formal appraisals) she made were littered with spelling mistakes, factual errors etc. She'd have her stuff locked to editing so I'd have to download and proof read and correct before using. Yet we'd get moaned at for not having reformatted to include and make obvious the latest on trend strategy/gimmick that she wanted to say we were using.

What's that expression about all..... no knickers?