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.

Tell me about it @Postapocalypticcowgirl
I have three in year one and three in year two. I get time but their mentors don't. And I have TeachFirst wanging on about how great it all is.
No it isn't. It's shit. But they're raking in the cash, so the shitshow rolls on.

Just realised you were asking staff not parents! Until 2 years ago I worked in a large failing secondary and it was bad. I was in charge of sorting out cover teachers. A lot of cover was needed and there were kids with most of their lessons covered by day to day cover for months on end. I can’t see how they were learning anything.

According to what metric?

I don’t think for many staff pay is the main issue, yes compared to other professions it’s poor, but the issues are deeper than pay.

To some extent I do agree the issues are deeper than pay- but equally I think in some areas ECT pay especially will not really cover the cost of living (certainly not if you don't want to live in a shared house- which I would say some teachers really struggle with). Cost of living was one reason I moved schools recently- my rent is now £200 lower, and I feel comfortable. I'd suggest it's an issue for some schools.

I think workload is obviously a big problem for classroom teachers, but high pay helps mitigate that buy allowing you to buy in other services. So either the workload needs to go down, or there needs to be a significant jump in pay.

For support staff, pay is definitely a key issue.

Best teachers in the country, whose lessons could be recorded, surely means those who post videos on YouTube for the secondary students; and those who regularly put material on Times Educational Supplement website. The ones who like to post on social media and who have a big following .

Er, no.
Self praise is no recommendation.

Oops. I didn't read the title properly before I replied. 😀

I was just going to write a post explaining why this suggestion is laughable and why it categorically wouldn't work for primary children - especially ks1.

Then I realised who the poster was and have decided to save myself the bother.

There's some absolute shite shared on YouTube and TES though.

Plus, being able to rustle up some worksheets to share online doesn't mean you're necessarily a good teacher.

Well, Teach First would say that, wouldn't they? Just like they say their trainees get good support (some definitely don't).

A friend who is an experienced trainee/NQT mentor was asked to be an ECT mentor last year, but he refused as he felt he didn't have the time. So a less experienced member of staff took it on, to help "progress their career"- I'd argue the ECT is a getting a less good deal all round.

A former colleague with a young family who was doing her ECT part time has recently left as she just could not see the end of it.

I've also heard stories of some schools refusing to offer ECTs doing e.g. maternity cover the chance to be part of an ECT program, which I assume isn't allowed- but it's again crap all round.

I'm really not convinced it's been a success in any way- although I mostly see it from the outside.

The best exam grades may not correlate to the best teacher, though I doubt they'd be rubbish.

But

Do you really think that the teacher whose pupils get lower grades in a setted system is a worse teacher than the A stream teacher?

To what extent are pupils getting private tuition?

Teachers like Mr Bruff and Mr deSalle who post YouTube videos to help secondary students, who watch in droves, and, in the case of Mr Bruff, who are popular authors of hard copy study guides.

At government level, maybe, specialist should design a programme.

Maybe, learning will go online, in a few years time, and students will sit in a room doing quizzes and games, and staff will supervise them. Students like computer games.

I have told TeachFirst that I think they're shit. It changed nothing but made me feel better 🤣

Having a large social media following does not make you a good teacher. Most of the best teachers I know don't use social media at all. Most of the ones who regularly post on social media don't teach/don't teach full time- it's another way of getting out of the classroom.

Some of the videos posted on you tube are dull as ditch water, too.

In terms of quality education, I'd look elsewhere.

Good for you!

I work with a prolific twitterer.

She gets very far from the best results by any measure. Her PowerPoints are spiffy though.

Making a good revision video is a very different skill to teaching something from scratch. And what happens if a student doesn't "get it" from watching the video? Are they just left to suffer?

How do students learn practical skills in this way, as well?

Students may "like" computer games, but that doesn't mean they will learn all the skills they need to e.g. be a doctor or a scientist- you know, things this country needs...

How does one learn to use a bunsen burner or a microscope via youtube or games? Or would this not be taught until university level? (Ask a microbiology lecturer how they would feel about that...).

You’d have thought that people would have learned from covid closures that sticking kids in the same room as a computer does not = learning.

You'd think...
.... but maybe passively observing d

Most of this thread really upsets me to read, but I know a fabulous maths teacher who has a degree in Economics, and the best teacher I ever had (history) didn't have a degree in history. She did an education degree. Does it matter necessarily? (I'm assuming his degree had a vaguely mathematical component and wasn't classics or something).

Gah!

Maybe passively observing doesn't lead to learning. Who knew?!

In many cases, it matters.
This person's degree is not at all linked to maths. They may surprise me. I will be surprised if they do.

Maybe, learning will go online, in a few years time, and students will sit in a room doing quizzes and games, and staff will supervise them. Students like computer games

I'm assuming this is some kind of joke.If there's one thing that COVID has taught us, is that the vast majority of children need to be in school, and I don't mean only for the teaching and learning, but the being with each other.

The real issue is that the present government isn't the slightest bit interested in funding schools to be the best they can be. Improving pay and conditions for staff is unlikely. Why would they? They've had a bargain out of teaching staff for decades.

I was wondering is the problem the same at private schools? Are there also major shortages there? Or is it just state?