Leadership

The Teacher Labour Market In England: Shortages, Subject Expertise And Incentives

This report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) assesses the state of the teacher labour market in England. It considers the latest trends in the profession, and examines the latest figures on how highly-qualified teachers vary across different subjects, areas in the country, and at different levels of school deprivation.

The publication sheds light on the state of the teacher labour market, which in recent years has begun to face a number of serious pressures. In particular it considers the scale and implications of growing teacher shortages in certain subject areas.

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      string(5730) "The state of the nation The Education Policy Institute (EPI) just released the results of a new study—The teacher labour market in England: Shortages, subject expertise and incentives—which examines the most recent figures on how numbers of teachers and their quality vary. The report highlights a major shortage of teachers across the country. Additionally, pupil numbers have risen by approximately 10% in the last eight years.  Furthermore, the report shows that new teachers are not moving in to fill the gaps as quickly as they once were—teacher training applications are down by 5%, and training targets have been repeatedly missed in maths and science. Teacher exit rates have risen too. The EPI found that just 60% of teachers remain in state-funded schools for five years after starting. For high-priority subjects such as maths and physics, retention drops to just 50% after five years. With education workforce recruitment and retention issues persisting, it is vital that new routes into teaching are explored and funding is fully utilised.Case study Ashcroft High School is located in Bedfordshire, Luton. Luton is an area which, due to its close proximity to London, has a similarly high-cost housing market. However, this is paired with a low average salary. As a result of this disparity, we have historically faced considerable difficulties recruiting new teachers to our school, as well as retaining our existing staff. Earlier this year, we made the decision to utilise the newly-launched Teaching Apprenticeship Programme as a way to recruit talent to our school and more easily access the government’s apprenticeship levy funding—which provides our school with grants to support the recruitment of graduates. The training programme began in September, with 14 apprentice teachers starting at our school, and will run for one year. Over the year, the graduates are guided towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and End Point Assessment (EPA). One of the key benefits for the apprentices is that it has enabled them to embark on a fee-free and more hands-on route to achieving QTS—and for us, it has been a simple way for our school to address long-standing recruitment and retention issues. Another valuable benefit of the apprenticeship programme has been the opportunity to embed graduates into Ashcroft from day one—effectively growing our own teachers. It has allowed us to integrate graduates as members of staff straight away, and train them specifically to our school’s unique way of operating. It has also given the apprentices an opportunity to build relationships with our teachers and students and understand the ethos and culture of our school, prior to potentially taking up permanent positions here.The apprentices are mentored by our current staff, work one-on-one with students, observe lessons and will eventually take their own classes—some have already begun doing so. Throughout the process, we have worked hand-in-hand with EPG to make sure the graduates feel well supported.Implementing this programme in our school has not been without its challenges. Initially, there was some additional work involved in setting up the TAP and preparing senior staff to mentor and support the apprentices. However, now that the foundation for the programme has been laid, we anticipate being able to run the apprenticeship programme more efficiently in the future and the benefits of bringing in (through EPG, the Education Placement Group) numerous enthusiastic graduates into our school far offset the extra work involved at the beginning. The feedback we have received from the apprentices has been extremely positive. The trainees feel well supported by our senior staff and have enjoyed the hands-on approach to training. Many have commented that they may not have considered entering the profession without the opportunity to learn on the job—one such recruit is Harry Thurstance, a history teacher trainee.‘The option arose to take part in the on-the-job route with the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme and it seemed like the right fit for me. Rather than spending all my time studying in a classroom, I liked the idea of being able to learn while in a school,’ Harry said. ‘It’s a practical approach to learning—the first week of the programme was mainly observing, and in the second week I taught several lessons, under the observation of a senior history teacher. There was a vast amount of information to absorb in the first few weeks but the support was there—and I’ve been able to learn how this particular school works, which has been really beneficial. ‘Throughout the teaching apprenticeship, I have been really well supported by my mentor—he’s brilliant and has provided me with a wealth of helpful tips and feedback. I’ve had the chance to observe his lessons and learn from his teaching methods, some of which I aim to replicate in my own classes. ‘Some of the more mature apprentices have used the programme to undertake a career shift into teaching, and several apprentices, who were previously working as unqualified teachers, have used it as an alternative to obtaining a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)—this is an ideal way to become a qualified teacher for those already working in the profession. ‘Overall, I would definitely recommend this pathway into teaching to others who are considering entering the profession but want an alternative and cost-effective route.’Harry will complete his apprenticeship at Ashcroft High"
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Leadership

Solving Recruitment Woes

23 Jan 2019

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      string(5779) "towards the subject, as well as overcoming challenges that are specific to your setting, for instance: a culture of labelling pupils as ‘more able’ or ‘less able’ in maths; under confidence among many teachers of maths, especially non-specialists in primary and secondary; and the high-stakes exam culture in the UK. It is also important to build mathematical confidence among parents. At a primary level, teachers can give parents simple suggestions for engaging their child in learning maths at home, whether it is working on a puzzle book at bedtime, creating a maths picture story book or talking about shape while they play together. You can run workshops to communicate this or draw on Pearson’s Handy Parent Factsheet, which explains the importance of a growth mindset and how parents can encourage their children to be confident mathematicians.It’s not just about parents, though. Are your teachers confident in maths? Providing your teachers with high-quality professional development that spans subject knowledge and best pedagogical practice will build their confidence and empower them to model a positive, resilient attitude towards maths. Transform your culture of teacher developmentWe’ve seen how important teachers’ own confidence is in building a positive perception of maths among young people. In fact, teachers are one of the biggest influencers on our young people.But, many maths teachers are not subject specialists (particularly at primary) and feel under-confident in teaching the subject. A 2018 Education Policy Institute report, The teacher labour market in England: shortages, subject expertise and incentives, highlighted that primary school teachers tend not to be subject specialists, while at secondary level, maths has the lowest proportion of highly-qualified teachers (with as little as 50% holding a degree in the subject).Investing in training for teachers of maths is an antidote. With training, all teachers can build their conceptual understanding of maths and develop excellent teaching practices for the subject. High-quality resources, such as textbooks and teacher guides, can help teachers to consistently implement what they have learned in the classroom. And yet, a 2018 International Summit on Textbooks report revealed that just 8% of teachers surveyed expect to be using textbooks—one of the best workload reduction tools available—in most or all of their lessons by 2020.We understand that budgets for in-school professional development and resources are shrinking and this is a real challenge for schools. However, changing the culture around your current CPD offering could help leverage the expertise that already exists in your school.For instance, a more collaborative and reflective approach to professional development has the potential to enhance pedagogical practice and confidence by capitalising on the knowledge and experience of your teachers. You can encourage teachers to observe, or even film, lessons and reflect on them with a colleague or as a team. This gives an opportunity to reflect on best practice, build subject knowledge and share new ideas. Although it may seem daunting at first, encouraging a more open culture around learning within the profession will develop teachers’ own confidence as well as encouraging pupils to think about their own learning. Be brave. InnovateCan we expect children and young people to demonstrate bravery in maths if our schools’ leaders don’t do the same?There is plenty of space to experiment with innovative teaching strategies in your school.Have you considered teaching for mastery? The DfE’s Teaching for Mastery Programme has moved mastery to the forefront of conversations about maths teaching. Mastery is a commitment, involving a change in mindset, training and classroom practice. However, it has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and therefore the improvement in outcomes could be significant.The big ideas of mastery, like learning in coherent and connected small steps, fluency, variation, uncovering mathematical structures through representations and understanding concepts deeply through reasoned mathematical thinking, can be applied across primary and secondary. These principles underpin good teaching and it is worthwhile considering how they can be applied in your school.Next up: Mathematical story picture books!Research shows that by engaging with a mathematical story picture book, children develop an ability to visualise mathematical concepts, represent concepts in a number of different ways and make connections between those representations. This supports them in becoming more confident problem solvers.Why not encourage your teachers to try teaching a new mathematical concept or a complex maths problem using a story picture book like Matthew McElligott’s Bean Thirteen? Or go one step further and make children the authors of their own mathematical stories.Exploring maths through stories with younger children is a fun, engaging approach that ties into children’s emerging literacy skills. There could also be a place for this approach at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 as problems become more complex and contain a strong narrative. Irrespective of your phase, MathsThroughStories.org is the perfect starting point.Whatever you choose to do to inspire your pupils with maths, remember that the subject cannot be separated from the people who teach, learn and use it.At its heart, The Power of Maths Roundtable, and the report it informed, is about celebrating people in mathematics: how people"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

If Your Students Find Maths Difficult, Read This!

13 May 2019

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      string(3078) "ResourceTEACHERS’ PAY & CONDITIONS: FEBRUARY 2007Original DocumentTeachers’ pay, conditions and standards: February 2007. Education and Skills Secretary Alan Johnson has announced proposals for changes to teacher’s pay and conditions based on recommendations in the new report from the Independent School Teachers’ Review Body, and the update on proposed changes to the professional standards for teachers in England from September 2007.KeywordsWorkforce, teachers, pays and conditions.Summary· The proposed changes, based on the recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, include:· Financial incentives for completion of accredited qualifications in priority subjects.· More use of existing local flexibilities to reward teachers and address local teacher shortages in priority subjects.· A detailed review of the labour market and current practice in the provision of SEN services.· Spot salaries of Excellent Teacher Scheme posts should have regard and be related to the work to be undertaken and the degree of challenge of the role. Any further review of ETS salaries should be as part of any wider review of salaries.· Development of provisions to stipulate, within the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, how pro-rata salaries for part-time teachers should be calculated, and working time specified for classroom teachers and members of the Fast Track scheme, Advanced Skills Teachers and leadership posts.· Making sure that all progression on incremental pay scales follows a performance management review and that a teacher’s performance has satisfied explicit performance-related criteria.· New statements of teachers’ professional roles and responsibilities focused on, among other stipulations, maintaining high standards and pupil outcomes.· Professional standards for teachers:· The framework of professional standards for teachers, which are part of a wider framework of standards for the whole school workforce, is intended to provide a coherent set of professional standards that provide clarity about what is expected of teachers at each stage of their careers:· The award of Qualified Teacher Status.· Teachers on the main scale.· Teachers on the Upper Pay Scale.· Excellent Teachers.· Advanced Skills Teachers.· The standards are statements of a teacher’s professional attributes, professional knowledge and understanding, and professional skills.· The framework of standards is arranged in three interrelated sections that cover professional attributes, professional knowledge and understanding, and professional skills.· The intention is that these standards, subject to the outcome of the pay standards consultation, will be used as a backdrop for the performance management process from September 2007.ActionNotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Questions PublishingDate CreatedFebruary 2007Enquiries to:rchima@qiis.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Teachers’ Pay, Conditions and Standards: February 2007

16 Feb 2007

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      string(332) "... leadership teams and governing bodies of the country’s schools. This research offers a fascinating consideration of the schools’ landscape and clearly highlights how it has evolved over the 10 years since the first review of school leadership in England in 2002. By the National College for School Leadership - 2012"
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      string(356) "... SWC does allow lower cost survey work to be conducted becauseit names the schools taught in for all ethnic minority teachers.— Third, segmentation of the teacher labour market by school governance is particularly interesting andthere are several reasons why it might be occurring. In order to understand it further, the ..."
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      string(544) "The English education system is experiencing an era of unprecedented change, at least as significant as the move to Local Management of Schools after 1988. Nowhere are these changes more keenly felt than amongst the leadership teams and governing bodies of the country’s schools. This research offers a fascinating consideration of the schools’ landscape and clearly highlights how it has evolved over the 10 years since the first review of school leadership in England in 2002. By the National College for School Leadership - 2012"
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      string(5637) "ethnic minorityteachers to reach an age where promotion to higher positions typically takes place. The analysis cannotexplain why this is happening, but the SWC does allow lower cost survey work to be conducted becauseit names the schools taught in for all ethnic minority teachers.— Third, segmentation of the teacher labour market by school governance is particularly interesting andthere are several reasons why it might be occurring. In order to understand it further, the whole processof job advertisement, from applications and interviews through to appointments, needs to be studied.— Fourth, the issue of acting head and deputy head turnover is important. The data suggests a reductionof such posts and a degree of ‘blocking’ or limited promotional opportunities. Turnover of such postsensures a pool of applicants for headship going forward to prevent possible future shortages.— Finally, there will always be a significant number of heads reaching retirement age each year(approximately 1,500 at the time of the SWCs) because that post is usually a person’s last appointment.However, after a period of above-average number of retirements there may be a greater proportion ofyounger heads in post than previously. Some turnover during the next few years will result from someof these heads changing schools. Turnover may also be affected by the range of other posts availableto heads, including any further development of the executive head grade. However, the age profileof headteachers is higher than it was in 2000 and the issue of retirement remains a challenge for thesector.56 © National College for School LeadershipFor many observers of the English education system, contemporary policy is undergoing a period of rapidchange (Baker, 2010). Recent changes include the increase in the number of academies, the end to a rangeof national programmes and national agencies, the changing role of the local authority and changes toschool accountability, including a new Ofsted framework. For some of the school leaders who respondedto this research, the combination of change is creating uncertainty. For others, as one of the case studyheadteachers argued: “At times of change there are always opportunities – for those with an entrepreneurialbackground”. This chapter reports on the views of headteachers, middle/senior leaders and chairs ofgovernors on a range of government policies and their potential impact on schools. The chapter drawson three main sources of data, which are detailed in chapter 1: the survey of schools, the headteacherinterviews and the school case studies.The survey data shows that, overall, there was a high level of confidence in managing current change.Most headteachers (84 per cent), middle/senior leaders (84 per cent) and chairs of governors (86 per cent)felt their school had the confidence to manage current policy changes. There was also, however, a diverserange of opinions on the aims and potential impact of policy. For instance, while a third of headteachersagreed that they felt able to work with current policy to support their school’s aims and values, another thirddisagreed. Similarly, while 20 per cent of headteachers agreed that students would benefit from currentpolicy reforms, 41 per cent disagreed.In the context of these overarching perspectives, this chapter discusses in detail four themes that were ofparticular concern to respondents:— school partnerships— the changing role of the local authority— school autonomy— school accountabilityThis chapter then analyses how headteachers are seeking to manage policy change. Four distinct groupsof respondents are identified from the survey data through a latent class analysis (see chapter 1). Just overone-fifth of headteachers (22 per cent) were found to be strongly positive about current policy and activelypursuing new autonomies. About a third (34 per cent) were more cautious about engaging with policywhile being moderately positive about its potential impact. Another third (32 per cent) were less positive,more apprehensive and hesitant about engaging with policy, especially in relation to school autonomy. Thesmallest group of headteachers – about 1 in 8 (12 per cent) – viewed policy change negatively and weresceptical about its intentions.The impact of policy on relationships with other schoolsThe survey respondents – heads, middle/senior leaders and chairs of governors – were most positive aboutpolicy where it focused on schools working together. The survey indicated that 87 per cent of headteachers,80 per cent of middle/senior leaders and 83 per cent of chair of governor respondents believed that workingin partnership with other schools was critical to improving outcomes for students.Survey respondents also saw opportunities and incentives in policy to engage in collaboration. Approximately60 per cent of respondents felt that the current policy agenda encouraged their school to form collaborativepartnerships with other schools. About half of headteachers and chairs of governors also felt that currentpolicy encouraged them to formally support another school’s improvement. Further, two-fifths (43 per cent)of headteachers and a third (34 per cent) of chairs of governors and middle/senior leaders felt encouraged tomake decisions that would support the progress of other schools.Chapter 4: Responding to change and thecurrent policy landscape57 © National College for School LeadershipInterview and case study participants were also positive about partnership working, keen to form schoolalliances and noted"
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Leadership

Review of the school leadership landscape

6 Jul 2017