Teacher shortage crisis to get even worse

[noblegiraffe]

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.

@Lostatsea10 - now work in student services in a university and love it.

Bloody hell this is horrific to read as a parent of a 7 year old. His teachers seem happy at his school (they’re fantastic) but I’m so worried about the rest of his education. Is it any better in the private sector?

I’m so angry at how schools and teachers have been fucked over politically.

@Lostatsea10

Those of you that have left teaching, what have you gone on to do? I’m on mat leave with DC2 and 8 months away from going back. I had a text from my HoD after 6 weeks asking if I could do KIT days to cover classes because of sickness. Luckily (!) DC2 had been re hospitalised at that point so had an excuse (though she did ask if DH could do the hospital etc so I could do at least 2 KIT days to help them out)

I can’t face the thought of going back but can’t see a way out of it. I’ve got 8 months to go and I’m having panic attacks already.

I left thirteen years ago and was a sahm for a few years and now work in the nhs on a lot less money, I do sometimes regret leaving as it is quite hard to find other things that pay as much (I know hourly rate etc is crap but I'm on £21,000 now which is a lot less than what I'd get as a teacher. However the thought of being back in the classroom brings me out in a bit of a cold sweat to be honest. I never lost that feeling of dread driving to work. It really is such a tough job and you earn every penny I am married to a deputy head and no way could we cope as a family if we were both working as teachers I feel like a single parent most of the time as it is with the hours dh works

Most of the teachers I knew only lasted 3 - 5 years and started to plan a way out often following maternity leave. A few took a drop in salary to take on an apprenticeship in order to change careers. Others moved into tuition all the benefits of teaching without the unrealistic high expectations that have been aligned to teachers as unpaid social workers, mental health workers, behavioral specialists etc.

It’s not only a teaching staff exodus, it’s support staff too. I was pastoral in a high school for 7 years and quit 6 months ago. Covid times were hell. Support staff ran the testing centres (we tested 450 kids in 1 day at the start), managing kids in the bubbles and dealt with the massive mental fallout that arrived with the kids when they came back. All while being unsupported and micromanaged at the same time. Some teachers colleagues became unbearable grumps. The appalling rudeness of some parents was just depressing.

I have the job of my dreams now which does sometimes involve actually visiting schools. I feel a little shudder when I go in to high schools and would not work in a school again for all the tea in china. I feel like I’ve come out of an abusive relationship.

@Fridafever

Bloody hell this is horrific to read as a parent of a 7 year old. His teachers seem happy at his school (they’re fantastic) but I’m so worried about the rest of his education. Is it any better in the private sector?

I’m so angry at how schools and teachers have been fucked over politically.

When I replied I didn't realise this was a thread about secondary. I'm primary. I don't want to worry you but it is no better in primary (as I said) although there are still enough teachers (at the moment!)

I'm sure your child's teachers seem happy. I'm sure that's what the parents of my children think too.

I am happy between 8.45 and 3.15, because I can mostly forget about the rest of it - except the underfunding and the children that are not getting the support they need for their mental health or SEN.

Reading through all of these is horrific. I’m so glad l got out.

I worked in an Ofsted outstanding school in a leafy suburb. They couldn’t find a head of maths. God knows how tougher schools manage.

And now Boris has removed all restrictions l just don’t see how schools are going to manage. Staff are going to be constantly going off sick with repeat infections. Not that there were any proper restrictions in schools anyway.

@Lostatsea10

Those of you that have left teaching, what have you gone on to do? I’m on mat leave with DC2 and 8 months away from going back. I had a text from my HoD after 6 weeks asking if I could do KIT days to cover classes because of sickness. Luckily (!) DC2 had been re hospitalised at that point so had an excuse (though she did ask if DH could do the hospital etc so I could do at least 2 KIT days to help them out)

I can’t face the thought of going back but can’t see a way out of it. I’ve got 8 months to go and I’m having panic attacks already.

Pharmacy. Now in the third year (out of four) of an MPharm degree and loving it!!

On the other side, in some areas of inner London there are so few children to fill the schools that schools will be closing rapidly over the next few years. Some boroughs will not be recruiting any more head teachers - when one leaves or retires they will amalgamate the school with another one.

Many schools are having to reduce their PAN (number of places per year group) and teachers will be made redundant. It's not a problem everywhere but in areas that used to have a lot of social housing and now don't, and are too expensive for families to live in, there will not be many teaching jobs.

@Fridafever

Bloody hell this is horrific to read as a parent of a 7 year old. His teachers seem happy at his school (they’re fantastic) but I’m so worried about the rest of his education. Is it any better in the private sector?

I’m so angry at how schools and teachers have been fucked over politically.

I've worked in one incredibly stressful private school with a ridiculous staff turnover rate. I now work in a fantastic private school, I absolutely love it. We've got no staffing problems at all, even though the school is expanding. (I think it helps that we're surrounded by difficult state schools and private schools that have lessons on a Saturday morning- I feel like I've struck the jackpot!)

It's a shitshow at the moment and as a parent, it fills me with dread. I know pre-pandemic showed a fifth of teaching staff were on anti-anxiety medication, it would be interesting to see what that number is now. It definitely feels like we have to push MH with our students, but the irony is, no one cares about ours.

We are an outstanding school in a lovely area, but we can't recruit maths teachers. We need 7 maths teachers, we have 4 permanent staff members. There are some kids in my yr9 form who have never had a non-cover teacher for maths. So they've gone 2.5 years having received no feedback, and basically put on mathswatch or tt rockstars.

The ect thing is a shambles. An exceptional teacher won't have her contract renewed for next year because her mentor won't be in a position to mentor and no one else wants to do it. They've decided it's easier to rehire a non-ect who might not be as good.

I think the pressures are unrealistic and ultimately that is going to crumble. Working the hours you do, still having it drummed in you are not good enough, they need to focus on the positives. Prior to lockdown, I started as a HoD and my first set of results went from 8% 7-9 with a 4-9 rate in its 60s to 57% 7-9 and 98% 4-9. My one student who failed was a school refuser and I'd seen him twice and he sat with his head on the table the whole time. I had to 'explain myself' for my annual meeting with the head on what I have learnt from my failings. I remember once having a class of 34 and 18 of them had an SEN. It was taking me about 2 hours to plan and differentiate a lesson and homework for all its needs. This one morning I was in a rush because dd had a fever and I needed to find emergency childcare (I.e. a relative that wasn't at work). I got in just in time and was so flustered I forgot I'd planned an activity that required a print out. Luckily I have a printer just outside my room. I got a nasty email that evening from a parent about how I had failed my legal duty to meet her DD's SEN because she needs all print outs on light blue paper.

Most people think my line manager is 'rock solid', but I know she's applying for non-teaching jobs. Most people think I'm looking for SLT next, but I plan on finishing my degree that I'm doing in secret (finish this year) and then I'm out by Christmas. The not-so-funny thing is, we can't recruit good teachers because they are good enough to have better options elsewhere, and the good teachers we do get we can't retain. The teachers that give zero shits and see this as 'just a job' are the ones coping. I don't know single teacher that isn't planning an exit strategy. How sad is that for our children? Of course there are exceptions but I've definitely noticed the atmosphere in the staffroom from a "we have a meeting and parents evening in one week, how annoying that I'll have to work this weekend", to "I'm not coping, do you think they'll let me go part time?"

Agree with a pp that it's also non teaching staff, I have done both. We can't get TA's to work with our SEN kids as the pay is so low and the work quite stressful that people realise they'd be better off working in a supermarket, office, well anywhere really! I feel awful for our kids with special needs, they are brilliant and the system is massively letting them down.

We’re both primary teachers. DP is leaving and applying to the civil service. I’m returning from Maternity leave and dreading it (see also my user name )

DH and I are both teachers (primary and secondary). The pressures are ridiculous. Ofsted needs to be completely redesigned (or better still - abolished). We'd both love to leave but with two DC and a mortgage it's difficult to find anything else on a similar salary as we've both been in the game so long. All the career changers I've known who have come into teaching have only lasted 3 years or so. All say they didn't know what the workload would be like. I don't even mind the workload - 20 years in I've learned what has to be done and what can be left - it's the pressure on results. I teach Year 2 and SLT are constantly on my case about percentages of children who need to be at expected levels. This is the same as every year, despite the fact this cohort hasn't yet completed a full year in school. I am also told to focus all my efforts on those who might scrape to age-related and just leave the poorer ability ones! I hate this attitude that is expected because of the focus on percentages.

Ofsted puts pressure on MATs and local authorities, they put the pressure on SLT who in turn pass it on to teachers. I am performance managed on the achievements of 6 year olds who've been in and out of the classroom with COVID (and now chicken pox thrown into the mix).

An ex-pupil of mine, with a First in Computer Science from a RG university has just decided to pack in his PGCE. Not going to his second placement. He got a great non-teaching job straight away, and whilst I'm delighted for him, it makes me wonder why I've stayed so long. Pension trapped now; will have to cultivate a "don't give a f@#k attitude."

@ElegantPuma

An ex-pupil of mine, with a First in Computer Science from a RG university has just decided to pack in his PGCE. Not going to his second placement. He got a great non-teaching job straight away, and whilst I'm delighted for him, it makes me wonder why I've stayed so long. Pension trapped now; will have to cultivate a "don't give a f@#k attitude."

Cripes don't blame him at all. I don't have a degree, just did a 12 week bootcamp and on the job training and I earn much more than a teacher with less work (web development). With a degree in computing he can be earning double for less stress in no time at all. Presumably lots who do teach computing and the like do so as they have a 'calling?

There aren't 'lots who teach computing', it is one of the areas with the most serious shortages. There are schools which don't offer computing at GCSE or A-level because they can't staff it, and lower down the school it's taught by anyone with space on their timetable, if taught at all.

I'm into my second term of teaching in primary and I'm already leaving. The ECT is an extra burden on what is a unsustainable workload.

I easily do 70+ hours a week. Yes, I knew that teaching was going to be hard, but I didn't expect to sell my soul.

I'm told to give holding activities to the children who will never achieve age related. It doesn't sit right with me, all children should have an equal opportunity to access education.

I've raised the working hours with the SLT, asking if they could help me prioritise. I was told "well that's teaching." This was followed up with a threat of being put on a compliance plan if I didn't continue to produce what I am doing now.

I just can't do it!

@noblegiraffe

There aren't 'lots who teach computing', it is one of the areas with the most serious shortages. There are schools which don't offer computing at GCSE or A-level because they can't staff it, and lower down the school it's taught by anyone with space on their timetable, if taught at all.

I didn't say lots teach computing, but out of those that do lots must not be doing it for the money or career opportunities (the ones who do a computing pgce). This isn't surprising at all, it's a real shame as other countries invest a lot more in offering children computing and similar skills as its such an important skill set to have for the future regardless of what career people pursue. We have a real shortage in many jobs as well so the problem is going to keep widening. There'd be outrage I expect though if there was a separate pay scale for computing teachers or if people were brought in to teach it on different contracts, not sure of the solution but it's sad.

@Canaloha can I ask what boot camp you did?

Just to add - as an ex teacher now working in the nhs - teaching is unbelievably critical of its own staff, eg I worked at a school where we were given a number 1-4 of how good a teacher we were?!?! This was particularly shit but there are variations of this all the time- observations and inspections and other teachers can be very critical - my confidence was ruined by a couple of other teachers saying things like 'you're too soft' and that's before you get the judgement of the kids !! You need to be so resilient. Obviously working in the nhs is also stressful but there are constant initiatives to improve well-being (they are a bit tick box but at least they are there) and staff surveys etc.