So if teachers are leaving in droves

[BlastedPimples]

and recruitment is very low, what is going to happen? It can't continue like this surely and education levels will suffer enormously.

Massive classes for the teachers that remain?

Huge recruitment drive to entice more people into the profession?

Entice teachers out of retirement?

Recruitment from abroad?

I'm a teacher. I look at my pension almost daily trying to plot my exit. I'm trying to use the mumsnet 'get your ducks in a row' strategy for leaving a bad marriage in order to plan my way out. I love the children/ teens and I love my subject. It's still rewarding but I just can't do it much longer. I'm constantly exhausted and ill and on the brink of a breakdown. The government needs to look at workload first, then pay and conditions generally.

Abuse is pretty much a daily reality in the NHS too unfortunately - despite the signs! My dh is a Consultant and regularly gets sworn at, threatened, shouted at etc… He sort of understands though because the service is shit now. It’s not his fault obviously, but he totally acknowledges that it’s not good enough.

Always with the blaming of parents and children.

The current situation is shit for everyone involved. Difficult situations do not often create calm people.

More children than ever are being removed from schools because they are an intolerable environment for many, especially those with SN (who in poor conditions in schools are more likely to react with difficult to manage behaviour, and have parents more likely to try to improve the situation for them and implement more support). None of this means the parents or children are to blame, as is so often seen on these threads.

Education needs a huge overhaul, just like every other government run organisation.

It is about pay rises. You can't reduce workload without more people and you won't have more people without pay rises. It's not chicken and egg. It's always about pay in the end.

TAs are leaving too.....I'm one and am on the hunt. I cant do this any more. My authority are going to lose so many experienced staff because we are utterly broken.

Often, that's because children with a high level of need should never have been in mainstream to begin with but either the LA persuades parents to "give it a go" (because it's cheaper than funding special school places) or parents don't recognise how significant the level of need is.

However, the issues with parents and behaviour that the poster was referencing extend way beyond the sphere of SEN. Not all behaviour extends from an unmet need and not all parents are justified in their demands.

It's so sad. MATs are getting rid of expensive and experienced teachers who 'fail' their PM because they teach the way that they know works and gets the kids the results that they need. In come new SLT with ideas that have been trialled before and expect every teacher to plan, teach and deliver the same material in the same way - forgetting that teachers are all different. I am a quiet, calm teacher who gets good results, plans aspirational lessons and I am always respectful of the needs of my classes, yet this has caused much issue with SLT as I don't toe the corporate line. I've quit. 24 years

Just adding to the “it’s not what it was” throng.
Very high needs children in mainstream with no time or money to support them. People get hurt and spend vast amounts of time chasing these poor kids around the building while the rest of the class wait it out.
Parents. I don’t remember the last time I dished out a consequence and was not called upon to justify it to the parent. Every single time. Even five minutes of break will mean a parent rings or often yells at me come pick up time.
Insanely convoluted curriculum for primary with no time to do anything properly.
Responsibility for increasingly poor levels of mental health with no one to refer on to.
Public perception of us is depressing too.
I love the kids but it’s a mug’s game now.

We've just had a whole cohort of teachers come over from Jamaica. It's not to say they aren't any good in Jamaica but they have no idea how the UK teaching system works. They are awful. Also we had 2 candidates come for interview this past week. Their lessons weren't great at all but they were still employed. It's literally all about bums in seats now. My resignation is going in on Friday!!

Teachers are not needed these days; in England they just put TAs in front of classes.

My child teaches science and takes the whole higher tier cohort of 60 in one class in the gym... and they have only been a teacher for less than 5 years. But the school are losing loads of experienced teachers at the end of this term 🤷‍♀️

I think the government are just trying to ride out out until the population drop makes it to school and we won't need as many teachers.

We're already seeing fewer actual English graduates apply to train with us. But we're being asked to accept pretty much anyone, because the trainers are struggling to find recruits too.

Our classes are all going to be bigger in September, as we're not replacing teachers who leave.

I really do hope Labour have some proper magic plans here. Teaching was definitely better under labour- even though much of it was really career for me, so I worked a ridiculous amount.

Maybe we will see an end to pushing academic success as the be all and end all. Maybe they'll realise kids do need to be streamed by ability and given pathways to appropriate qualifications rather than all being expected to get a minimum grade in a subject they haven't got any interest in. Maybe the comprehensive system needs to be declared a failed experiment

Whilst this is true. You still need people willing to teach children blue collar professions. So it does not fix the problem of low teacher numbers.

No one wants to be a teacher amongst my young children’s university cohorts - it’s seen as where you go if you can’t go anywhere else and the money is terrible. Needs a really good makeover as a career choice

A friend can't get a teaching role this year after moving cities. Highly qualified and experienced with an exemplary record and good student exam results for the past decade but also on the higher side of the pay scale.. I am. beginning to think the powers that be want a shortage to. have TAs and unqualified teachers 'having' to teach classes at a much reduced rate.

@Iamnotthe1 children might have a high level of need in a modern classroom but they may also be academically able and if they move to special school that need might not be met.

Schools have got no money. They can’t afford to employ experienced teachers.

I can't believe you didn't pick up from my tone that I was joking!

It's very possible to meet both needs in the special sector but it requires the right level of investment. In the meantime, children with high needs are forced into mainstream places, either by the LA or their parents, in a way that doesn't work for the child, doesn't work for the staff and doesn't work for the other children.

I did a bit of supply this year - only one or two days a week. The school recruited a couple of teachers from African nations.

I’d agree that this government is culpable for the shitshow that education has become, but I think Tony Blair’s edict that 50% of the school population should be able to go to university started the slide.

If this country had a decent state system that allowed for extremely academic cohorts, academic cohorts and practical cohorts, with training in practical subjects, we might find that pupils had more engagement in lessons. If that was the case, there would be fewer teachers reaching burnout and certainly not so quickly, the environment would be a more pleasant one for everyone and Ofsted would be long gone, as they should have been some time ago.

If pupils were happier and more engaged, parents would have less anxiety and possibly less inclined to be critical and rude. There’s still and always will be, a need for schools that exist to meet the needs of a range of difficulties. It isn’t one size fits all either, which is why there are failed placements due to attempting to fit square pegs into round holes.

But this needs investment in time and money, so it won’t happen, unless and until the entire system collapses and we are left with no formal state education at all. Some might think that a good thing.

Agree- I think lockdown ‘home schooling’🤣 shifted the mindset. It certainly shifted the behaviour of many children (and their parents). No idea why anyone thinks Labour will solve the crisis. I’m sure all the parties will come up with some creative answers to your question OP, at least for the duration of their election campaigns…

Scrapping Ofsted, or at least majorly redefining its role would help to change the working culture in schools. Was reading a post from an Irish teacher the other day who said no teachers there would put up with "Learning Walks" and other such rubbish. Ireland does pretty well in international comparison without such nonsense.

Primaries used to have TA in classes.... When I qualified you had to have a qualified teacher in front of the class but already by stealth many kids have up to 1/5 of their time with whoever they can recruit to be a ta/cover supervisor...

Its not good already.

I’d be interested to hear what teachers think are the causes (and solutions) to the deteriorating behaviour?

It’s rapidly going downhill at my DD’s comp whereas a few years ago there were some dicey kids but it seemed well managed.