Staff turnover - state vs private

[NicoleSkidman]

Sorry for another state vs private thread, but I’m particularly interested in how staff turnover differs. By all accounts it’s terrible in almost all state secondary schools, but is it any better at private schools?

If you’re at a private secondary, how are things? Are your kids also being taught physics by PE teachers? Are your schools struggling with recruitment and retention?

I think that the private sector is or will suffer when many schools withdraw from the pension scheme.

I thought that had already happened in a lot of schools?

If you look on TES or Eteach the places that advertise teaching jobs, in my subject there are lots of jobs at the moment and the ones that keep being advertised are for private schools - especially the ones that have withdrawn from TPS.

I think I'm lucky. I teach in a state school where 5 of the staff taught DH and his siblings. DH is 42. Several others have been there for at least a decade, nearer 2. It's a very happy school. I've only been there 2 years and have no intention of leaving. We do have a few positions available due to retirement and are struggling to recruit however.

It's not a sector v sector issue rather a school v school one.

Many private schools pay much higher salaries and additional payments for various add ons than state ones. Others pay less.

Some are excellent employers and some aren't. It isn't private v state but school specific that leads to high turnover.

Some excellent schools have a higher turnover because promotions to more senior roles are in effect blocked because there is no way the senior people are moving on from their great roles.

So look to see who is going and why? HEad of Year going somewhere else to a promoted role or someone making a sideways move in same area.

Same where I teach. I’ve been there years myself and am now teaching children of children I taught 😳. State school.

I think slight exaggeration to say terrible in all state schools. Son's inner city comp has good recruitment and retention (with the exception of MFL which is a disaster).

I agree with this. It’s not about state V private, it’s school V school. Teachers leave for better pay and/or conditions, that may be at a state or private school.

Turnover is definitely not high in all state schools. My youngest is just about to sit his A levels and almost all his current teachers were there when my eldest started in 2009. There's only been 7 headmasters in 125 years and lots of staff stay for decades.
There is such a wide range of schools in both sectors so you can't really generalise. Really you need to compare specific schools that you are interested in.

Low turnover in NE private school. No current teaching vacancies being advertised.
DD reports all subject teachers inplace and no subs or other subject teachers eg PE teaching maths as an example.
Boils down to a good Head and supportive SLT no matter whether private or state.

Not all schools are terrible. I left a great school to be with my husband in the ME.

Pensions are not the deal breaker some people on Mumsnet appear to think they are. This hasn’t led to a mass exodus of private school teachers. Most private school teachers realise that virtually every private school has at the very least a watching brief on TPS and is likely to have either already done something about it or be considering it.

Also, some degree of turnover is to be welcomed. If nobody ever leaves that could be a sign that it’s an exceptional school with a brilliant leadership team. Or it could be that the leadership is off its game and some of the teaching a bit stale. Low turnover does not necessarily equal outstanding teaching.

@Bored123
Pensions are not the deal breaker some people on Mumsnet appear to think they are.

For somebody not in their 20ties or 30 ties, it is often a deal breaker. If I have a job with offer that contributes 10 perc to the pension plan vs job with offer that contributes 3 perc, I always compplare the figures with the pension added to the annual pay.
( Not in education)

This really depends on where you are in your teaching career. It is a massive deal breaker for more experienced teachers - and yes people haven't left in mass numbers yet - but recruitment is problematic for every school and if you are a teacher with two job offers one with a TPS and one without I know which one I would take!!