Teacher Shortage Crisis

Pecker

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I've held off posting about this for a while, not least because teachers don't always receive a warm welcome. But there's a crisis building with the shortage of teachers which is coming to a head, and which may just have been pushed over the edge.

Having read this I suspect even the most rabid teacher-hating forum member will be left scratching their head.

If you've followed the news closely you'll have seen stories about this over the last year or two, increasing in frequency. The top and bottom is that teachers are leaving the profession in droves through (a) retirement, (b) going to teach abroad, and (c) simply leaving teaching and doing something else. A lot of this is due to increase in workload, stress levels and changes to pay and conditions making the job less attractive.

Two news stories today. Firstly, anyone in a salary-linked pension (which includes almost every teacher in the UK) is getting a tax rise next month of 1.4%.

Public sector workers to face pay cut - BBC News

This is due to the way government are calculating collections for the state pension, which in itself is fair enough. But it comes on the back of several years of pay restraint, with more to come.

It goes like this. During the last government (2010-2015) teachers' pay was frozen. For the lifetime of this government (2015-2020) it's being pegged to 1% a year. That's a 5% rise over 10 years. Meanwhile pensions contributions have risen by around 4%, whilst this NI change increases payments out by 1.4%.

Do the sums. That's 10 years (2010-2020) with a total of 5% pay rise and a 5.4% contributions rise. That's a pay cut of 0.4% over 10 years. How many jobs in the UK will have seen anything like that? How many jobs will see take home pay drop by 0.4% between 2010 and 2020?

Part 2 of the bad news. Last year more teachers left posts in the UK to work abroad than qualified through getting a PGCE. Where are the new teachers going to come from? Well, one option might but to look abroad. But no!

Read this and laugh at the ineptitude:

Teachers sent packing in midst of recruitment crisis – because they earn too little

This is beyond a joke. We have a teaching shortage crisis, we have more teachers moving abroad than qualifying through PGCE, not to mention those retiring or leaving the profession altogether, and we can't even recruit from abroad because the pay is so low it's illegal.

Steve W
 
This BBC article makes interesting reading:

Teacher shortages in England, spending watchdog confirms - BBC News

"Teacher shortages in England are growing and the government has missed recruitment targets for four years, the official spending watchdog has said.

The government said overall teacher numbers had risen and blamed unions for "talking down" the profession.

While the overall number of teachers has kept pace with rising pupil numbers, teacher shortages are growing, particularly in poorer areas and at secondary level, according to the authors."
 
It's more like Gove's reforms have driven teacher numbers down.

You can bet the Tories solution to the teaching recruitment crisis will be to pay unqualified people the minimum wage to teach. I'm worried about how my nephew's education will fare, he's due to start primary school from September (full time in January).
 
But teacher numbers are not down. From the same report...

A Department for Education spokeswoman said the report made clear "that despite rising pupil numbers and the challenge of a competitive jobs market, more people are entering the teaching profession than leaving it, there are more teachers overall and the number of teachers per pupil hasn't suffered".

Not to say there aren't problems but the report makes clear these are in certain areas only. Nationally teacher numbers are up.
 
Recruitment numbers might be up, but are they enough to fill job vacancies in schools ? Or replace teachers either leaving the profession or going overseas to work as teachers ? Often times problems start in specific areas and then tend to engulf an entire system. Which the Academy plan may well do. The Education system is too vital to the Economy to go and mess up over what appears to be yet more ill thought out reforms based on very little evidence.

One of my friends taught overseas for a couple of years due to the never ending Gove reforms, form filling and multiple surprise ofsted visits. It distracts from the actual teaching, which should be the most important part of the job. But it's not, as there is a need from the Westminster village to create nonsensical league tables that show what the exam scores are. Exam factory schools are not good for any of us.
 
Interesting Guardian piece and it is a real shame that good teachers from outside the EU are falling foul with this new threshold.

I know it will look like I am trying to score cheap points here, but the problem with the EU is that we allow anyone to come - far too many with no particular qualifications. The numbers go up uncontrolled and both labour and Tory government were helpless to do anything. So what do they do. Make it difficult for those outside the EU- even if we need them- as those numbers can be controlled.

It would be so much better if we vetted anyone coming and working here. If they are a qualified teacher, give them a work visa. It's so simple, but not possible within the EU.
 
Interesting Guardian piece and it is a real shame that good teachers from outside the EU are falling foul with this new threshold.

I know it will look like I am trying to score cheap points here, but the problem with the EU is that we allow anyone to come - far too many with no particular qualifications. The numbers go up uncontrolled and both labour and Tory government were helpless to do anything. So what do they do. Make it difficult for those outside the EU- even if we need them- as those numbers can be controlled.

It would be so much better if we vetted anyone coming and working here. If they are a qualified teacher, give them a work visa. It's so simple, but not possible within the EU.
You are trying to score cheap points and it hasn't worked. Indeed, all you have done is highlight in the ineptitude of the visa system that Brexiters want to roll-out to all.
 
You are trying to score cheap points and it hasn't worked. Indeed, all you have done is highlight in the ineptitude of the visa system that Brexiters want to roll-out to all.
You are kidding right?

A proper visa system for all will reduce the pressure to reduce non-EU immigration and allow us to focus on admitting those we really want.
 
You are kidding right?

A proper visa system for all will reduce the pressure to reduce non-EU immigration and allow us to focus on admitting those we really want.
If we need teachers and the EU cannot supply, a proper visa system would let them in regardless of the political pressure to "reduce immigration" because a few NIMBY types are getting upset. Such individuals would get upset in the influx was 1 or 1million. And if the system can't cope now, it certainly couldn't cope if it was the only way in for all.
 
Who says the visa system could not cope?
Read the link in the first post - the system is quite unable to make a balanced assessment of each and every case so just goes for a blanket "<£35,000 and you're out!" approach.
 
But teacher numbers are not down. From the same report...

A Department for Education spokeswoman said the report made clear "that despite rising pupil numbers and the challenge of a competitive jobs market, more people are entering the teaching profession than leaving it, there are more teachers overall and the number of teachers per pupil hasn't suffered".

Not to say there aren't problems but the report makes clear these are in certain areas only. Nationally teacher numbers are up.

Morning Squiffy. One thing I've learned is to look out for slight of hand tricks like the response in that article.

- There's a teacher shortage with lots of unfilled places!
- Ah, but there are more teachers than ever before.

It initially looks like it answers the question, but you don't have to think too long to realise it doesn't.

First thing to note is that it implicitly admits that there's a problem. It doesn't say "Your figures are wrong, there's no shortage", which it surely would if that were the case.

Secondly, it doesn't matter how many teachers there are, except in relation to the number of posts we need. There aren't enough, and it's getting worse every year.

Schools are having a boom in numbers due to increase in birth rates a few years ago. The government know this, it's why we have a census every 10 years, among other things.

It is the job of government to ensure there are enough qualified teachers. Government controls terms and conditions, training places, and monitors numbers. It is their job to amend these to ensure there are enough quality staff in our schools, and they've failed.

In addition, this is the inevitable end product of Gove and OFSTED ensuring we woke up almost daily to news stories about how teachers were all crap.

Steve W
 
It's more like Gove's reforms have driven teacher numbers down
Troops to Teacher's program being fine example.
Having read this I suspect even the most rabid teacher-hating forum member will be left scratching their head.Read this and laugh at the ineptitude:Teachers sent packing in midst of recruitment crisis – because they earn too littleThis is beyond a joke
Ineed it head scratching when you compare.

The trouble with UK teaching there is less and less morale purpose from Government and Department of Education and its being replaced by materialistic directions. Finland one of the best educators (PISA) see the teacher to be, highly respected, highly trained and finally, but first put the hard hats on, take a deep breath, take a seat, hide away the pension pots, best of all in Finland, its free to train as a teacher. Morally and culturally being a teacher should be something to be, after all the painful in it together Austerity is about the next the generation, innit!
 
In addition, this is the inevitable end product of Gove and OFSTED ensuring we woke up almost daily to news stories about how teachers were all crap.

Inevitable end product? Sorry Steve but I disagree.

This has a lot of parallels with the 'nurse shortage' that was discussed in the junior doctors threads.

People implying that nurse numbers are down due to government policies. And we have the same thing here.

I agree it's a problem if staff numbers aren't keeping up with demand. But the narrative around the problem with staff numbers not keeping up with demand is very different to a narrative based on implying staff numbers are down due to government policies.

Nurse and teacher numbers are up since this government came to power.

Not to gloss over that there are problems in both sectors, but I'll say again - a problem caused by demand going up is very different to a problem caused by staff leaving en masse.
 
Read the link in the first post - the system is quite unable to make a balanced assessment of each and every case so just goes for a blanket "<£35,000 and you're out!" approach.

You are making a bit of a leap there.

Someone has made the decision to apply a blanket rule. In big organisations you always get this kind of issue where someone sets a rule and everyone applies it even if they know it is going to cause a problem.

If the same someone made a decision to apply an exemption for teachers it could be done and the system could handle it.
 
Nurse and teacher numbers are up since this government came to power

Tediously funny that thread, typical wabble babble, playing on the varying interpretations that NHS, Department of Health and the wider public have of the nurse definition.
 
Inevitable end product? Sorry Steve but I disagree.

This has a lot of parallels with the 'nurse shortage' that was discussed in the junior doctors threads.

People implying that nurse numbers are down due to government policies. And we have the same thing here.

I agree it's a problem if staff numbers aren't keeping up with demand. But the narrative around the problem with staff numbers not keeping up with demand is very different to a narrative based on implying staff numbers are down due to government policies.

Nurse and teacher numbers are up since this government came to power.

Not to gloss over that there are problems in both sectors, but I'll say again - a problem caused by demand going up is very different to a problem caused by staff leaving en masse.

What I can say is that, as a teacher, I work with teachers, both at my own school and others. And morale-sapping government pronouncements is most definitely part of the problem.

Other reasons given here:

Five Reasons For the UK's Worst-Ever Teacher Shortage

Steve W
 
You are making a bit of a leap there.

Someone has made the decision to apply a blanket rule. In big organisations you always get this kind of issue where someone sets a rule and everyone applies it even if they know it is going to cause a problem.

If the same someone made a decision to apply an exemption for teachers it could be done and the system could handle it.

Perhaps it could, but it hasn't been.

But even then, it leaves the question. Why do we have a graduate profession where salaries are so low (compared to other graduate professions) that they have to artificially reduce the legal 'minimum immigrant salary' limit to import teachers from other countries.

Shouldn't we be paying teachers enough that this isn't necessary, if we want the best possible education system?

Steve W
 
Tediously funny that thread, typical wabble babble, playing on the varying interpretations that NHS, Department of Health and the wider public have of the nurse definition.
And I'm sure you can provide the evidence that the tories have redefined the definition of a nurse in order to boost the numbers?

Or are you just making the assumption that tories are bad so if they say nurse numbers are up they must be lying?
 
You are trying to score cheap points and it hasn't worked. Indeed, all you have done is highlight in the ineptitude of the visa system that Brexiters want to roll-out to all.
Well I did say that some would look at that way and sure enough you did.

You should be aware that most countries have a visa system and if you want to work then you have to state your qualifications, and you will be granted a work permit--but only if the country requires your skills. If most 3rd world countries can operate this system I am sure we can.

If US citizens want to teach in the UK ,then they could be granted visas.

We are in this mess because of the uncontrolled EU immigration numbers. If we didn't have that problem, then I am sure the government wouldn't have introduced a sledgehammer policy to control non EU migrants.

Teachers, nurses and other highly trained but moderately paid people from any country could work here and benefit the UK.

I have noticed that you don't look at any reasoning logically if there is a hint we might be able to work better outside the EU. Anyway, don't worry Rasczak, many will vote to stay in, not because its a better proposition, but because they fear change.
 
If US citizens want to teach in the UK ,then they could be granted visas...Teachers, nurses and other highly trained but moderately paid people from any country could work here and benefit the UK.

It's better to have a qualified US teacher than none at all, but it's far better to have a qualified UK teacher.

Firstly, someone brought up in the UK will better know its cultures and expectations. Teaching isn't just about subject knowledge, some students need very careful handling to bring out their best.

And, of course, 'imported' teachers are less likely to hang around. Experience and stability are both very important, and an education system filled with the product of a short-stay, revolving door workforce is not the most beneficial.

Steve W
 
it's far better to have a qualified UK teacher.
Agreed. I hope we can maintain a British workforce.
I would not like to see teaching go down the same path as the NHS. - and I say that with no disrespect to expatriate staff- they do a good job. But given the choice we should be training and paying our own countrymen appropriately.
 
Why do we have a graduate profession where salaries are so low (compared to other graduate professions) that they have to artificially reduce the legal 'minimum immigrant salary' limit to import teachers from other countries.

Is an NQT salary much lower than the average graduate position? While there are specific roles that are better remunerated for sure, they tend to exist in rather smaller numbers. If we take the median graduate salary in 2015 as £28,000 and assume this will have been boosted by a small number of very well paid positions, an NQT salary of £22,244 is hardly picking through the bins sort of territory is it? Especially if you ask the graduate on £28k to stick aside enough to match the pension.
 
Also we shouldn't underestimate the value of job security. Not many jobs for life around, but teaching must be up there for job security. Especially in an environment with increasing demand.
 

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