England is running out of teachers

[noblegiraffe]

Or, to be clear, people who are willing to teach in schools. It has plenty of ex teachers who have vowed never to set foot in a school again.

While everyone seems to understand that you can't expect to see a doctor or dentist anymore, the message about not being able to expect your child to have a teacher anymore doesn't seem to have filtered through in the same way.

The number of cover lessons that kids are having is going through the roof. Some people think that if a kid has an adult in front of them then they are learning something, where kids know if they have a 'supply' timetabled that afternoon they are in for a doss lesson. Some people think that if a kid has a teacher for their subject that the teacher actually knows the subject being taught, which is increasingly not the case. Some people think that if lessons are being planned for those teachers and the teacher just has to 'deliver' them then that will be good enough, which is often not the case.

Exam classes at least used to be protected and given the 'good teachers', which is increasingly no longer the case, with Y11s reporting that they have a variety of supply teachers, even in core subjects.

There was a thread recently where an A-level student hadn't had a teacher for a year, wondering why the school hadn't done anything about it. We cannot magic up teachers! A-level students at my school are increasingly in the position of not having a teacher and having to teach themselves, and schools are now encouraged to put 'no teacher' on UCAS applications as relevant information for universities.

Recent threads about suggesting teachers need to be paid more to boost recruitment, or given a day off a fortnight to boost recruitment have attracted replies about teachers thinking they are special, or lazy, paid well enough already and having enough time off already.

But the education system is in crisis and something needs to drastically change as it's only getting worse.

The DfE's solution is to hire from abroad, at a time when the rest of government is seeking to reduce immigration.
https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/dfe-mulls-boost-international-recruitment

We're talking a few grand, not like other sectors where it would be a 10% increase or more. Additionally, much of it doesn't directly benefit children.

I don't know what the average classroom teacher is on, but if they are on M6 (outside London) they will be on just over £41,000 so surely "a few grand" is 10%.

And I fail to see how jobs like head of year or head of department do not directly benefit children.

In the short time my daughter has been deputy head of year, she has provided pastoral support to a number of troubled teenagers and has had some tricky meetings with parents. She also plans the PSHE curriculum for her year group, to ensure that subjects like consent and drugs are covered in an appropriate way, and is currently training to become a deputy designated safeguarding lead. That all sounds like stuff that will directly benefit children.

The more I hear of my daughter's school and schools that other friends and family work in, the more I realise what a huge difference the head and SLT make. My daughter has been extremely lucky I think to work in the school that she does.

I accept of course the point about real terms pay cuts. Before I retired I was a civil servant and I had 0 or 1% pay increases for many years, so I know what that feels like, and sympathise.

You do all know HLTAs and TAs (England) are very often used to cover classes these days? Classes of 30, often with no additional support.
The majority of these members of staff, whilst invaluable, have no teaching qualifications. They are paid around £10/11 p/h so with schools massively underfunded you can see why this is happening.
Similar to a role now created known as a Cover Supevisior.
This of course has a massive knock-on in terms of teacher recruitment; why employ a teacher (especially experienced ones) when you can have a TA/HLTA to deliver planned lessons at a fraction of the cost?
It also has a huge negative impact on quality 1-1 and SEN provision in mainstream schools, with support staff being used in this manner rather than to work closely with those children with additional needs.
As a teacher with 20 years' experience I've never known anything like it; we are failing both staff and students so very badly.

I’ve been a teacher for over 30 years. I’m totally done and can’t wait to take early retirement this summer!!
My daughter taught for 4 years and then left. She earns so much more in her new career.
My friend’s daughter didn’t even finish her first year. She now works for my daughter!!!

HoYs are well paid in our school and get lots of time. But this of course means they are not in the classroom which is the point many people are making. They are often teachers with at least 10 years experience not raw recruits. Other roles- such as whole school literacy, subject leader of eg RS across the school or history get an extra £1800 if they are lucky . In several cases people have got 'honorariums' of about £50o and no extra time at all. I am a hod of two subjects and get one extra free a fortnight. They are squeezing every pip out of us.

When I started teaching (primary) there were TLR’s for lots of subject lead roles-now, you don’t even get one for maths or English. The curriculum subjects are forcibly given to everyone unpaid alongside huge amounts of stress and paperwork due to Ofsted’s new Deep Dive expectation. This changes on a yearly basis as well so you could just get your head around history and the next year are given PE!

Things like assessment lead/ECT mentor/PGCE mentor fall to the (full time teaching) deputy head because they are the only other leadership role than the head and can’t say no! Those things bring huge additional levels of work. Even the senco at our school gets no additional money (though is out of class).

Even the senco at our school gets no additional money (though is out of class).

If your school follows the STPCD, SEN allowances have to be paid in certain circumstances.

I'd advise your SENCO to check whether their job meets the conditions set out in para 21, for example if their role requires them to have a mandatory SEN qualification. If so, the school must pay them an SEN allowance.

DD's school doesn't currently have a SENCO. They couldn't hire for love nor money and no one else in the school has got the experience or qualifications. They have been very open with us (parents of SEN children there) that they've distributed the work across the deputy head and DSLs but they won't be processing any new referrals ot supporting any new EHCP plans and paperwork may be very delayed. This will obviously be a bigger burden on the NHS because we're having to go through the GP now for things we previously could have got through the school.

The Key is pretty clear that the ‘mandatory’ qualification doesn’t actually include the Nasenco!

The SEN allowance is generally for those teaching SEN children, rather than for the senco role, though some schools do give it. Others get a aTLR, many get nothing. Even following STPCD.

£4k to be precise. Which is more than the vast, vast majority of TLRs. And saying ‘well - 10% of the salary is a small amount’ just shows that salaries are low…

Not all TLRs or HoD are paid £4K I was paid £2K and only received 2 hrs per week for all of the extra duties.

Less than 2k here and one hour a fortnight.

Interesting. My daughter gets just over £2,500 as deputy head of year. I don't know how much extra time she gets.

Clearly not ! … Or you wouldn’t have to waste your life whinging on a forum for like-minded moaners !

It’s of zero value in monetary terms. 😂

You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

Please don’t let your misconstrued opinions of me add to your misery.

I make money, so I earn plenty, oh, and I love my job. If either stopped being the case then I’d focus my energy elsewhere rather than wallowing in a life of unhappiness.

You don't make any kind of sense in your response to@noblegiraffe 's point.

I blame the teachers. Sigh.

Aj485 · Today 21:59

.....you wouldn’t have to waste your life whinging on a forum for like-minded moaners !

and of course contributions from intelligent, well-informed folk just like yourself are always welcome* *😂

Aj485

I make money, so I earn plenty, oh, and I love my job.

Fascinating to know, thanks for that.

I believe Shakespeare said something about 'protesting too much'? 😁

I was a secondary teacher for 19 years. I loved it for much of the time but the last couple of years were very challenging. I am now working in an office for less pay but a much happier life. I would not go back

I'd train starting in September on three conditions, 1. They paid my fees for pgce 2. I received a salary during that year equivalent to 40 hours minimum wage per week minimum. And 3. I want to be able to take 2 weeks a year off in term time for a holiday, as it's expensive in school hols and my kids are grown. Yes maybe the last is too much but I've got 17 years til state pension age, quite willing to teach (prefer primary with a special needs specialty as I know about that)

@mitogoshi We're not even permitted to take time off for non-urgent medical appointments!!

I’d do it for just 1 & 2 tbh.

And @mitogoshi
( not with term time hokudats though)

You can, what are you waiting for https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-teaching-apprenticeship-set-to-transform-pathway-to-classroom

Talking of misconstrued, I'm not wallowing in a life of unhappiness, or at all miserable. I'm pretty chill, really.

So another way in which you don't know what you're talking about.

And experience is valuable in teaching and should be paid for.

Experienced teachers are holding the whole thing up.