Teachers' salaries, qualifications and sick leave to be published

[tethersend]

Here

Some of the best teachers I ever had did NOT have degrees. BUT they could control and inspire a class.

And one "boffin" type with endless letters after his name could only handle very bright kids but couldn't cope with more challenging ones. Not ideal in a mixed comp.

nottired - in primaries and smaller schools it would be pretty easy to identify individuals from the overall data. Especially if one person has had lengthy sick leave.

I had a very lengthy period of sick leave due to pregnancy related conditions. If this data is published it will be very obvious who I am.

However because it was pregnancy related and I am no longer pregnant (nor will I ever be again) I just cannot see the benefit here.

I don't see the point of this, it just seems to be another piece of wasteful bureaucracy.

The worst teacher I ever had had a PhD.

I would still like this data published for everyone private or public employee.

DS goes to an independent special school and I get information about all his teachers' qualifications, which has been really useful because many of them have additional SEN qualifications on top of the usual degree+PGCE. Most mainstream teachers only get a small amount of training in SEN as part of the PGCE so a school where staff have Masters in SpLD or ASD makes a huge difference.

It would definitely have been useful for me to see if any local schools had any staff with extra qualifications in SEN. The sick leave would also have been useful because DS struggles with changes of staff and needs a particularly consistent approach.

I don't particularly care about knowing the salaries, except I suppose that it's linked to experience, and an NQT is less likely to have had a lot of experience with different SEN/SNs.

I would be quite interested to know the career background of different teachers, though - those who have come into teaching from a previous career can really add a different dimension to their teaching and I know that some who have come from social services or special needs so that has reassured me that they're more in tune with DS's needs. I don't understand why teachers should be defensive about revealing the information.

hazelnut - how much do you earn ad how much does your DP earn? How many days have you each had off sick in the last 3 years?

Publishing sickness rates will put pressure on headteachers to elbow out any staff who, for whatever reason, have to take time off sick.

Headteachers are a law unto themselves. I've seen a lot of contracts not renewed/job spec subtly changed, so job readvertised, etc. when there's a whiff that someone might be pg or be getting to an age when pg might happen soon. Anyone having tests for anything sinister (and yes, you have to tell the Head why you need the time off, especially if you're on your third doctor's appointment) will find themselves in a very nasty situation .

I don't like this idea at all.

This has been going on unchallenged in the private sector for at least 10 years, I hope your unions have some clout still because we need more protection not to low the public sectors employment laws.

'I would like to know exactly what grade teachers got for their A levels and degrees. I'm not sure I'd want my children being taught Further Math A level by somebody with a third class degrees from No-Hope Uni (ex Poly).'

What if there's no one else Siasl?

I think that is awful. Why should teachers sicknes and salaries be published for all to see.

An awful idea. It wouldn't particularly affect me as my school has so many staff it would be impossible to get any individual information.

But I have taught in a school with three members of teaching staff, where parents could immediately work out who the data relates to.

I don't understand why teachers are being singled out in this way either- should be all public sector workers or none.

" I'm not sure I'd want my children being taught Further Math A level by somebody with a third class degrees from No-Hope Uni (ex Poly)."

My senior school maths teacher had Maths degrees, masters and Phds coming out of her ears. Without a doubt an absolutely incredible mathematician.

She couldn't teach for toffee.

On the subject in question - I don't see the point of this exercise. DS2's infant school already has teacher qualifications (just "BA (Hons)", PGCE, BSc(Hones) type information - nothing more) - but nothing about how good their degree was, or where from). But I can't say I've ever sat and studied it

And tbh I'm not sure I'd know which was "better" anyhow .

I have no desire to know what sort of salary scale they're on, or how much time they've taken off sick. I know all I need to know - and that's that my children are being taught well at school, an that if a teacher is off sick there is a system in place to minimise disruption to the children.

Just checked D1's junior school - they have "BA QTS", "Certed" etc for a few of the teachers - but not all) and again nothing more.

Goblinchild. Not all teachers with the highest degrees are actually the best Teacchers. But most teachers have done a PGCE after they have finished their degree.
DD1 teaches Biology. She had to have a 2.1 degree to get on to the PGCE course. She actually got a fierst class degree in Zooology. The essays she had to do on her PGEC course were actually masters stansdard and they can be put towards a Masters/
But as well as having very good qualifications she is a firm but fair teacher and worksvery hard.
Some teachers with the same qualifications as her are actually useless Teachers and othere teachers she knows have less qualificatins then she does but theyt are very good teachers.

It's a terrible idea. And I'm another one who thinks it's a pointless waste of time and money.

As a teacher I'm so pleased to see that so many parents here think this is a useless initiative!

Fantastic news. Particularly the issue of sick leave.

I once put in a FoI request to find out how often my child's teacher was 'ill'/ They wouldn't tell me as apparently it was 'personal'

So I reworded it and asked for information on how often a supply had been in school.

That changed a LOT of things for us.

mumeeee, you are preaching to the converted.
I've occasionally stifled a small grin when someone who swanned in with excellent qualifications and paperwork has been bitten in the bum by the reality of teaching and has asked for help. Which is always given, often by those with lesser academic status, but great experience.

Caza - quite honestly - as long as my child is happpy, learning and progressing well at school I don't care if you have a diploma in juggling from the college of clowns and magicians as your qualification, - and as for salary and sickness - meh

This all seems utterly pointless and a waste of time and money.

1. As many posters have pointed out, schools do sometimes publish teachers' qualifications.
2. Since the plan doesn't seem to be to publish individuals' salaries, how is that different to what is already freely available - teachers' pay scales can be found pretty easily by anyone who cares to look.

Not sure about the sickness thing - I work currently in a school where a small minority of teachers are constantly off sick with stress. When they are in school, they're not great (one is a Dr, so no correlation between academic qualifications and ability to teach) Their absence makes things difficult for the rest of us - two of them are in the same dept, and as a VI Form tutor, I am having to deal with A Level students in Yr 13 who have hardly been taught this year. If publishing absences meant that HTs were quicker to take supportive action (which I believe they should - there is too much ignoring of teachers who need support, advice and help, and would rather "go sick" than admit they need support) in order to prevent a poor sickness report, then that might be a good thing. Then again, it might lead to HTs pushing people out and acting unfairly.

But anyway, unless Dave is going to change the entire schools admissions system, why will it make a jot of difference? Will parents be able to not choose a school because of its absence, or to prefer a school because of the number of Masters degrees and select it accordingly?