AIBU to have done two weeks back in school and think oh hell no, nope, no

[OhHolyFuckNo]

Name change for this, long term poster.

I worked in schools historically, but moved into education policy/ancillary stuff around 8 years ago, and recently have been at home with very young kids. I still have a lot of friends in local schools, and honestly, wondered if a few years back in the classroom might be the flexible work I need for family reasons and am struggling to find elsewhere. I dipped a toe back in with a temporary cover role.

I'm just so taken aback by how understaffed the schools are. Half of the people in on any day so far have been cover. Hardly any work is set, and the kids seem bored and justifiably fed up, but the contempt with which the older kids talk to the staff is not justifiable. The stronger staff are on permanent corridor duty maintaining discipline, so not in the classroom either.

Deliberately not putting this on the teaching board because I'm hoping for a range of responses. Is this how it is now? Do parents know? Is it covid as everyone seems to think? How bad is it when hardly anyone knows me but pretty much everyone I spoke to offered me a permanent job?

I would love to think it gets better and I am finding my feet again, but don't know if this is just completely naive and I don't want my own kids to pay the price if it is.

Desperately understaffed, and those that are left are really struggling and demoralised.

There are lots of jobs currently being advertised in my county- including primary, for January or "as soon as possible" starts. This isn't usual.

Yes! I’ve just looked on our LA job search page-I have never seen so many vacancies! Heads, deputies, senco, class teachers, SEN TAs. Very few class TA roles being advertised though actually-other schools may be doing as we are and just not replacing them when they leave.

According to the DfE teaching jobs search, there are 44 jobs available in schools in my LA right now- 29 of them are teaching jobs in some way, 22 looking for January or immediate starts (the others are looking for September 2023 starts, which in some ways speaks to broader recruitment problems, I assume they're trying to snap up ECTs from a limited pool early?).

The majority of the jobs advertised are science, maths and MFL- based on what I know of local schools, I think some of these will be vacancies the schools couldn't fill for this September.

Last year, the impression I got was that the science/maths trainees in the county all had jobs by February half term.

For those who aren't involved in education, it's worth bearing in mind normally this is the sort of time when very few jobs are advertised. It's normally seen as too early to advertise for next September. And nobody in a job can give notice for Christmas, now. So really, many of these jobs just won't be filled this academic year.

As a parent, I can tell it’s happening. Turnover at the school is horrendous, experienced staff are leaving constantly - including giving up teaching. New teachers don’t last more than a year. And this week it’s been announced that teachers are leaving this week, not even waiting until end of term. The school can’t hide it.

Teachers leaving this week is pretty unusual- are they new to the school so likely to still be in their probationary period? Otherwise, I'd say that teachers effectively breaking their contract to leave early is a sign that something major is wrong.

Or are they actually long term supply, rather than having contracts with the school?

My DC’s primary school has had a continuous stream of unfilled vacancies since September 2021. Some classes had short term supplies for the majority of last year - a not insignificant number of parents have moved their children elsewhere looking for more stability. I really feel for the staff who’ve been there throughout this period. They all look exhausted. The strain is clear for all to see.

I’m a teacher myself and have never known it to be this bad. I’ve been teaching for well over 15 years and I think this will probably be my last year. Things are stretched so thinly that something has to give.

It’s a perfect storm in education at the moment. School budgets are shot so the support staff (the most unappreciated and poorly paid) are given the heave-ho but all the actual support, that typically no-one values until it’s gone, impacts on the leadership and teaching staff who are dealing with increasingly challenging needs, no resources and increasing numbers of entitled, useless and lazy parents. And even reasonable, supportive parents have their own challenges with the cost of living and worrying about their kid’s education. Teachers also work crazy hours and weekends to keep up with the professional requirements.

I admire anyone sustaining a positive career in the state-sector education right now.

It's a mental health crisis in secondary. Half our kids meet the criteria to be called vulnerable, such is the number of serious cases some who've recently lost parents don't even make the list if they look like they're coping. Kids coming in hungry and cold. Many ask me to turn the heating up as they want to make the most of it in school.

Staff are on their knees covering for sick colleagues/permanent vacancies. Sometimes 150 kids being 'taught' by two staff in the hall as there's literally no one to cover. TAs being asked to run whole courses. Secretaries and reception staff covering forms.

It's the worst I've seen it in 20 years and we're a nice school in leafy suburbia.

I've in schools for 26 years and never known it to be so bad. I rang 6 supply agencies for staff this morning and literally couldn't find a single cover supervisor or teacher. I'm doing 2 people's jobs. I long to leave.

*worked in schools

I love my job, but I am broken. I paste on a smile every day because that's what we do. But it's all becoming impossible.

I agree. After 30 years in the job, including as a head, my workload now is the worst it's ever been and the job has become unbearable. There are so many unmet needs and anxieties amongst the children that behaviour has deteriorated. I'm leaving at Christmas for another (part time) teaching role but I suspect it'll be the same situation at my new school. In which case, I'll leave the profession which I've always loved.

This.

What I would like to know is whether the schools with unsustainable and top-heavy management structures will be reducing senior leaders' pay in order to stop class sizes becoming any more unmanageable, and to pay TAs a reasonable living wage?

No money, no staff. No wiggle room for anything- if one person gets caught up with a child then it’s like Jenga. High needs kids with zero support. Can’t recruit - teachers or TAs.
When it’s been mentioned on here it’s been shouted down.
No mental health support - you can spot the children struggling but there’s no one to help them.
Behaviour is the absolute worst I have ever seen too- so many poor kiddos with unmet needs screaming, angry, hurting people. There is nowhere for them.
I hate this government.

No mental health support - you can spot the children struggling but there’s no one to help them.
Same for staff. We can't help the children if we're broken ourselves

This!

I'm a parent.

In DS's class I can count 10 SEN kids off the top of my head. Out of 28. And I don't know most of the others to be able to make a guess.

One of those is so bad that they take up 50% of the teachers time and if he makes it to the end of the year without an exclusion at the rate he's going, I'll be amazed. He's not just disruptive, he's violent. The class are clearly massively behind the other class in the year.

Its a bloody car crash.

As a parent, is there any answer except going private if you can?

I've been in the job almost 30 years and never been assaulted. This academic year so far I've been assaulted so many times all by kids under 7. Today was a good day as I only got verbally abused.

Home educate

Don’t vote Tory and write to your MP.
been reading this with growing sense of anger. I know social care is under huge stress and to hear this candour from teachers…

I teach in a lovely department in a good state school. I only cope because I'm 0.8, and I know that my school is a much more pleasant place to work than most schools, because we have mostly pleasant, well-behaved kids, and very experienced staff. I know from speaking to friends in education that this is not a universal experience.

I gave up full time work for supply. Totally flexible. No responsibility

depends on the school though and where you get sent. Supply can be nice but also can be just every bit as tough as normal teaching. I've had some terrible gigs and stress in my supply days.