Additional Teachers in state schools

[ByQuaintAzureWasp]

The 20% VAT on private schooling was, we were told, meant to provide more teachers for the state sector.

Has anybody had an increase in funding to their school for additional teachers?

Has anybody had an increase in teacher numbers (FTEs)?

If not why not?

Too soon.

The VAT wasn't hypothecated so not ring fenced for education budget. RR admitted it was going into public services, not specifically education.
They haven't even hit recruitment target set by previous government, let alone recruit 6500 more! Have you noticed that none of the recent announcements have mentioned these mythical 6500 teachers?

Why is it too soon, they will have had the VAT this month, surely it was planned for and schools know what extra money is coming their way.

It was always an empty promise imo. Firstly, the number of extra teachers they said they were going to recruit would be a drop in the ocean. Secondly, where would they be getting these extra teachers from, even if they did have the budget?

Won’t happen. Where would they come from?
The attack on Indy schools is just an attempt by the Labour Party to level down.

Well presumably they meant they wanted to train more teachers not magic up teachers with the extra money the very next month. But they'll have to sort.ehow solve the issue that not enough people want to become teachers, and many people are leaving teaching.
There's not a bank of teachers struggling to find jobs, who'll suddenly be recruited with VAT money.

Also way more kids have left state schools already than originally predicted so automatically that means less ££ being raised. 18 indy schools announced closures which is twice as many per month as in a normal year so again, less money going to Treasury.

From Monday I will be teaching 60 Yr10s in a purpose built lecture theatre because we are so understaffed and the “qualified” teachers coming through the local university leave a lot to be desired- I don’t think any extra money will help the jobs current optics.

They also said it would fund these free breakfast clubs, and the latest news on these from the pilot is that means 60p per child so will cost schools money. Great!

They'll need to advertise, train and then get the new teachers into jobs. It'll take at least an academic year to feel any effect.

You didn't believe them did you?

There are no teachers. Recruiting is impossible. Closing private schools may mean state schools can recruit those teachers and as classes are bigger, then that teacher will be teaching a lot more students. That would help.

@ByQuaintAzureWasp you sound a little naive.

The government have said "We will recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across mainstream, special schools, and colleges; we will get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges, and tackle retention issues."

This is clearly a long-term aim, not just a case of handing out money to schools so they can recruit more teachers. It is about encouraging more people to become teachers and encouraging existing teachers to remain as teachers. That will take time. Come back in 4 years and we'll see if things have improved.

School funding hasn't increased (yet, if you are an optimist) - schools don't have more money to recruit in February than they had in December.

And yes - have you SEEN the shortage of teachers? The focus should be on retaining those we have for the quickest win. That requires good working conditions.

Are you kidding? Not many teachers from Indy would go to state. Most of them arrived at indy schools by leaving state ones. Plus how does a Latin teacher in independent school get a job in state?

I'm doing supply teaching and I've heard a couple of times now that the ECTs just can't manage the workload and behaviour so although they are cheaper they need support and schools haven't got any spare staff to do that. So there are ECTs without work but they aren't up to the job.

And this is where the problem lies. A two tier system when everyone should be entitled to an equal education package. That is what we should all be focused on. I don't know why we aren't. I would be moving to a system with no private schools. I would build middle and high schools. High schools would teach a much larger range of subjects.

School budgets are annual, the money doesn't just ‘pop in’ mid year/term/week…

I work at an independent school. Not one that is at any risk of closure, but still. I left a state school 10 years ago. I'm pretty employable still doing other stuff, I think (some colleagues have left recently with similar profiles to me and have all got other jobs quite easily). I'd never go back to working in a state school, I would leave teaching and do something else. I think 90% of my colleagues would feel the same (the vast majority of them arrived at some point from the state sector because they wanted to teach their subject, not deal with poor behaviour constantly and be treated like crap.

But we have massive inequality in the state system already and many state schools are already selective due to house prices in their catchment areas plus grammar schools etc.
Parents will always pay to improve outcomes for their children including tutoring etc and you see on the Education board continual posts about tutors. You will never get rid of that and to blame it all on indy schools is disingenuous.

But they can’t recruit enough trainee teachers and of those who they do manage to recuit 25% leave within 3 years.

They don’t have enough teachers to fill the vacancies in state schools as it is! No chance they can recruit more even if they gave them the money to…which they won’t.

State school classes will get bigger with little extra money and all the influx of children with SEN who now can’t afford afford orivate. It’s already happening in areas where schools have closed.

One council is now paying the VAT for a family to stay in private as they have no places for them and I expect this will be replicated around the country.

Oh how people applauded this policy. Now look what is happening: ALL children will be suffering soon.

From what I’ve heard lots of private schools are now in trouble as many parents can no longer afford to send their children, so there will be more children in state school and they’ll need more teachers. Hopefully that will happen and it won’t just mean even more pupils with not enough teachers and support.

Yes I teach 2 GCSE groups in the hall now. Insanity.

How will it happen when they can't even hit current recruitment targets, let alone an extra 6500 teachers plus over 40 000 teachers leave the profession each year.
Just saying you "hope" that will happen is extremely naive