Government slammed for 'sluggish and incoherent' response to teacher shortage crisis

[noblegiraffe]

A damning report has just been published by the Commons Public Accounts Committee into the critical teacher shortage in state schools and the government's failure to address it, choosing to spend millions on teacher recruitment programmes (which, despite this, have miserably failed to meet their targets), and comparatively little on supporting the current workforce.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/dfes-sluggish-and-incoherent-approach-teacher-shortage-crisis-slammed

The government has stood and watched as teachers have quit teaching in droves, simply issuing platitudes about how it remains an attractive profession despite all the evidence to the contrary.

I wonder if we'll now actually see any effective action taken to remedy matters.

The government has stood and watched as teachers have quit teaching in droves

Not exactly - an article in schoolsweek today says this;

MPs are particularly worried by an almost five-per-cent fall in the number of secondary teachers between 2010 and 2016, prompted by a fall in secondary pupil numbers over the past decade

schoolsweek.co.uk/get-a-grip-on-teacher-supply-crisis-government-told/

Fewer secondary school teachers were needed 2010-2016 because of a drop in secondary pupil numbers, but pupil numbers are expected to rise sharply in the future, hence the panic.

Rather shortsighted to let them all go then wasn’t it! Maybe they didn’t expect to win the election and hoped the mess could be left to Labour to pick up?

The problem with politicians is that they’re so bloody short-sighted. Can’t see beyond the next 5 years.

pupil numbers are expected to rise sharply

This isn’t an expectation that should be causing panic, that bumper crop of kids are currently in primary school. How can there possibly be last-minute panic about something that has been obvious for years and should have been planned for?

There’s no way of painting this as anything other than utter incompetence.

I didn't say the government were panicking.

Bit misleading of tes to say 4.9% of secondary teachers ran off though - seems they weren't replaced as secondary pupil numbers had dropped.

You said hence the panic
Who is panicking then?

If they didn’t ‘run off’, then where are they? And teachers are leaving in ever increasing numbers so it’s wrong to suggest that it’s just normal wastage that has been going on.

Who is panicking then?
Your title says teacher recruitment crisis.

If they didn’t ‘run off’, then where are they?
The returner rate back into teaching has risen.

I meant teacher shortage crisis

Are you saying there isn’t a teacher shortage crisis and the Public Accounts Committee are wrong to criticise the government?

And will teachers returning to the profession make up for the increased numbers quitting and the failure to meet recruitment targets? I suspect not.

To be fair clavinova, I don't think crisis is a word uniquely used by noble to describe the current situation....

I always find this returner rate interesting. I have never met a single one.

Unless you count basically retired women who seem to come back because their friend is a head of English who needs a bit of a favour to cover some classes because there is a shortage and is prepared to fill in for a bit of pin money?

I used to work in a pretty stable department but in the last few years we have employed staff (one TeachFirst) who have left teaching (one for family reasons and the other for an easier life : she is now a school librarian)

I do think so many interesting factors come up in that report : workload, of course, but also housing , poor CPD.

On another thread, a poster said retention was solely down to SLTs and it lay at their door. Not sure they can deal with issues over teachers not being able to afford housing in the South East!

My thread title comes from the TES headline.
Then we have the chair of the Public Accounts Committee:
"A crisis is brewing in English classrooms but government action to address it has been sluggish and incoherent,” Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said.

And the head of the ASCL:
"Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the report was a “devastating indictment of the Department for Education’s failure to get to grips with a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention which has been brewing for several years”."

Schools Week headline: "Recruitment crisis: ‘Get a plan by April’ MPs tell government"

It's not my word!

I just googled teacher returners and found this recent story:

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-more-ps500k-bring-49-teachers-back-profession

More than half a million pounds on encouraging teacher returners resulted in 49 teachers back in the classroom.

"But just 426 teachers were recruited to the various training schemes and, by the November 2016 cut-off point, only 49 of them were in employment.

The DfE also revealed that it paid out £584,775 in grant funding for the scheme.

By November, it had cost the taxpayer nearly £12,000 for every teacher who was back working in the classroom."

Um, is that meant to be a success?

Teacher training providers told to stop rejecting so many people:

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-teacher-trainers-ordered-rethink-entry-standards-maximise

I've applied for a PGCE this year, so I've been reading a lot about what people have been rejected for in previous years, and the most common reason appears to be a lack of subject knowledge, perhaps combined with other weaknesses at interview. People who didn't get interviews seemed to lack essential qualifications or not have any classroom experience (but these seem pretty rare anyway).

As you can apply to 3 courses initially via UCAS, institutions must over offer already. Also, if an applicant doesn't get into their three initial choices, they can apply through "apply 2" until they get an offer or there are no more spaces. This suggests to me that anyone with the capability to teach will probably find a place.

If you assume the same candidates probably get rejected multiple times, then 50,000 rejected applications is probably less than 20,000 individuals. I guess more of these individuals would be applying for popular subjects like PE and history.

Offers are conditional on passing a DBS and health checks as well as passing skills tests if you haven't already. If these candidates are included in the numbers listed, arguably they aren't people who you'd want teaching your children.

As a solution, maybe recruitment could be more targeted. I think schemes to send STEM undergrads into schools as teaching assistants/volunteers could help them see that not every school is a horror story in terms of behaviour, and might encourage them into teaching.

Years ago, when I was at school, students thought of teaching as an aspirational career. It appears to be the opposite now. Years and years of mismanagement by all types of government have ruined the reputation of teaching.

It is not just mismanagement by the Government alone. It is also many Governments over many years.

I think some teachers have had a hand in ruining the recruitment of teachers. Teachers continually say how awful their job is. All the time. They tell children, actively, not to do it. The children see gumpy teachers, complaining teachers, continual supply teachers who do not know them, so it really is not going to seem like a worthwhile career when children are seeing the negative side of it.

It is well documented that the SLT in schools make a huge difference. With a poor SLT, teachers move to another school. Teachers need to feel supported and valued and in good schools they are. Staff who are not offered relevant CPD to have their career options enhanced, move to another school where the career options are better.

There are very good pay options for senior teachers and Heads get a lot of money these days. There are many employment options in the MATS and Learning Trusts set up to suport schools. Young teachers should look at the bigger picture, and it is not always in the classroom. With support, teachers can specialise and become expert is certain areas of work which is often well paid and fulfilling.

There has always been expensive housing in the South East. When were those halcyon days when teachers could afford to buy in London? I remember recruiting teachers to schools in a Home County simply because housing was cheaper than London That was 30 years ago.

All this is very very true but have you seen the figures for the number of teachers who actively want promotion to headship? Therein lies another crisis...

As I said, "all types of government have ruined the reputation of teaching", not just the current one.

Guardian quote from 17 March 2017:
"Rising house prices now stand at an average 7.6 times the average annual salary, more than double the figure for 20 years ago, according to official figures."
From The Telegraph 28 November 2017: "House prices in the capital are now 14.5 times the earnings of an average Londoner, according to Hometrack, hitting the highest level on record."

As with many workers, it is incredibly difficult for all teachers to afford to live in any area, but particularly in the South East/London.

I think some teachers have had a hand in ruining the recruitment of teachers. Teachers continually say how awful their job is. All the time. They tell children, actively, not to do it. The children see gumpy teachers, complaining teachers, continual supply teachers who do not know them, so it really is not going to seem like a worthwhile career when children are seeing the negative side of it.

So should teachers really just stfu about how shit it is, so as to lull a new generation into becoming the next lot of stressed-out cannon fodder? Even with so many of us shouting loudly and constantly about what's wrong with teaching atm, nibidy seems to want to do anything about it. Should we just put up or shut up?

Dh and I are both teachers and have told our dc they can be anything they want but please not teachers. Maybe if the crisis gets even worse, something will have to eventually change.

Ah of course, the problem is teachers talking down the profession, as Nicky Morgan put it. The obvious solution would be to fix the profession. And teachers aren’t just talking down the profession, they’re quitting in droves, so it’s not just talk. Maybe teachers should also be chained to the their jobs because quitting gives such a bad impression

Painting teachers as workshy whingers is contributing to the problem, not solving it.

Actually, yes. You should shut up. You make it worse for everyone by not being supportive of getting new teachers into the profession. I have met many new teachers over the years as a Governor and the vast majority are still teaching. I have seenf irst class Heads and excellent managers in schools really supporting new teachers and their whole staff. You are obviously in a naff school and that is sad. Could you not find a better school to go to? After all teachers are in short supply, are they not?

However, I cannot see anyone wanting to work with people like you. It must be soul destroying to work with such a negative colleague. I too would be running for the door.

Thankfully, many schools are not like this. They are not full of teachers who think their job is shit. I also think you need to take a long hard look at other jobs and then you might see the benefits from the one you have. They stack up fairly well and that includes a very decent pension. Be glad you do not work for Carillion whose pension pot has been decimated. Or BHS. We, the taxpayers, subsidise teachers pensions and all you do is moan. Get over it.

You have said to your children exactly what I have mentioned, Eolian. Your children will not be teachers and perhaps that is no loss. I have many teacher friends whose children are teachers. They love the job. They have not been put off. Many are doing exceptionally well in their jobs.

Why do you think that it is only teachers who work hard? Or who have performance related pay? Or who have to meet targets? What magic jobs are there in this world that do not have all of those things in place? You may find your children have very stressed out lives in other jobs - and a shit pension to match! Just wait and see!!!

There’s a good example of teachers being told what to think and do by someone who isn’t a teacher.

Trying to silence dissent doesn’t actually cure it.

Yes Bubbles. Why are you yelling at Eolian? It is not becoming of a Governor. I also avoid promoting teaching as a career for my DC. In the last few years most of the state teachers I've met across my DCs' time at school have been stressed and over worked and underpaid. Eolian is as entitled as you or I to their opinion. You are not promoting your cause by bashing unhappy teachers. Your comment about "no loss" was uncalled for, I suggest you apologise.

I don't think the main reason we pay tax is to subsidise teachers' pensions!

I am more than happy to do so anyway. I'd rather pay tax for education and the NHS than anything else. I'd happily pay more tax, in fact.

Just to pipe up, DS2 has said he wants to be a teacher and I have encouraged him unlike DH. He may well change his mind, but I, personally, have not put him off. I'll let him do what he wants to do. But I know it is not the job it was when I started.

I don't know when MN turned into a Noble Bashing site.