Aibu to wonder what will happen to education in the coming years

[Icannystandit]

Teacher shortages are becoming ridiculous. I work in a key dept in secondary and to the best of my memory we haven't been able to be fully staffed for the last 8 years. It's getting worse now though... there seem to be less and less people out there willing to do the job.
The council can't get enough teachers and we are just left to get on as best we can.
I am in Scotland but I understand it's a nationwide issue.
I am currently staring being 3 staff down and no end in sight. We have classes at maximum. Junior classes out to random supply ( no subject specialist supply available) and we are trying to set work for the uncovered classes on top of all our own work and marking.
It can't continue... and yet there is no end in sight.
Today I again had to leave my lovely s2 class to a cover teacher whilst I took the higher class down the hall who haven't now had a teacher since June. My own classes are getting half of me and the other classes are getting half.
parents are complaining but the council literally can't do anything. Other schools have the same issues. It's so depressing.

I'm a non-teaching teacher, currently a SAHM. I teach chemistry which has always been a shortage subject. And yet, when I idly flick through the job adverts, there's nothing in my whole county. Are we really fully staffed for chem, or are schools just not bothering to advertise now (after all, it's v expensive to do so)?

My plan, if I decide to go back to it for the sake of "term time hours" (ha!) then my plan is to just write to the local headteachers with my CV and see what happens, rather than waiting for an advert to come up.

Those in schools now - would that be weird? I'd still expect to be interviewed etc, but yeah, adverts just aren't coming up.

ButchyRestingFace: In secondary, no matter what your subject, you’ve got a responsibility to teach literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing. I’m an English teacher and we have to somehow shoehorn numeracy outcomes into our lessons, so that’s why they require those qualifications no matter the subject.

HonestTeacher: One of the things they’ve not quite managed to force through in Scotland is the use of unqualified teachers. Theoretically in secondary you’re actually only qualified to teach your subject and while you can be asked to cover lessons, you can refuse to plan/assess work that you’re not qualified for.

Part of the problem is how they recruit would be teachers - the only thing you need is a 2:1 these days

The NQTs at my school who have just qualified don’t have 2.1s, that can’t be right?

There aren't enough jobs for teachers in Wales, and support staff are being let go left, right and centre.

The powers that be are delusional. They're completely out of the loop. I'm doing my PhD in Education at the moment and the lead academics haven't got a fucking clue, it's frightening.

I’m an English teacher and we have to somehow shoehorn numeracy outcomes into our lessons

How do you do that?

I think I could manage "open your text books to page 5, Shakespeare's Sonnet - 116" but might struggle beyond that.

The NQTs at my school who have just qualified don’t have 2.1s, that can’t be right?

Does it depend where you are? I have friends (Scotland) who did PGDEs after an Ordinary degree but have heard it has to be Honours in England.

butchyrestingface no pay increase for them. The added stress is not fair when their pay is already so shockingly low.

Horrific. And so exploitative.

The 2:1 is a myth, plenty of my colleagues have a 2:2.

Teaching isn't great. Some schools are worse than others.

I can't understand why there isn't a scandal about it. The public don't know the half of it

I work for children's services - it's the same here - I don't understand why there isn't an outcry

I worry about education - it's being privatised and starved of money - we are seeing local authorities go bust - schools will do the same - and who will pick up the pieces

I feel for teachers - a thankless job with ridiculous targets and endless pressure and change

I think it’s so uneven across the country that the depth of the problem isn’t fully understood. I’m a school governor and am horrified to see how difficult it is to get teachers and also how stretched the budget and the existing teachers are. We’re now asking parents to donate books!

No one has mentioned the impending massive issue of Teachers’ Pensions. The employers co tributiib id going to increase by 4% in September 2019! This will be covered for the first year for state schools and then school wil have to pay the extra themselves. This is Avery big cost and will mean more teachers have to go unfortunately.

There's literally a thread on tonight where a teacher has been called a bitch for squashing a spider.

Wonder why many aren't queuing to join us in the profession?!

There's literally a thread on tonight where a teacher has been called a bitch for squashing a spider.

Probably an accurate reflection of what the spider thought.

We can’t attract teachers from NI or Ireland because the pay there is much higher and the holidays longer and the conditions better.
What tends to happen is they come to Scotland to do their probation year (NQT) a reduced timetable year often with a golden handshake if it’s a shortage subject and leave after that year with a year’s experience that makes them a more attractive candidate back in Ireland.
We had 5 Irish probationers last year and 4 went back to Ireland after the year was up. The one who stayed had met a partner over here otherwise she’d probably have gone too.
Schools accept it because 70% of a Chemistry teacher for a year is better than no teacher at all.
Meanwhile the pupils have a revolving door of staff.
What I’m also seeing happen is teachers being employed in nonsense subject like ‘wider achievement’ or ‘resilience’ as no specific subject qualification is required and you can get any warm bodied teacher to do it. So the school might have only 2 qualified Maths teachers but 10 social subjects (about the only area there’s not a shortage) and those social subjects cover the BGE or take ‘resilience’ or ‘leadership’ or some other made up nonsense like ‘World Awareness’ so the timetable can be filled up.
Sadly many parents have no idea - curriculum for excellence is too new and a mystery and gets changed every year. It’s hard enough for teachers to keep up nevermind parents.
But hey wee Nicola says it’s all great so it must be!

There's literally a thread on tonight where a teacher has been called a bitch for squashing a spider
Being a bitch for unnecessary cruelty to small animals has nothing to do with being a teacher. She’d still be cruel and unpleasant regardless of her profession.

I read that the government include in their figures for spending on education, the money paid by parents of children attending private schools. So they say 'we are spending £X p/y on education' and it's lies because a chunk of that figure has been spent on someone else's education by someone who is not the government.

I can't understand why there isn't a scandal about it. The public don't know the half of it

There are a number of parents that view school as childcare and as long as it continues, remain happy.

The minute teachers have had enough and start striking though-there is national outrage about it (ahh, no childcare!) and people complain that teachers should be striking at the weekends and during the many school holidays as it’s so inconsiderate. Not outrage about the shite state of the schools though!

It’s the kids I feel most sorry for. They’ve only got one chance at school. Being faced with a revolving door of unqualified, resentful, demotivated or stressed teachers will stunt their life chances.

At least unhappy teachers can leave or retrain, an 11year old has no options, they’re stuck.

We’re a few years off secondary school but when the time comes DC will be going private. The countless threads similar to this one have made me want to avoid state education at all costs.

Someone said upthread about ‘nobbers in SLT’ and I think, whilst acknowledging the issues with pay, parents etc, that they form the largest part of the problem. In my fairly small school which is 50/60 teaching staff, we have: headteacher, vice principal, three senior leaders and three assistant members of SLT. My department is very likely to have a staffing issue this year with three of us looking for jobs due to SLT problems as well as a lack of progression because the insane amount of SLT has taken all TLR budget and one member of staff due to go on Mat leave for a year. Four staff in a department of nine. We’ve struggled to recruit and ended up with some shocking members of staff who start in September and are always gone by Christmas. It’s now a running joke across the school .

All public services are in a downward spiral. I do fret at what things will be like in 10-20 years time!

Those in power aren’t bothered as they can afford and have been put through private education themselves.

One friend just returned from 5 years in the US and is shocked at the state of her children's school and how under resourced it is compared to the US school. They feel like they made a mistake coming back to the UK and are now trying to head back again.

ButchyRestingFace: Sometimes it’s not too bad because you’re getting them to work with statistics or graphs in discursive writing. But then sometimes it’s properly ridiculous. Once, when I was being observed as a very new teacher, was told to devote part of a lesson on Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh to a task on working out temperatures because some of the characters were very cold. It was tenuous at best.

For one reason for the shortage of teachers read many of the comments on here, other media outlets are available, too many parents seem to assume that teachers are their private whipping boy for their own inadequacies as parents. How dare the school apply the rules to My Child? If I want him/her to wear those shoes. have that hair cut then he/she will, it's My Right as a parent.
Start treating teachers with some respect, the same respect that you want, and you might see an improvement. Stop using schools as an outpost of the Social Services, Marriage Guidance (Relate?). etc and let teachers teach. your problems are a bore and a distraction. Don't expect to be able to storm into school to vent your anger or even expect to be able to 'have a word' at the end of the day, you don't do that at your Doctor or Dentist, don't do it in school.
Always remember, your child is just one of many, get them used to the idea before they start school. I recall going to the meeting for the new intake at my daughter's first school, we both taught there but 'You have to go!!!!', the Head told the assembled parents 'Don't believe everything your child tells you happens in school and we won't believe half of what they tell us about their home life!'

Don't believe everything your child tells you happens in school and we won't believe half of what they tell us about their home life!'

So true, and a massive high-five to that HT.

Those in schools now - would that be weird? I'd still expect to be interviewed etc, but yeah, adverts just aren't coming up.

Excellent idea, one of the best Maths teachers I ever had in my Department had walked into school asking about on the job training, this was about 15 years ago, she had a degree in a related subject. Being pro-active can never be a bad thing, good luck. Can't believe there are no Chemistry jobs where you are, crying out for Science and Maths round here.