To think ‘teenage teachers’ are not the answer

79 replies

Xmasinfrance · 10/12/2023 18:17

to the recruitment and retention crisis?

“Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships already exist but the Department for Education is drawing up plans for degree apprenticeships that would involve trainees as young as 18 years old being in the classroom alongside experienced teachers.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/teenage-teachers-in-classroom-under-new-apprenticeships-hqqjf299p

I’m not sure I would’ve trusted an 18 year old to teach me as a Year 11 in high school.

New apprenticeships will put teenage teachers in the classroom

Young trainees will be part of recruitment drive aimed at those deterred by university

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/teenage-teachers-in-classroom-under-new-apprenticeships-hqqjf299p

OP posts:

cansu · 10/12/2023 21:21

Who would be training these young people who have no experience?
Look at some of the a level threads on here and tell me that these young people are ready to be responsible for children and teenagers. Most still need their parents to help them get jobs and advocate for them at school!

It is utterly ridiculous but not surprising from this government.

squeekychicken · 10/12/2023 21:45

I started my BEd when I was 18. In the classroom on placements from the end of first term.

napody · 17/12/2023 19:32

InefficientProcess · 10/12/2023 18:38

Tbh, loads and loads of young people want to train as teachers. Not as maths and physics and computer science teachers, admittedly, because they can earn more with less shit to deal with elsewhere.

The really bad crisis is in retention of the people who actually do train. Maybe the government could try to persuade experienced, trained teachers that they want to continue doing the job by… oh, I don’t know… making it a nicer job to do. Not changing the goalposts and scapegoating teachers all the time. Decreasing the meddling and micromanaging and trusting them as professionals.

You know… they could listen to all the teachers leaving in droves about why and improve things.

Doesn’t matter if they add an additional
training route if they all leave the profession shortly after qualifying.

This.

And I think having to mentor 18 year olds might nudge a few more experienced teachers out of the door...

napody · 17/12/2023 19:35

Flamingbow · 10/12/2023 20:19

Its just like PAs in the NHS though isn't it, the government aren't doing it to benefit schools or pupils. It'll be some sort of random qualification that means it's harder to leave- people with a maths degree can have decent careers outside of teaching or can teach abroad; I'd bet money that these can't. This is a new scheme it was discussed earlier in the year when DfE released some stuff- it will be separate to teach first I believe and they're still pondering how to do it. We have plenty of teachers who don't even have maths at a level covering maths lessons for the entire academic year mind, I'm not convinced that's much better.

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Oh my God you have nailed it here.

The fact that they won't have a transferable qualification to enable them to leave IS PART OF THE POINT.

Alongside further diluting the professionalism of the job so that oak academy-a-likes can replace actual teaching with delivering commercial materials for peanuts.
Anyone remember that episode of The Simpsons with lessons delivered by a screen and every answer related to its sponsor: Pepsi.

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