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.

There are lots of professional jobs where people have to work ridiculously hard and where their work-life balance is seriously compromised. But, within those circumstances, there is a big difference between working for an employer which gives you the tools to do your job and one which doesn’t.

How should we run inclusive schools @BungleandGeorge ? I know countries like Finland mange it, so how should we change it? I definitely agree that Michaela type schools don't suit every learner, and the fact that they indirectly exclude SEN students is a very good point.

Differential pay per subject - talk to me about primary teachers. The job is not ‘easier’ or ‘less skilled’ because they teach every single subject at an earlier stage, rather than a single subject to older pupils.

There are people who believe ‘better / more skilled’ teachers teach eg Y5 not Reception, and who confuse ‘imparting content’ with ‘teaching’. They are wrong.

Do how do we value primary teaching in a pay scale? In line with Physics / Maths? (Both of which we all teach) Or in line with PE (because we all teach that as well)?

But those jobs are generally very highly paid, and teaching isn’t.

It's so heartbreaking for our futures.

The education system is not fit for purpose in curriculum content or funding and the government repeatedly say they are putting funding into schools when it's all smoke and mirrors.
Teachers need a pay rise and support to be able to see a long term future in making teaching their career but still being able to have a life outside work. Low stress teachers are supremely better for our children than highly stressed ones. Government pay rises and tales of millions put into schools are never properly funded by the government; schools have to fund them out of a limited pot. Heads want to pay teachers more but know that this will lead to teacher redundancies because they are in budget deficit already and this will lead to more classes with unqualified teachers delivering content rather than teaching. Teachers' professional skills are not valued by the government and parents don't have the full truth about what's going on and how schools are being deskilled as a result of government mismanagement.
Children, especially those with SEND, who need support are being failed and suffering with mental health issues, school refusal and dropping out of education in increasing numbers; feeling hopeless at a curriculum that doesn't fit their futures.
We will all lose out in lack of quality workers and creators of the future, and crime and violence will increase.

Yep, and it doesn't even really matter if some jobs are harder than teaching. What matters is that we can't persuade enough people to become teachers and to stay in teaching. I don't doubt there's loads of jobs harder than teaching, but in the private sector if a job is hard, and the employer cannot persuade enough people to work for them via an appropriate package of compensation, they don't have a viable business, and they will fold. I guess that's what we're seeing, schools as they currently work, are no longer viable businesses. But schools don't have the option to fold, so their only option is to change their business model and move to online learning. Its up to voters to decide if they're OK with that.

@anonuser89 this is because South Hampstead has left the TPS for new staff, as did the whole of the GDST last year (there was a strike, the outcome was that only existing staff stayed in). Comparable schools in London will pay more and be in the TPS. So if there are Chemistry jobs advertised at most other London private schools they would be more appealing. And staff at a state school would be unlikely to transfer there as they would lose their pension. Most HMC schools are fine for recruitment unless they are trying to recruit for subjects like Physics and Com Sci at odd points in the year, or maternity covers.

Ah, so you didn't mean 'need' in timetabling terms.

You ignored the other subjects I mentioned.

PE is compulsory, requires considerable child wrangling skills and involves ,unlike most other subjects a commitment to extra curricular . So much do private schools recognise its importance, they pay people extra for sports responsibility and hire highly paid directors of sport and coaches.

You can't argue teaching is a different job depending on what is being taught. It kicks the can down the road.

I'm happy to go into battle any time with a physics teacher over marking load. But I'm not that petty.

That isn't true at all outside of London.

Not necessarily. Many of those professions are on strike as well.

Yeah leaving the TPS is a ludicrous decision for any school. There will be closures of private schools as a result I'm sure. Why would parents pay thousands to send their children to a private school that can't recruit, when they can pay to send their child to a different private school that can? Parents may as well save their money, buy a house in the catchment area of the good school, and stick with state. I work in a state school and we do actually have a fully staffed Science Department! Parents with money for private schools can afford to buy in the catchment areas of schools like mine. Mind boggling decision making on behalf of the GDST.

No, I meant need as in important. Physics in important, it is a core subject and without it many potential career choices are closed off.

English is also important. PE, RS, ClassCiv are not important. They can be taught by pretty much anyone with a degree level education (excluding PE which you don’t need any degree for). I’ll put it bluntly, a Doctor and a nurse both have important jobs, but no one believes they should be paid the same.

You need a degree to teach PE. What tosh.

In the end, whether there should be more differentials in pay isn’t the key issue. At the moment, the government isn’t willing to pay teachers more or enough to keep them long term. Teachers are leaving all subjects and at all levels and recruitment is struggling.

It’s not just about pay. That’s a factor and an important one, but the most important is resourcing for schools, because it’s that which makes the day-to-day job so unpleasant and forces people to leave. They will put up with not being hugely well-paid. That’s always been the case to one degree or another. But it gets to the point where the conditions are so bad, they can’t put up with it all.

2 things are needed. They need to happen together. Schools need significantly more resources and teachers need higher pay, which doesn’t all come out of and reduce the school’s resources.

Arguing about whether certain subjects should receive more pay and if certain subjects are ‘nice to haves’ is a red herring and the kind of thing thrown in to divert attention from the key issues. Likewise, blaming the existence of private schools is a red herring. The crucial issues are school funding and teacher pay in the state sector.

I would add if we started paying PE teachers less than others they might be somewhat less wiling to be 'second subject specialism' and agreeably teach year 9 maths, physics, RS, English in their tracksuits. A lot of school prop up core subject staffing with trained PE teachers who have a second subject.

I’d leave it to qualified professionals to decide but it is possible, certainly for lower needs SEN. Which covers a large minority of pupils whether they are diagnosed or not. There’s many specialist professionals in the area and many schools that are doing very well with it. There’s also a lot of gate keeping and inflexibility in education. A good start would be requiring a senco to have a reasonable amount of additional training and protected time. I’m not sure that ignoring needs until the point that an EHCP is needed, or crisis mental health care, or a special school place costing thousands, not to mention the percentage of the prison population that have SEN etc is actually saving money. But it’s easier to blame teachers, parents, the children rather than admit it’s not fit for purpose and invest in education.
it’s always unpopular to suggest that some people should be paid more but if you work in a shortage area that is what generally needs to happen. It’s not about worth, or value of the individual

Agree its not a private vs state issue - more an increasing disparity between stronger and weaker schools, whether state or private. When there's a shortage of teachers, the schools that are going to find it easier to recruit are the best HMC privates which have retained TPS, the best grammars, and the non-selectives which have the best reputation for pupil outcomes, behaviour and senior management. The weaker schools in both sectors will find it harder to recruit and are likely to spiral downwards as a result. Meanwhile, the more affluent parents will increasingly pay for tutoring to at least ensure their children come out with decent grades, even if their in-school experience is awful. That's not an education system.

Maths and science teachers are essentially already better paid - fairly hefty bursaries , often lured with made up TLRs and in some schools rapidly promoted (thereby not relay helping teaching issues!). That has been going on for years. Doesn't seem to work.

And @DancingOnThinIce73 that's the most depressing, reductive and functional view of education I've read in a while.

Physics teacher here, teaching all sciences and also one of the 'lesser' but compulsory subjects mentioned. No idea how that would work out salary-wise.
Very happy to be paid the same as all my colleagues.
I would rather have less contact time, fewer behaviour issues and more support with SEND than more pay. I'd also like experienced classroom teachers to stay in school so that I can learn from them.

This is So worrying to hear. Online learning has a place in some circumstances but is johore near as effective as face to face. This isn't just about teacher salaries though, it's about the lack of budget to resource schools as a whole properly and ridiculous workloads, expectations and treatment.

@user79620 why? We have a chronic problem in this country with children leaving school without functional maths and English skills. That is a problem. Not being able to play decent badminton isn’t. Not playing decent netball isn’t going to adversely affect your life chances. But not having a 5 in maths will. I think it’s wilful ignorance to try and pretend that all subjects are equal.

Different pay for different subjects = red herring.

Ongoing lack of resourcing for schools to do their job properly and teacher pay are the key issues. If these are sorted out, in the medium term, no-one will need online recorded non-interactive lessons. However, this will become an increasingly common trend until resourcing is massively increased and teacher pay is increased. The 2 together will help stem the massive exodus of teachers.

That is a problem. Not being able to play decent badminton isn’t.

You are overlooking the importance of regular exercise to a healthy society.

Yes to all of those things.