“The other important way of looking at this is that output was surprisingly robust in the first three months of the year - since much of the so-called inflation was (eg) the phenomenon of the government paying teachers for not very much teaching, when lockdown closed schools”

The above tweet, delivered in an effort to analyse official data released by the British Government on the state of the economy by Robert Peston, the journalist and Political Editor of ITV News triggered a tsunami of incandescent fury from the educational community this week, and with good reason. 

Firstly, schools were, of course, never closed during the lockdown. 

Secondly, the phrase ‘not very much teaching’ is perhaps the most stark misrepresentation of the efforts of educators during the pandemic that I’ve heard. 

Peston’s subsequent efforts to clarify his point saw little in the way of forgiveness, and the fully justified passionate defence of the tireless work ethic of staff in schools contained in the ratio-ing of the tweet was pleasing to see.

The view of teachers having a ‘cushy number’ is a well versed falsehood, and the profession is used to almost constant criticism from many quarters. Easy hours, long, frequent holidays and a lack of accountability are good examples of wayward arguments wheeled out on an almost daily basis. We had the ‘clap for carers’ during the pandemic, and I appreciate the rightful display of thanks for the NHS, but no such accolade for teachers who, though more indirectly, played their part in keeping the country going. There was a well intentioned article in the Guardian, made in an effort to recognise the sacrifices many teachers made, but all too often, the embattled profession is susceptible to the sort of comments which Peston made.

Of course, this isn’t conducive to attracting potential new educators to the role, and nor does it serve well to keep those already in post.

The struggles in recruitment and retention across the sector is a long standing problem.The majority of teachers in the past few years have bemoaned their worsening work-life balance, with schools haemorrhaging staff while the government fails to meet its targets for attracting new staff. Some shameful statistics were published in recent findings:

One in five new teachers leave the profession after their first two years, while four in ten leave after five, with Maths, Science and Modern Foreign Language hit worst. As many as 50% of teachers in these subjects leave the profession within five years of training.

Half of newly qualified teachers say their job has caused panic attacks or anxiety, while more than a third have encountered work-related depression.

Only 43% of first-year teachers have indicated definite plans to stay in the profession long term.

An NEU survey found that two thirds of those within the profession felt it was getting worse, blaming the government for not listening to their concerns.

All of this is set within the context of rising student numbers, with population growth adding around 400,000 pupils to English secondary schools by 2027. Disadvantaged areas will be hardest hit by this. 29% of schools reported vacancies or only temporary filled positions at present, as opposed to 22% in more affluent regions of the country.

A positive story which I read recently may go some way to redressing the 3,000 strong shortfall in the profession, but the optimism should come with some hesitancy. With job security and stable wages falling in other industries, many capable potential teachers could turn to education due to the Covid crisis. This might be compromised, however, by schools pulling out of Initial Teacher Training programmes, concerned at the prospect of having trainees in front of pupils who have missed a great deal of face to face learning. Last year, Teach First dropped 120 recruits from their cohort. 

I’m very fortunate to report a privileged position with regards to this issue at the College. Staff turnover has traditionally been small, and we have many long-serving and committed staff who know the College, and the students who come here, very well. They like working here, and it is with a sense of palpable relief to report that we’re fully staffed for September.  Recently, I read an excellent book called ‘Putting Staff First’ by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley, an undertaking with the ambitious aim of ‘revitalising our schools.’ In chapter one, the focus is firmly set on staff recruitment. Towards the end of the chapter, there is some excellent advice which I’ve heeded during our recruitment of teachers: ‘Never appoint if you are unsure about the candidate, despite the thought that ‘there will be no one else out there’; that way madness lies.’

It took a great deal of hard work in getting to this position, particularly when I was tasked with seeking the ‘needle in a haystack’ appointment of a Physics teacher, but I’m delighted that I have the right team in place to ensure stability and excellence in and out of the classroom. It took a few rounds of applications and interviews, but I was absolutely steadfast throughout the process that I would not settle until I was satisfied. I understand that many schools are not able to be as patient as I was.

We took great pains in ensuring that the College was in line with what our candidate wanted, and ensured a rigorous process was in place to give ourselves the greatest chance of success. I’m acutely aware that the person must be as right for the job, as the job is right for the person. I’m content we’ve achieved this, but now that we have found the right candidate, we must put everything in place to ensure they are a success here. That means providing support from day one: focused CPD sessions, mentoring and guidance, where needed, through all of our processes. The College aims to provide a welcoming, nurturing environment where students are empowered to become the very best versions of themselves that they can be. Fulfilment of this ambition for staff is every bit as important.

Teaching is a complex job, and a particularly difficult one to excel in. It takes years of dedication and consistent hard work to gain a strong degree of efficacy. There are always setbacks along the way, be they from managing sensitive relationships with students at a formative stage of their lives, or from parents, who can provide a varying degree of support in helping students to achieve their goals, or indeed from the staff whom one works alongside, not always harmoniously. It is difficult enough to find success without frequent, damaging barbs from the media or politicians.

We need to work towards shining light on the fact that it remains a noble, inspiring and fulfilling vocation.

Investment in our future generations, and with it, the chance to provide a means for them to grow into responsible and progressive individuals is one of the most worthwhile callings which society offers. Widespread recognition of those teachers who have, particularly in the last 14 months, gone above and beyond the call of duty to enable young people to develop with confidence would not go amiss.