To tackle staff shortages, jobs in schools and other public services must be made more attractive
Without teachers, schools can’t do their job. Recognising the problems caused by shortages, Labour made the recruitment of 6,500 new ones a key plank of its education offer to voters in England – one funded by VAT on private school fees. Now a report from the charity Teach First, advocating flexibility and an entitlement to career breaks, attempts to flesh out what improved working conditions in English schools might look like. Given the difficulties faced by recruiters and the alarming drop-off rate – one in four new teachers last less than three years – it is imperative that ministers pay attention to such efforts and come up with a plan.
The 5.5% pay rise agreed this summer should make a difference – although not to teachers in further education colleges, who have once again been left out. But the stress associated with teaching, as well as the pay, is putting off potential entrants, according to a survey of 16- to 24-year-olds. So is the sense that school spending overall is too low. Some heads are already trying out giving staff more time to prepare lessons and the chance to work from home. One academy chain, Dixons, has introduced a nine-day fortnight. Another measure that was dropped by the last government, and ought to be revived, is the offer of paid sabbaticals – to support professional development and incentivise longer careers in teaching.
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