Memorandum submitted by the National Association
of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT)
SUMMARY
The NASUWT submission highlights a number of
key concerns relating to teacher retention in the secondary sector.
In addition, it highlights the areas where progress is being made
towards resolving the difficulties and others where further action
is required.
The NASUWT submission can be summarised as follows.
— There is clear and demonstrable evidence
of serious difficulties with the recruitment and retention of
teachers.
— At the root of the difficulties are
the issues of pay, pupil indiscipline, excessive workload, lack
of professional autonomy and the perceived low status of teachers.
— A simple, transparent and fair national
pay structure must be introduced which recognises the central
importance of the classroom teacher and appropriately rewards
those who remain committed to classroom teaching by providing
access to higher salaries without either unnecessary barriers
and complications or the need to take on additional management
responsibilities.
— The Government has recognised the
debilitating and demoralising effect on teachers of pupil indiscipline
and its consequent impact on recruitment and retention. The introduction
of strategies which support teachers and schools in promoting
high standards of pupil behaviour have been welcome but these
need to be developed and enhanced.
— The implementation of the National
Agreement Raising Standards and Tackling Workload has the
potential to make a significant contribution to addressing the
problems of excessive workload and will refocus the skills and
expertise of teachers on the all-important task of teaching.
— Under the terms of the National Agreement,
regulations will be made under Section 133 of the Education Act
2002 to protect the pedagogic role of qualified teachers, confirming
them in the lead role for teaching and learning activities. This
will help to enhance the role and status of teachers.
— Although the Government has a national
strategy for CPD, including programmes of early professional development
opportunities for teachers two to three years into their careers,
the provision within and between schools is patchy. This cannot
be coherently addressed until teachers have a contractual entitlement
to CPD within working time.
— The regime of testing, performance
tables and target setting has undermined professional confidence
and led to reduced levels of professional esteem. There is an
urgent need to review these issues. In relation to performance
tables the Government should follow the example of Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales and eschew their use.
— With the exception of the pay, positive
steps are being taken to address the key factors affecting retention;
but there remains more work to be done, particularly in the areas
of reinstating professional autonomy and addressing the oppressive
systems of accountability.
BACKGROUND
1. That problems exist with teacher recruitment
and retention is undeniable. A wealth of information has been
produced by a range of organisations, including Ofsted, TTA, the
University and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) providing data
describing the trends in teacher recruitment, particularly Initial
Teacher Training (ITT) courses.
2. The difficulties in recruiting to ITT
courses were evident throughout the 1990s, particularly in relation
to secondary courses.
3. In 2002, UCAS released figures which
demonstrated that overall applications to higher education had
risen by 1.9% compared with the same period in 2001. There were
significant increases in applications for many subject areas,
particularly law, medicine and history but the number of applications
for teacher training courses had barely changed.
4. Analysis of the figures in the 2002 report
of the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) on recruitment to ITT
courses compared to ITT places allocated showed a 9% increase
in the number of students recruited to secondary ITT courses in
2001-02 but this represented only 92% of the places allocated,
a shortfall of 1,500.
5. An Ofsted analysis of recruitment and
retention strategies used by LEAs found that a number reported
difficulties in recruiting highly qualified teachers and identified
that schools were making increasing use of non-specialist teachers
or placing teachers on temporary contracts.
6. Data indicating the difficulties of teacher
retention is also readily available. A high proportion of entrants
to the profession leave in the early years of their career. Between
three to five years in the profession is the most common time
for departure. A survey of postgraduate teacher training students
conducted by Exeter University found that only a third expected
to be in the profession after ten years and one in ten planned
to spend no more than five years in teaching.
7. A feature of recent years has been the
recruitment and retention problems associated with particular
subject areas. Whilst some have been more severely affected than
others the expansion in the number of subjects defined as shortage
demonstrates that problems are not confined to a small number
of subjects.
8. There have been serious problems identified
by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) and Ofsted in english, mathematics,
science, modern languages and design and technology. Some areas
of the country, notably London and the South East, report problems
in all subject areas with the exception of history.
9. There are equally worrying trends associated
with the retention of senior staff. Professor John Howson of Education
Data Services has conducted an annual analysis of headteacher
vacancies since 1985. He states that 2002 had the highest number
recorded. In a report in June 2002 Ofsted confirmed that the number
of applications for headship was in decline and that there were
fewer applicants for senior posts in schools.
10. It is clear from the analysis of this
information that there are problems of recruitment and retention
at all levels within schools. The issue of teacher supply is compounded
by the implications of recruitment and retention problems for
equality issues and the age profile of the profession.
11. There are marked imbalances in the profession
in terms of gender and continuing under representation of teachers
from minority ethnic groups and those with disabilities. There
exist clear difficulties relating to the retention and career
progression of these groups of teachers which require urgent attention,
not least by the introduction of comprehensive and effective equal
opportunities monitoring of the school workforce, able to pinpoint
precisely the barriers in respect of appointment, retention, professional
development and career progression.
12. The imbalance in respect of age profile
of the teaching profession must also be addressed. DfES figures
published in March 2000 demonstrated that less than one fifth
of full time teachers were aged under thirty and 59% were aged
forty or over. This imbalance is a reflection of the inability
of the service to attract a wide range of applicants.
ISSUES AFFECTING
RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION
13. Extensive and regular surveys of the
attitudes of graduates who are considering their career options
and teachers in service invariably highlight that the key reasons
for the problems with recruitment and retention are pay, pupil
indiscipline, excessive workload, the perceived low status of
teachers and lack of professional autonomy. It is, therefore,
evident that if the problems of recruitment and retention are
to be addressed these issues must be tackled effectively.
14. These concerns are underpinned by an
absence of strategic planning across schools and LEAs to encourage
retention. Instead, schools have been encouraged to concentrate
on developing their own pool of teachers often at the expense
of the needs of other schools. Competition between schools has
created a system of poaching.
15. High levels of teacher turnover are
a feature of many schools, particularly those in more challenging
areas.
PAY
16. There are serious weaknesses in the
present pay structure.
Recruitment and Retention Pay Incentives
17. The Government's strategy of introducing
financial incentives to boost recruitment and retention has not
delivered long-term retention of high quality teachers. They are
usually either one-off or time-limited payments.
18. Those who benefit from the incentives
on offer, particularly those who have received golden hellos/golden
handcuffs, do not as a consequence demonstrate a commitment to
remaining in the profession beyond the duration of the rewards
offered to them.
19. The incentives lack transparency and
equity and have been a source of resentment amongst teachers who
have been ineligible for them. They have served to add to the
complexity of the pay structure and contributed to the dissatisfaction
of teachers.
Pay Structure
20. The pay structure fails appropriately
to reward classroom teachers whose role is fundamental to the
provision of high quality education.
21. Too much emphasis is placed on management
discretion and flexibility. The existing flexibilities are unduly
complex and lack fairness and transparency. The absence of national
criteria governing the numbers and levels of payment for additional
responsibilities demotivates and demoralises teachers.
22. The Government's current fascination
with introducing increasingly higher hurdles for access to higher
salaries, greater emphasis on local pay determination and additional
incentives for teachers of shortage subjects will not address
the pressing issues of:
— the poor position of teachers relative
to other graduates on entry and salary progression;
— the decline in the value of teachers'
salaries relative to other non-manual occupations;
— the failure of current pay levels
to provide a durable solution to the current recruitment and retention
problems.
23. A simple, transparent and fair national
pay structure must be introduced which recognises the central
importance of the classroom teacher and appropriately rewards
those who remain committed to classroom teaching by providing
access to higher salaries without either unnecessary barriers
and complications or the need to take on additional management
responsibilities.
PUPIL INDISCIPLINE
24. Research conducted by NASUWT confirms
the adverse impact of pupil indiscipline on teachers' job satisfaction.
The level of pupil indiscipline, violence and increasing levels
of verbal abuse have a critical bearing on teacher motivation.
These realities of daily life in school have impacted upon the
workload of teachers and the stress of work in the classroom.
25. The policy of unqualified inclusivity
adopted by some schools and LEAs, and until recently by the Government,
has resulted in some pupils with special needs being placed in
schools which are ill-equipped to cater for their needs. This
places additional pressure on teachers, other pupils and particularly
on the individuals with special needs themselves who are unable
to access the level of support to which they are entitled.
26. Recent policies adopted by Government
to provide more support for schools in dealing with disruptive
pupils, particularly the revision of composition of independent
appeal panels and the guidance given to them and the DfES-funded
LEA projects which focus on behaviour strategies, are all very
helpful developments.
27. The landmark victory secured by NASUWT
in the House of Lords (P v NASUWT) which affirmed
the right of teachers to take appropriate action when faced with
violent and disruptive pupils has also done much to raise the
morale of teachers in this area of their work.
28. However, more work is needed particularly
in securing:
— the provision of appropriate support
for teachers within and across schools;
— the removal of the unnecessary bureaucracy
and prolonged timescales associated with pupils referred for specialist
support;
— consistent application and monitoring
of standards of behaviour across schools; and
— high-quality off-site support for
pupils whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream school setting.
EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD
29. The problems of excessive workload of
teachers have been well documented and illustrated in a range
of reports and studies. The Office of Manpower Economics (OME)
produces an annual report for the STRB which has demonstrated
year-on-year increases in teachers' working hours. Excessive workload
and working hours have impacted adversely on recruitment and retention
and has affected morale and job satisfaction.
30. The National Agreement Raising Standards
and Tackling Workload signed in January 2003 by the Government,
the Welsh Assembly Government, the Employers, ATL, NASUWT, PAT,
SHA, NAHT, T&G, UNISON and GMB represents a significant breakthrough
in addressing this major contributory factor to the problems of
teacher recruitment and retention.
31. At the heart of the Agreement is the
concept of teachers being released from tasks which do not require
the expertise of a qualified teacher in order to allow them to
focus on the all-important role of teaching. For the first time
the link between high quality teaching and the need for time to
plan, prepare and assess pupil progress has been recognised formally.
Amendments to the teacher's contract will provide crucial levers
for change.
32. Although, disappointingly, no overall
limit has been set on teachers' working hours the introduction
of a contractual entitlement to a work/life balance, combined
with other key strategies in the Agreement to reduce workload,
should exert downward pressure on working hours. Working hours
will continue to be monitored by the OME and the Workforce Agreement
Monitoring Group (WAMG) which consists of signatories to the Agreement.
33. Strategies to reduce workload introduced
in the past have invariably failed because of the lack of appropriate
levers for change and the continuing stream of new initiatives
emanating from a national and local level which were introduced
without any mechanism for assessing their potential to increase
the bureaucratic burdens on teachers and schools. Integral to
the National Agreement is the establishment of an Implementation
Review Unit which will operate a "gatekeeper" role,
reviewing existing and new policies and initiatives generated
by a range of national bodies. Tackling bureaucracy in schools
is an important strategy for teacher retention.
34. All of these strategies have the potential
to make a positive impact on the issues which affect retention.
However, there is still work to be done to secure the implementation
of the Agreement and rigorous monitoring of its impact will be
necessary.
THE ROLE
AND STATUS
OF QUALIFIED
TEACHERS
35. Lack of professional autonomy is seen
by many teachers as a diminution of their role and status. The
regime of testing, performance tables and target setting has undermined
professional confidence and led to reduced levels of professional
esteem. The level of external accountability causes immense pressure
and stress. Although the new flexibilities recently announced
by Government in relation to Key Stage 1 are welcome they do not
go far enough. Real progress will not be made until the Government
follows the example of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland and
eschews performance league tables.
36. Castigation of teachers and schools
by Ofsted, the media and at times by Government have left their
mark on the profession. Many graduates are influenced by such
criticism and deterred from joining the profession. Teachers in
service become more demoralised and disillusioned by persistently
adverse comments.
37. Support for teachers in their early
years in the profession has not been consistent. Schools are increasingly
responsible for induction and early professional development.
Yet it is evident that the standard of provision is variable and
that some schools do not have the capacity to provide the support
needed by newly qualified teachers.
38. The issue of the inability of some schools
to offer appropriate support is of particular concern for teachers
from minority ethnic groups. There is evidence that these teachers
are more likely to leave the profession than their white counterparts,
citing racism and discrimination in career decisions as the reasons.
Teachers from other groups such as women or teachers with disabilities
also appear to face similar problems of discrimination which impacts
on job satisfaction and long-term retention.
39. The position of Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) in schools is unsatisfactory for the majority
of teachers. Despite the Government's introduction of a National
Strategy, the access of teachers to appropriate training is extremely
variable due to a number of factors including:
— a lack of contractual entitlement
to CPD within working time;
— inequality of provision within and
across schools and LEAs;
— variations in the provision of funding;
and
— restriction of aspects of the national
strategy to small numbers of teachers.
40. In principle the National CPD Strategy
has much to commend it. In practice it will make little impact
on the majority of teachers until it is linked to the pay and
performance structure along the lines of the Chartered Teacher
Scheme in Scotland and teachers have a contractual entitlement
to time to access CPD.
CONCLUSION
That there are difficulties with recruitment
and retention is evident. There is no single solution which will
resolve the problems. It is clear that the strategies adopted
must target improvements in conditions of service, including pay
and the restriction of professional autonomy and self-esteem.
26 June 2003
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