If you’re a teacher, what changes would help you do your job?

[Cattenberg]

I know some teachers are striking for a decent, fully-funded pay rise, but what other changes would you like to see?

Smaller class sizes? If so, what size would be ideal?

Less bureaucracy? Which part would you most like to get rid of?

More money for schools? If so, what would you spend it on?

I feel I have a vague idea of the issues, but nothing specific. The day after DD’s teacher is next on strike, I’ll be manning a stall at the school fete, wondering if the school will be fully-staffed in September as two teachers have recently resigned.

Appropriate SEN provision which takes account the need of the child, and class as a whole.

Smaller Classes

Parents who understand the value of education and their role in supporting their child to thrive (ie don’t think that school is there as childcare).

Support for SEN
An improved curriculum that offers vocational and practical alternatives instead of pushing all kids to do GCSEs. Get rid of ebacc.
Alternative provision and improved mental health support. Over 20 students have attaempted to take their own life in the past academic year. 4 very, very seriously! None of us are mental health trained 😔

SEND funding
Mental health funding.

Smaller classes- 20-25 makes a huge difference versus 30 odd.
Cut back the massively overstuffed primary curriculum so we can focus on basics and practical things - finding out about the world. There is actually not enough time for all the subjects.
Stop changing the curriculum all the time.
Ditch Ofsted and give the money it costs to schools. Groups of schools form supportive teams and improvement comes from that. We can then ditch the millions of overpaid consultants. Focus on the children - not getting a grading based on a fairly inaccurate snapshot.

If this link works it's definitely worth watching. I think he says it all.

fb.watch/lCWy-O-Lvd/

Enough TAs who are better paid, respected and trained.

OFSTed scrapped and a more supportive system put in its place.

Plus a system that works for properly for children with Send, especially behavioural needs, so that children get supported and moved to a more suitable environment when they need it rather than 3 years later when they and everybody who helps them is on the verge of breaking down.

I'd like all the other services that families need access to to be properly funded so schools can focus on teaching instead of directing large amounts of time and resources plugging gaps in other services.

More PPA time and class sizes of 24 for subjects with extended writing assessments. From talking to colleagues the consensus is my marking took much longer than my colleagues in Maths.

I was very disappointed to hear Keir Starmer on radio four this morning mention absolutely none of the suggestions upthread. In fact all his statements were decidedly vague. He wouldn't even commit to implementing the pay increase recommended by the independent body.

Enough money for resources
Time for planning within the school day
Remove ofsted
Remove the Constant micro management
Stop the 300 emails I get a day
Adequate staffing
No emails after 5pm rule
Kids respect
Parents respect

Yes. I get tired of people my age and older telling me that there weren't kids as bad in school in the old days, due to proper punishment.

No, it's because they were either in what used to be called 'naughty boys' school' (like my uncle), or they just voted with their feet and fucked off and no one really cared. Or was it that as a kid, you don't really notice the poor behaviour around you?

I do think there is an element of shit parenting; but also of having more kids in mainstream and being forced to do subject after subject of dry academic material. Why do kids need to sit exams on texts they memorise? Why can't they do coursework (which taught them loads of skills)anymore? Why is speaking and listening meaningless in England but still worth something in Wales?

SEND services (in every which way).
TA’s to be properly paid and there to be enough to cope with the children in each class.
Class sizes no bigger than 20.
Less time spent on pointless assessments and more time to simply enjoy a story.
Less time spent in meetings that could have been an email.
A staff and child counsellor that can be accessed.
Wages that actually reflect the hours I work.

There are so many things that need work but they all come down to funding.

A total re-set on remuneration and respect - look at countries like Canada where teachers are paid properly for what they do, with a good pension, and some respect, all of which is sorely lacking in the UK.
Not just a pay-rise - a total re-set of the pay and terms & conditions, way higher.
I'm not a teacher, but I work in a school and see what teachers are put through. It's absolutely horrific.

I teach in a lovely grammar school where behaviour is not really an issue. 31 in a class at KS3 is ok apart from when it comes to reports. However, what would really help me is funding for mental health and SEN students. We have a number of able students with autism but not enough space for them to regulate themselves, or staff to support them. Some long-term absentees have to wait years for CAMHS appointments.

Money spent wisely on the services which support students, more quality places in specialist schools for kids with needs and a pay rise for classroom teachers and TAs would be my Wishlist.

A TA and 15-16 kids per class? That sounds pretty unreasonable. Surely you need one or the other, not both.

Properly funded external services (e.g. mental health), SEN support (including NHS diagnoses that don't take 3 years) and alternative provision for those not suited to mainstream.

Not having to teach in a building that is basically shit for learning in both winter (too cold) and summer (too hot).

Smaller class sizes and more PPA

Reintroduction of a 4th subject taken at AS so that kids who end up on an A-level that they can't cope with can drop it and we don't have to drag them through to the bitter end, evidencing each and every intervention.

Being allowed to kick students off A-level courses if they are clearly not prepared to put the work in.

It was lovely when we had that during covid though. In the course of a day I could speak meaningfully with every child, interact with them about their work properly, every child read to an adult every day. It made for a calmer quieter less stressful environment for those with send and felt manageable. Every child was happier and had more of their needs met. I’d go to 20 in a class, especially for younger children (I teach ks1).

I’d also definitely review the primary curriculum - it’s way too full at the moment.

Completely overhaul ofsted and change its focus - more regular safeguarding checks and then actual support for schools rather than unhelpful grades.

What's the problem with academies? Genuine question - haven't got to secondary stage with the DC yet!

A lot of academies drain off money to the corporate centre, leaving the schools with threadbare budgets and little cultural provision (generally great blazers though .

I would like:

1. More credible alternatives to A-level so I'm not teaching so many students who genuinely aren't suitable for advanced level learning.
2. More support for SEN; better home circumstances. When my tutees go "through a threshold" (meaning rack up a certain number of behaviour points) they are generally being punished for SEN (or poor home circumstances), essentially.
3. A hold on cutting BTEC funding till the T levels are proven as an alternative. Or not.
4. There to be some kind of acknowledgement that decent teachers keep learning their subject - there's nothing in the system to encourage this. It's crap!
5. I'm also a SEN parent. My education and knowledge (and frankly, savings) mean I will eventually wrestle an EHCP from the cold dead hands of the LA. Less educated/poorer parents won't. This is wrong, wrong, wrong!
6. Serious consideration of the way other higher productivity countries do education. My friend's DC are growing up in Switzerland. Wow, is it different to here!

D minus, see me, UK

I just sincerely hope that the unions communicate all these points effectively and are heard when we (hopefully ) get a new government. You are the experts, and surely should be heard.

smaller classes and specialist tuition and/or curriculum for students with SEND
More LSA support for students with SEND
Return to the NC levels for assessing children. They made sense, teachers understood them and they were used across all schools
Ofsted replaced with more meaningful inspections. LA visits which aim to help schools improve rather than deliver a bombshell and disappear for five years leaving schools in a worse position than before.
Money for resources and educational visits
Schools under LA control

Numeracy and Literacy qualifications aswell as Maths / English GCSEs

School libraries to be compulsory (and well stocked!) in every school (they are in prisons but not in school!)

Subsidised food in the canteen for staff (ideally for everyone)

A rehaul of uniform - instead of toes and white shirts - polo shirts

In an ideal world SEN referrals should not take so long

Speech and Language therapist / educational psychologist readily available - ie one for every 3 schools

Smaller class sizes. I have 32 in both my Y9 classes - and I have 28 in my Y12 class, about to move to Y13. I teach an essay based subject and it's bloody ridiculous. Most other classes are at 30.

More PPA - 3 hours a week is not enough to do all the planning and marking I have. I teach 10 classes. 5 mins per week on everybody's book basically gives me 25 hours marking a week - on top of the 45 hours I am doing in school. So obviously I can't spend 5 minutes a week on everyone's book. Which means a lot of my GCSE and A level classes aren't really getting the level of feedback they need. I get one PPA a fortnight to do my HoD role, an equivalent of 30 mins a week. That's not enough.

More money for resources. We are struggling with a lack of textbooks, etc. I can't afford to order any more.

The ability to take kids on trips - SLT see 'being in school' as vital - and taking them to a museum or anywhere else educational as 'a waste of time'. We're in a socially deprived area and this is a pity. Many of my kids won't ever visit a museum.

An appreciation from government (and parents, if that's not too much trouble) that most of us work bloody long hours and give huge amounts of time, energy and concern to the kids in our care. We are doing our best and it feels like we're being spat on and treated with contempt a lot of the time.

An acknowledgement that education is vital to this country - and that the present crisis in recruitment and retention of teachers is an absolute catastrophe that people should be up in arms about and desperate to resolve.

@WomanFromTheNorth I think getting rid of academies is the singles biggest thing that would solve lots of these problems.

@Howtohideasausage How do you think getting rid of subject leads would help? Everybody then takes responsibility for planning/managing a team/is accountable for results? Can’t understand how this works or solves any problems, especially when a subject lead TLR at most is usually about 4.5k. That won’t go very far!

Centrally for the benefit of all teachers…….Get rid of ofsted. It’s the root of all the downward pressure on teachers from managers. Get rid of academies. Get rid of sats. All of it such a waste of millions of pounds. You could give all teachers a pay rise with the money it would save.

Build more special schools. Have speech and language specialists working 1 to 1 with children in schools rather than just advising teachers what else they could be doing with no time or resources.

Schools have become a business charging other schools for all sorts of things. When I first started ( over 25 years ago) schools cooperated with each other much more and it was generally a supportive not a competitive environment.

Personally…. Small class sizes, mental health support from specialists for children. Less paperwork. Much more support for pupils entering school with no or little English.

my school is very inclusive and we have received a lot of training on ADHD, ASD and dyslexia. I believe all teachers would benefit from this.

many teachers are micromanaged by senior leaders and not backed up with sorting poor learning behaviours so this needs to change.

academies syphon money away from the school and into paying the salaries of chief executives and directors of this and that. Schools are also forced to take on curriculum and buy into things that may not be value for money. It is a racket.