Online lessons because schools can't recruit and retain teachers

[Hayliebells]

A school local to me has written to parents to explain that some science lessons will be via pre-recorded online learning, with students in computer rooms, as they haven't got enough Science teachers to teach all the timetabled lessons. This is where an inability to recruit and retain teachers leads, and it's shameful. We really are a two tier society now, with students in private schools in small classes, taught by specialist teachers, and students in state schools effectively teaching themselves at a computer. Pre-recorded lessons aren't even as good as many schools were offering for online learning during lockdown, it's the opposite of responsive teaching. Where's the opportunity to address misconceptions, to answer the students questions? This is not teaching, and only a minority of students can learn this way. Online lessons are standard in countries like Mexico, for families who cannot afford private schools. They have schools made up of computer suites, with students sat learning via online lessons all day, and staff just there to supervise. This is not just the future of schools in the UK if we carry on as we are, it's happening now. How anyone can think this is OK is beyond me. The government should be ashamed.

I can't decide whether to be more outraged or sad. Especially as a parent of a child that wants a science based career. If my child went to that school I would be moving them sharpish, but what happens when this is the situation at all schools?

This is why I find it odd that some private school parents think their child is "discriminated" against if the University takes into account schooling when looking at applications

I'm a teacher in a secondary school. It hasn't come to this yet at my school but I can't say I'm surprised. One presentation can be viewed by many. It will save money too. The situation in education is dire for the staff and pupils. Lack of funding,reduction of support,when need is at its greatest is the harsh reality.

We (teachers) been saying this kind of thing would happen for years. That a crisis in teaching and education was here

And yet so frequently teachers are portrayed as lazy, workshy, bullying part timers.

Well they've voted with their feet, and here's the consequences. I'm leaving at Easter.

Yes quite, this is indeed the consequence. The teacher bashers just don't seem to realise that we cannot force anyone to become a teacher, and stay in teaching. We are not a communist, authoritarian state, teachers exist in the same employment market as everyone else. The market is the solution to everything if you're a right winger, until it comes to staffing public services! We have to persuade people to become teachers, and to stay in teaching. At the moment the government are failing at that task spectacularly. And that has consequences.

There is scientific evidence that kids learn less well from watching videos. They need real teachers.

Vote out the tories - they have let school funding fall such at it is impossible to afford teachers. It is the only solution

They don't care though. Why would Rishi care when his daughter goes to Wycombe Abbey? She'll never have this issue, or being taught by someone not qualified in the subject, because its the only person they can get.

This is very sad but I’m not surprised. In my department we have been trying to recruit since October (we had hired someone in September but he was absolutely awful, went on long term sick and eventually left thankfully). We have organized interviews three times now and each time every candidate has either cancelled or just not showed up at all. We have a forth interview session next week but I’m not holding out much hope. We have been covering lessons as a team by removing nearly all out free periods but can’t cover everything. We are now exhausted and burnt out and I’m considering leaving the profession altogether but I’m indecisive and not sure what to do….

With low salaries, little prospect of payrises, poor conditions and zero flexible working (yes I know we have more holidays but I mean things like wfh, flexi time etc), let alone all the issues with behaviour, SEND and funding, it is going to be an ongoing issue and will get worse and worse unless Labour get in and actually listen to us.

Oh I don't expect the Tories to care at all. I wouldn't be surprised if they're happy enough with this "solution", just so long as they can offer tax cuts at the next election. They probably have a mate who can design a whole online curriculum for re-branded state schools as "Innovative Learning Academies", for a hefty fee of course. Sounds like another perfect opportunity to siphon off more public funds for their friends and donors. The public need to realise that this is happening, so I'm quite glad the school on question decided to write to parents about it.

Yes, this was the situation in my department last year. I think the stress of insufficient staffing, with free periods swollowed up with cover and preparing resources for non-specialists, led to at least two other teachers leaving at the end of the year. It's a viscous cycle. The worse the staffing situation is, the worse it is for those still there. We're in a much better place this year, but we're a school which doesn't (comparatively) have the same difficulty with recruitment as many other schools. When I first started, I interviewed with possibly 10+ other teachers, the school did multiple sessions of interviews over two days. That was in the golden age of the mid-2000s. Now we're lucky if we get more than a couple of applicants. If we struggle, some other schools must be in absolute dire straits, as evidenced here.

I'm a supply teacher and I went into a class who had been with their dinner lady for the previous two days. She almost cried with happiness when I rolled up but I was only there for a day.

I don't think parents have any idea just how bad things are. The school I was at last week only has three classes and two of the teachers are away with long term stress. One is being covered by a series of supply teachers and the other by a student teacher 40% of the time and the head the rest of the time.

Our local trust is planning having teachers do online lessons across schools to ensure certain subjects can be taught in all their schools

It isnt just the government here though, is it?

I used to be a teacher, and I left because of the behavior of the pupils and parents. I was threatened with violence by several students, and then their parents when I reported said students. The kids have the upper hand when it comes to "rights".

Yes, the working conditions in some schools are really difficult, due to the behaviour of some students and parents. Those schools still need staff though, we still need to persuade teachers to work in those schools. The more difficult the conditions, the more they need persuading.

Private schools are irrelevant in this context, as presumably a shortage of teachers will mean a shortage in private, grammar and bog standard secondaries? The reason for teacher shortages is 3 fold 1) working conditions 2) poor pay 3) teaching is now largely behaviour management which is soul destroying if you went into teaching hoping to impart knowledge and inspire the next generation.
Ds goes to a mainstream secondary in a bog standard market town, just over a 1000 students. His class no longer do any science experiments due to unruly behaviour. He'd probably learn more online, maybe at home though!
Most of my friends have left the teaching profession largely due to behaviour, one friend is clinging on by the skin of her teeth, and on,y because she feels really well supported by the SLT and work colleagues. But she has said behaviour from the kids has nose dived and aggression from parents has sky rocketed since covid. She's very bleak about the future, and feels if behaviour isn't tackled at a government level then the situation is only going to get worse.

I left recently. The workload was affecting my own family, the behaviour of a minority of children is appalling (primary) and I was expected to accept being hit and kicked, the media bashing of teachers during the pandemic was appalling. I’m now WFH in a very flexible job and only took a small pay cut. Worth every penny of that pay cut.

I'm not sure quite how private schools are irrelevant. With a smaller pool of teachers, private schools find it easier than state schools to attract teachers, precisely because of the tougher working conditions in state schools, due to things like poor behaviour, and the often higher pay in private schools. The behaviour problems that state schools experience, don't really exist in private schools. So therefore, as recruitment is more difficult overall, the best candidates are swollowed up by the private schools, and the state schools are left with the rest, which is often no-one. Private schools may not have the same pool of teachers to choose from as they did a decade ago, but they don't have an actual inability to staff the timetable, like state schools do.

A class in my school had 4 supply teachers out of a 5 period day last week. Unfortunately this is not out of the ordinary. Can't recruit, no one turns up for interviews, long term sickness. Issues carry over as behaviour is worse for supply/ they don't know the kids or the rules like permanent teachers (not slating supply - lots of them are truly amazing people) it can't be long before we go to in school virtual learning I don't think. Science is an issue here too.

I have taught for nearly 20 years and I have never seen it this bad .

Teachers constantly told to ‘just leave if it’s so bad!’ Well, they did! Now there are no teachers. It’s going to take a long time to recruit new teachers and train them up to the level of experience of the staff who have left.

Teachers in the UK have been treated terribly. It's such a contrast to other countries which is a respected position in society.

This government has eroded public services.. schools, hospitals, dentists, social care... everything has been crumbling.

The trend will continue until we get a new government... thou I'm not sure Labour will be any better.

I am a science teacher. 16 years in teaching. I’ve been applying for jobs out of teaching this month. I’ll hopefully be out by summer. I’ve been working over hours because we can’t recruit. It’s burnt me out. SLT don’t seem to have an action plan on how to fill in the gap in the timetable.

Online education is the way forward, it's so obvious yet all the closed minded pearl clutchers on here saying how sad, how terrible, etc, yet it can't be any worse that the level it's currently sunk to which is on the brink of collapse.
Young people are more than capable of studying online and achieving fantastic results, thousands of HE students in the UK are already proving that. They are the front runners. They are ones to look to. It's time to move on from the antiquated system that is not preparing our students for the world we live in today. Just because the way we educate our students in school now is the way it's always been done, doesn't mean it's right.
There are so many fantastic tutorials online that with respect will blow most of the present methods of teaching out of the water.
The tide has already started to turn and it will never go back.

That's exactly the plan, isn't it? As you said, OP, a two-tiered society. The "plebs" will have videos, the elite will receive proper schooling. It was already expected. (And unbelievably sad, of course)

This is not a state vs private issue, and your views do not reflect the situation accurately for many private schools. I teach in a private school, we are massively struggling to recruit teachers. We have been a teacher short in maths, language and science departments since September. We recently had a single application for a post in a different subject. The recruitment and retainment crisis is everywhere.

I also wonder where everyone gets the impression that teachers in private schools are paid more?! Private schools set their own pay scales, which often are not even available for their own staff to see, and also do not have to adhere to pay rises the government recommend. Most teachers I know took a pay-cut when they moved into private education - including myself- as they are so desperate to get away from the shit-show that is state education.

So who is going to drive the trains, manufacture medications, grow food and work in our prisons while one adult from every household with a school child in it is home with their children?