Page 32 | Nearly half of teachers plan to quit in the next 5 years

freebritknee · 2022-04-11T13:04:53+00:00

I saw this from a survey carried out by an education union. Unmanageable workload is a significant factor. This is madness how have the unions allowed the state of teachers employment to get this far where nearly half of them want out?!

hernamewasrio · 14/04/2022 08:39

*too

Phineyj · 14/04/2022 08:40

That's really interesting, as there are similar trends in mine and it's independent.

The current time period seems just horrible for education to me. With all its drawbacks and lack of facilities, at least in my 1980s secondary education we knew what it was for - knowing stuff, being able to do stuff. You could be critical of ideas without anyone taking it personally.

hernamewasrio · 14/04/2022 08:44

@TheMoth

I know it's off topic, but it always interests me to see which departments slt come from across the country. It's rarely English. Wonder why that is?

Seems to consist only of PE teachers here in Yorkshire!!

Piggywaspushed · 14/04/2022 08:49

@Phineyj

That's really interesting, as there are similar trends in mine and it's independent.

The current time period seems just horrible for education to me. With all its drawbacks and lack of facilities, at least in my 1980s secondary education we knew what it was for - knowing stuff, being able to do stuff. You could be critical of ideas without anyone taking it personally.

Yes, DH is at a private school and they are going that way too. Spying out of windows to see when staff leave is not a good look...

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 14/04/2022 08:54

@TheMoth

Ours is science, geog, PE, food tech, RE, and one actually I have no bloody clue- didn’t even realise they were SLT for about 4 years

Tulipblacksmith · 14/04/2022 09:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FridayBluezzzz · 14/04/2022 09:10

I’ve never come across an English SLT/Head. I’ve worked for a big Trust so there are some senior English roles but they never cross over.
SLT in my experience have generally be PE, RE, Drama, ICT, Business Studies…. Maybe the first step is some English Head Teachers.

MrsHamlet · 14/04/2022 09:18

I've worked for 6 heads, and 4 have been English!

winewolfhowls · 14/04/2022 09:20

For me, I'm looking to leave because the lack of effort from students is grinding me down.i feel like I'm begging 14year olds to do the bare basics like write the title down.everything is met with a sigh, especially if it involves writing more than a short answer. when I started 20 years ago there were these kids but they were a minority,now it's the bloody entitlement of 'entertain me' and I've previously prided myself on planning engaging lessons. When you've had to ask someone three times to take off their coat,then times that by about twenty across the day,you are too drained for any teaching energy or your own kids. So I like teaching, don't like nagging. (Behaviour is not terrible at our school but not great either).

winewolfhowls · 14/04/2022 09:23

I've seen great SLT from across all subjects, but the one requirement should be to be a good teacher yourself. Several SLT in my last school were awful in the classroom and then got promoted out to tell us all how to do it! Several were also inspirational,but guess who got the promotions from ass to dep head?

JangolinaPitt · 14/04/2022 09:39

@winewolfhowls

I've seen great SLT from across all subjects, but the one requirement should be to be a good teacher yourself. Several SLT in my last school were awful in the classroom and then got promoted out to tell us all how to do it! Several were also inspirational,but guess who got the promotions from ass to dep head?

Would be better if teachers were not promoted to management roles, but remain in the classroom -if they are good teachers or got rid of if they are not. Employ people who are good managers, rather than good bad or mediocre teachers, to manage. Would be far more effective snd give better job satisfaction to the good teachers. Ridiculous idea to waste a good teacher in a management role. And before the screeches of ‘Only teachers know how to manage teachers’ - clearly they don’t! - most school management is dire. A good manager will listen to people and use any good ideas.

teacherwife · 14/04/2022 09:39

In DH's school, I like the fact that all of the SLT still teach. In the Head's case it's probably only a lesson a week or something, but otherwise they've all got at least one proper class. If you're going to run a school, you should remember what it's like to actually be in front of a class.

teacherwife · 14/04/2022 09:43

Cross post! I know what you mean, but I don't see it as a waste of a good teacher. There are teachers out there who absolutely love teaching, but who still, after 20 or 30 years in the classroom, feel that they want a different challenge.

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 14/04/2022 11:28

news.sky.com/story/teacher-awarded-163850000-compensation-after-pupil-attack-union-reveals-12589857

Just saw this news story today. The thing that stands out for me is that the pupil wasn't supposed to be in the lesson, due to previous violent behaviour. Shit like that happens all the time - kids turning up in your lesson when they are meant to be in isolation or exclusion because there's no space or the kid has decided that they are going to go to the lesson anyway and the SLT don't want to deal with them kicking off if they get told no. Staff safety is never a priority.

Meandmini3 · 14/04/2022 12:33

And that is not limited to secondary teachers. The violence in primary schools can be beyond most non-school staff’s imaginations.

GuyFawkesDay · 14/04/2022 12:33

Two best heads I've worked for: Maths and English.

Current one is one of them, still has a timetabled KS4 class, marked TAGs in lockdown and has done a LOT of cover with the Covid absences. She's fantastic. Huge amount of time for her. I am very lucky.

The other SLT are also very decent people: humanities, science and one PE. Again, all with teaching loads and very much 'hands on' with the kids day to day. Makes a big difference.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 14/04/2022 15:49

@winewolfhowls

Yea it grinds me down as well, everything is a battle, our school lacks consistency as well so some teachers pretend not to see mobiles, when we are meant to confiscate straight away,
So when you try and do this the kids kicks of even more as they were allowed it this morning! Drives me mad

yellowsuninthesky · 14/04/2022 16:51

@MrsHamlet

I've worked for 6 heads, and 4 have been English!

I was going to say the head at my son's comprehensive was an English teacher beforehand.

teacherwife · 14/04/2022 18:09

Looking in from the outside, it's not just the workload in teaching, it's the lack of autonomy and being treated like a grown up. I've had corporate jobs where I've worked 70 hour plus weeks on projects, with really high stress levels. But even then, I've been able to go to the loo when I want, I've been able to grab a coffee and chat to a colleague when I want. In quieter periods, I've been able to wander round the shops at lunchtime or meet up with a friend for a nice lunch. I've been able to wfh when needed to take a delivery or have a doctors appointment, or book a day off to go to a friend's wedding. I've never had to call a boss Sir, or Headmistress, or even Mrs Smith. I remember in one of DH's previous jobs being stunned that he wasn't allowed to leave the premises at lunchtime, even if he wasn't technically on duty. I think this has got worse over the years too - when I was in the sixth form, we were allowed to go down to the town at lunchtime, and we'd wave at our teachers through the pub window where they were often to be found having a sandwich (and possibly a cheeky pint, who knows?!). I know there are other jobs that are similarly restrictive, like perhaps nursing or factory shift work - but to be honest, those aren't the jobs that most of the people DH went to uni with are doing - they're in law, or commerce, or banking, or research science, or management of various types. If we want graduates to continue choosing teaching over those sorts of careers, we have to start treating them a bit more like up grown up professionals.

Musmerian · 14/04/2022 18:26

@Piggywaspushed - not huge. I’ve been teaching a long time and this is top of the scale plus £2k for Deputy Head of English role.

Musmerian · 14/04/2022 18:29

@MrsHamlet - I teach in Bristol too!

JenniferAlisonPhilipaSue · 14/04/2022 18:39

I lost sympathy for teachers when one on strike on tv complained she "only" got £36,000 a year. That was several years ago so what's she on now? And I know they apparently don't get paid during summer but it's still a v good salary

Not every teacher is in a union or the same union

The survey will be worded in a way that gives the responses the union want

I say that as a former union rep

MrsHamlet · 14/04/2022 18:49

[quote Musmerian]@MrsHamlet - I teach in Bristol too![/quote]
@Musmerian I'm not in Bristol - far more north than that. Too far for lardy cake, sadly.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 14/04/2022 18:54

@Musmerian

I teach in Bristol!

noblegiraffe · 14/04/2022 19:08

I lost sympathy for teachers when one on strike on tv complained she "only" got £36,000 a year. That was several years ago so what's she on now? And I know they apparently don't get paid during summer but it's still a v good salary

And yet we are still critically short of them.