ECT under pressure- Independent school

[Houellebecq68]

Hi. I work as HOD in an independent school where staff wellbeing is a low priority. I work in a subject where recruitment and retention are problematic and where there has been a high turnover of staff in the past few years since the retirement of some older colleagues who had been long-standing members of the school. I feel that a major factor for this recent trend is the unrealistic expectations placed on us in terms of duties and extra-curricular activities which younger generations of teachers don't seem to be as prepared to endure. I am mentoring an ECT who started this September who shows fantastic potential but she is already feeling anxious about returning in January as her weekends next term will largely be taken up with sporting fixtures & boarding duties. Being highly conscientious, she is worried she won't have the time or energy to devote to her lesson planning and marking. I have written to SMT to ask if there can be any flexibility but they say it's impossible. Three years ago I was faced with 2 other ECTs (weak) but they also floundered due to being placed under similar pressure. Another experienced teacher left within the last 2 years as he found the work-life imbalance untenable. I feel that SMT aren't listening or acknowledging the real issues here and I am concerned that we will alienate a really promising teacher who needs to be nurtured. I am supporting her as such as possible with lesson planning and resources. I personally don't think I can carry on investing my energy into mentoring and supporting new staff only for them to leave for greener pastures. Has anyone else found themselves in a similar position? Do you think my concerns are valid? Do you have any advice? Thanks.

I definitely think this is a problem in a lot of independent schools. Are the co-curricular and pastoral elements of the job e.g. boarding duties and sports fixtures clearly communicated to staff before joining the school, or is it downplayed during the recruitment process? If the ECT is doing boarding duties multiple weekends per term (rather than a weekly duty evening), that suggests she has an additional pastoral role in house? How many hours is she teaching per week?

I feel that SMT aren't listening or acknowledging the real issues here and I am concerned that we will alienate a really promising teacher who needs to be nurtured.

OP, as @doglover90 has commented, this is a common problem in indies. From my aged and cynical POV, I feel that SMT frequently don't really care. They are happy to have a naive and enthusiastic ECT who will work themselves into the ground for a few years, then recruit another when the first leaves. Possibly their attitude will change if the TPS situation makes recruitment harder, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.

Being practical, all you can do is to make sure that the mentee has all of the agreed timetable reductions for boarding / sports, and encourage them to say 'no' when asked to run residentials / be responsible for Speech Day prizes / organise a morris dancing club. All teachers have to have strong boundaries and refuse to be emotionally blackmailed ("But it will benefit the pupils...."), and I feel this is even more the case in indies where the extra-curricular demands can be ridiculous.

Hi. Thanks for the response. The extra responsibilities are definitely downplayed. She has no extra pastoral role but in addition to a weekly boarding duty, boarding tutors have to do 2 Saturday or Sunday duties & one weekend trip per half term. With short half-terms of 5 or 4 weeks next term his would mean virtually no weekends off. The main issue is the discrepancy between what the school perceives as sustainable and what the individual actually undertaking the duties sees as feasible in the wider context of having an almost full timetable. She teaches the equivalent of 19 lessons out of 22 but the problem is that there's no corresponding reduction in activities or duties. I was wondering if I should contact ISTIP to get their opinion.

That does sound very heavy in terms of workload and seems ridiculous that she's not getting a reduction in co-curricular/pastoral responsibilities. Unfortunately I don't know much about the ECT framework - I know that a reduction in scheduled teaching hours is expected, but don't know if schools need to adhere to that principle in other areas. It sounds like ISTIP may be a good solution.

@Houellebecq68 , I agree with the above poster that it sounds like a very heavy workload. No wonder your ECT is feeling overwhelmed.

You wrote that The main issue is the discrepancy between what the school perceives as sustainable and what the individual actually undertaking the duties sees as feasible. I think that it would very probably be a waste of your time to pursue this with the SLT, who will do the equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears and going "La, la,la". (Apologies for my cynicism; I've been in this game a long time.) It isn't that you haven't explained properly; it's that they don't want to hear.

I think that contacting ISTIP may well be the way to go.

I'm a union rep (state); of the three people I've most supported, two were ECTs. No support and both ended up leaving, one of whom was in a very specialised subject in which we are desperate for staff.

ECTs, if you're not in a union - join one.

Yes, @Hipnotised is 100% correct. Join a union. The day may well arrive when you will be glad of their advice and support.

This has always been the way with boarding schools and some people do come in unprepared for how intense term time is going to be. Back when we started (25 years ago) there used to be massive perks- all staff housed on peppercorn rent, 90% off the fees for your kids, 3 meals a day, gym for free, borrow a school car when you want it. These perks are increasingly rare but the work-load remains.

I think the full boarding schools are heading for squeaky bum time in terms of being able to recruit and retain, especially if they are out of TPS. They will have to look at some other way of making the inevitable work-load more appealing. DH's school are looking at options, but there is nothing obvious that they can afford.

I am in ECT in the state sector. Unfortunately there are not enough perks to stay in the job. And I love teaching and the kids. I am progressing well and have received a lovely observation from my HoD.
I will miss it so so much.
It is not a sustainable career. The Gov and senior leaders always find excuses, they blame it on the " work from home culture". These are pure lies, they simply do not want to face the realty of what teaching has become. there are so many people ( me included) who want to work as teachers.

I wouldn't work in an independent school for this reason, as well as the TPS situation. I don't see how it can be sustainable for anyone with a family. Are the recruitment issues getting as bad as in the state sector?

I can only speak from personal experience regarding recruitment but for my subject (languages) candidates are few and far between and it is rare that they have both sufficient subject knowledge to confidently teach the level expected and sufficient teaching skill combined. There are problems in other subjects like Chemistry. SMT know this and yet they still blindly go on as if we are all dispensable and easily replaced. It's such a short sighted way of managing the situation. It has already reached crisis point but this hasn't been enough to engender a new way of thinking and it's starting to affect my own morale. If I stepped down they would just pass the responsibility to some one more naive until they got sick of it or coped better through caring less. I don't think think working in an independent school is any better all-round any more. I worked in the state sector for nearly 20 years before moving to this school. The pupils and parents are more on board and appreciative in general and that's what keeps me going, along with some great colleagues. But there is nothing else giving me any motivation to continue. I don't have too long until retirement, thank goodness.

I also teach MFL. Morale feels low for now.
I am thinking of moving sideways to a pastoral role- it will be harder in terms of cases but its advertised at 37 hours a week.

I have noticed this since moving to an independent a few years ago. Our SLT do have a semi realistic outlook. But the issue is that us experienced teachers can spend much less time doing other things , e.g. the actual teaching is generally a piece of cake compared to state so I can afford to spend lots of time on other stuff. However new teachers have the worst of both; it still takes them a long time to prepare and such forth , on top of lots of extra tasks, making it very difficult for them.

That sounds like an awful lot. Can you check your school is complying with the working time directive that employees should have one rest day in 7 or 2 rest days (a full 48 hours) in 14. Link here: https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work

So if she has worked Mon-Fri, then a full weekend, then Mon-Fri again, my understanding is that she should get the full 48 hours off for the next weekend- she (and any other staff) should not be asked to work on the Saturday or the Sunday, as this would not be legal. She could possibly be asked to work Sunday evening, I suppose, but not a full Saturday or Sunday.

This obviously applies to all staff, not just the ECT- but I would imagine that if people were not getting appropriate breaks, it may invalidate insurances etc?

I know there may be a separate agreement negotiated if you are a boarding school, but if not, it is worth checking!

@Postapocalypticcowgirl it's not unusual for boarding schools to ask teachers to opt out of the working time directive so they can fulfil their boarding duties alongside teaching.

@doglover90 is correct. My indie is currently trying to negotiate a new contract for teaching staff, and one of the clauses asks us to opt out of the working time directive. Thank God we have a trade union recognition agreement! The union lawyers can do the heavy lifting.

I was an NQT in a similar set up. I used to go for 3 straight weeks without a single day off (Saturday school and chapel on Sunday) thankfully I was a bit older and was teaching a practical subject and had lots of teaching experience before I qualified which meant that the planning was relatively easy and there wasn’t too much marking etc. We also lived on site in a beautiful place, paid a tiny amount of rent, and got married on site at a greatly reduced rate. However I left as soon as I had DS as there is no way I was prepared to work the expected hours with a baby and a DH who worked long irregular hours. The pay was crap comparatively as well.

I thought opt outs were normally only opt outs of the 48 hour week, not the entitlement to rest breaks/days etc?

Also, opt outs are supposed to be voluntary- in theory, the ECT could rescind hers.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl not sure, but any teacher in a boarding school who has an additional residential role will need to opt out of the rest day expectations in order to feasibly do their job. EG if you have one weekend duty per half term (Sat eve-Mon AM) and you teach Mon-Sat every week, you are going to be going 13 days without a break. I do this and the trade-off is free accommodation, long holidays (longer than at day schools) and great job satisfaction.