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Secondary education

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Original poster

Teacher shortage crisis to get even worse

151 replies

noblegiraffe · 08/02/2022 20:29

The current data for teacher training applications for September 2022 has just come out and it is not only down 24% on last year, when more people decided to train as teachers in an uncertain economy, it is also 8% down on the same time in 2019 well before covid. The government have missed recruitment targets for years so there's already a critical shortage, particularly in subjects like maths, physics and computer science, and especially in the disadvantaged areas of the country that the government is supposed to be 'levelling up'.

The government had banked on lots of people wanting to train as teachers in a recession and cut the training bursaries massively. This has clearly had an impact and we are now facing an emergency unless something happens that turns this around.

Teacher shortage crisis to get even worse
Teacher shortage crisis to get even worse
OP posts:
APurpleSquirrel · 08/02/2022 20:43

It's appalling but I'm not surprised. I wanted to retrain, put in my application, got accepted on a great course & then when I went to apply for funding found out all the supposed grants etc I wasn't eligible for, so had to give up my place.
I have no idea how the government can think anyone with any kind of financial commitments (mortgage, childcare etc) can afford to basically live off a loan of £7k for a year.
I met graduates on the interview day who where applying for courses which did offer the bursaries only because they too couldn't afford to do another year on no income. They were then hoping, after they'd trained, to move to the subject/area they actually wanted to teach rather than the subject they'd been taken on for.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 08/02/2022 20:45

I actually want to retrain as a physics teacher. Can’t do it until I’ve got enough saved up though, as it’s financially too unrewarding.

Didiusfalco · 08/02/2022 20:47

The ECT is also now a two year course. I wonder if that is putting people off too?

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 08/02/2022 20:52

Oh god, from what I've heard of the ECT stuff, it's horrendously burdensome and incredibly badly managed. That's not going to help retain the teachers that we do manage to recruit.

OP posts:
MaggieMooh · 08/02/2022 20:53

Some of it will be due to bursaries being cut. But some of it is due to schools currently being perceived as dangerous places to work - no Covid safety measures, no ventilation or masks or social distancing etc. Nobody in their right mind will volunteer to go into schools right now except those who already work there so have no choice.

I also think there are more opportunities in other sectors right now so people who might have become teachers now have other options. Everyone wants WFH as part of their job which is never going to be available in a school. And everyone is more concerned about work-life balance, the lack of which is a big problem with teaching.

CallmeHendricks · 08/02/2022 20:57

Hmm, all those posters who told existing teachers to "resign if you don't like it" during Covid ... I wonder if they thought this through properly?

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 08/02/2022 20:57

I don't think people realise how bad the work life balance thing is. They think that 'all jobs involve working more than your hours'.

Education in the UK is currently screwed. It's going to be a really tough 5 years.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 08/02/2022 20:58

@CallmeHendricks

Hmm, all those posters who told existing teachers to "resign if you don't like it" during Covid ... I wonder if they thought this through properly?
Well, that too!!
MrsHamlet · 08/02/2022 20:59

@noblegiraffe

Oh god, from what I've heard of the ECT stuff, it's horrendously burdensome and incredibly badly managed. That's not going to help retain the teachers that we do manage to recruit.
It's one of the worst things I have ever had the misfortune to be involved with.
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 08/02/2022 21:03

@CallmeHendricks

Hmm, all those posters who told existing teachers to "resign if you don't like it" during Covid ... I wonder if they thought this through properly?
Talking of covid, we've already got a shortage of headteachers. I think we are going to see a huge issue in that area in the next few years. So many have been completely burned out by the totally unreasonable demands put on them during the pandemic, and many middle managers will have seen how badly heads were treated and give up any idea of training for headship.
OP posts:
Canaloha · 08/02/2022 21:04

Cutting the bursaries etc won't have helped at all. I think it's just not an appealing career for people with certain degrees. Computing for example you can earn double what a teacher earns just a few years after graduating, or science and maths opens plenty of doors. Seeing how teachers were treated during the pandemic, the crappy pay compared to some other graduate jobs- can't say I'd be queuing up.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 08/02/2022 21:04

My Head is struggling. She's good at hiding it, but yesterday the damn broke a bit. Meanwhile, I supposed I 'should' be aiming for headship, but there's no chance.

CallmeHendricks · 08/02/2022 21:08

Not a day goes past when I don't shudder at the prospect of what being a Head entails. The rudeness and entitlement and all-round hassle directed at them from all directions is off-the-scale.

NorthSouthcatlady · 08/02/2022 21:15

@CallmeHendricks safe to say they didn’t!

CafeConLechePorFavor · 08/02/2022 21:25

Couldn't pay me enough to go back to teaching.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 08/02/2022 21:27

Our head is retiring and they’ve advertised 3 times with no applications at all. Not a single one

Kenwouldmixitup · 08/02/2022 21:30

Live on a minimum wage job having come out of management. No fucking way would I go back. I’d clean toilets first.

BitterTits · 08/02/2022 21:33

At my DD's secondary there was only one applicant for the headship. They didn't get it as far as I'm aware.

I've applied for a job outside teaching because the SLT where I work is behaving as if life is a bowl of cherries in terms of retention, and taking us completely for granted.

BitterTits · 08/02/2022 21:35

Also my DH had a place to do a PGCE but govt pulled the subject knowledge enhancement course he needed to do first. There have been a number of jobs in that subject advertised recently bit of course he can't apply.

Monkeytennis97 · 08/02/2022 21:36

Two secondary teachers here we've both just resigned. I'm moving out of mainstream secondary and DH is getting out to work in a completely different area. Together we've been secondary teachers for over 50 years.

MrsHamlet · 08/02/2022 21:40

@BitterTits

Also my DH had a place to do a PGCE but govt pulled the subject knowledge enhancement course he needed to do first. There have been a number of jobs in that subject advertised recently bit of course he can't apply.
The requirement to do SKE will go I think. It's mad.
Appuskidu · 08/02/2022 21:40

I actually don’t know a single teacher in real life who isn’t looking at an exit plan within the next few years. Loads of my ex colleagues have left already in the last 5. Schools near to me are propping up classes with TAs and part time supply teachers.

Fredstheteds · 08/02/2022 21:46

Teacher being a SAHM- quite happy to be out at mo

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/02/2022 21:50

I escaped last year. Teaching is toxic and underpaid.

MrTumblesEyebrows · 08/02/2022 21:53

My sister is a dedicated secondary school teacher. I am primary trained and work in secondary SEN so my workload is different to hers. She’s come home crying the last two days and several days last week because nothing is ever enough. There is not enough money in the world to go back into mainstream teaching for me.

My school is due Ofsted and we’re under no illusions that it will go well because we simply don’t have the staff and the ones we do have are fed up and disenchanted. I’ve recently found out I’m pregnant and as well as being over the moon about having another baby, I’m so relieved to be out of education for a year. I may not go back.