Education's most valuable asset... Teachers!

We’ve all seen the current DfE recruitment adverts, awash with smiling teachers sharing the joys of being a teacher. There's certainly no mention of incessant marking, Ofsted pressures and the survival instincts required just to get to Christmas. Nevertheless, despite the DfE's tactic of creating alluring adverts to attract graduates into the profession, we are still seeing vacancies go unfilled and pupil:teacher ratios increase.

The UK education system is struggling to recruit the right talent to fulfil an ever-increasing demand, whilst at the same time, qualified teachers are leaving their classrooms in droves. Discontentment with the system is a phrase which aptly summaries how many teachers in schools up and down the country feel and have felt for quite some time. 

Average teacher career lengths have shrunk, with a high proportion of teachers leaving the profession within 5 years of becoming qualified.

The retention issue

Teachers that leave our classrooms will all have their own personal reasons and justifications but what if many ‘texits’ (teacher-exits) could be prevented?

In order to retain more teachers organisational and wider systemic change would be required. Having spoken with numerous ex-teachers in the last year, it seems strikingly clear that teachers would feel more able to sustain their classroom careers if greater efforts were made in just a few crucial areas.

Well-being

Staff well-being, is something that is neglected in too many schools and I believe this to be the most prolific reason for teachers quitting. Poor mental health, stress, work/life unbalance, workload overload and frustration with changes and expectations are just some of the issues that teachers face.

From my experience, process, not people-centre leadership, poor communication and a lack of support are often the most weighty aspects which negatively affect teacher well-being. Ironically, the retention of our teachers is quite contingent on how they are treated by school leaders (the majority of whom were once teachers themselves!).

I have heard of some headteachers bringing in 'no emails outside of work hours' policies and know of primary teachers being given 1 'duvet day' a year, where their headteacher will cover their class. These steps seek to provide teachers with respite from their challenging work situations and it is true that having a great boss can make a world of difference, but such initiatives don't change the nature of the game.

Education is accountability driven (let's not mention the new Ofsted framework), high stakes tested and utterly relentless. To play a role in the nurturing and growth of young people is an immense privilege, but it is also very draining. When you add unlimited marking, repetitive data entry, endless paperwork and mind-numbing meetings into the mix, you have a recipe for disaster.

Some teachers have come to accept this sorry state of affairs and cope by working all hours of the day, driving themselves into the ground and losing the love of teaching in the process. This isn't sustainable nor is it a circumstance in which teachers will be inspired to produce their best work.

Listening

What if more school leaders created a regular platform for staff concerns and pressures to be heard and then crucially acted upon. I found that in the day to day thrusts of school leadership I was often so focused on 'doing' that I didn't always consider my staff who were riding the roller coaster of school life.

When teachers are given a 'safe space' to confidently and honestly flag concerns and share how they were being impacted by their work, leaders become more aware. This awareness automatically provides accountability for making changes that positively impact job satisfaction, well-being and future retention. In turn, teachers rightfully feel like respected professionals and are able to collaboratively create solutions that improve the working environment.

The benefits of retention

Maybe to accompany the DfE's National recruitment campaign there should also be a national retention strategy. If greater retention were achieved the benefits would be significant:

1) School students would have happier and more experienced teachers
2) There would be an increased volume and higher calibre of applicants within the school leadership pipeline.
3) The time, effort and finances that are employed by the government, universities and schools to train teachers would see far greater return. 

Doing our bit

Perhaps as we wind down and prepare to go again in the new year perhaps we could all be more mindful of the factors affecting our teachers and seek to foster a more sustainable and progressive working environment for all of our staff. 

Please share your experiences of staying in or leaving the classroom as well as successful retention strategies.

#wellbeing #teacherretention #teacherrecruitment