What teachers want

Now at secondary school, they are being hit by chronic staff shortages. The figures are bad: nationally, the unfilled posts in secondary schools has risen to over 1,200. Anecdotally, the situation is known to be much worse. Numerous teachers are teaching subjects for which they are not qualified, and there is heavy reliance on ‘holiday’ teachers. Australians, New Zealanders and French seem to be the dominant groups. Great. The outcome of all those feverish reforms is the au-pair-isation of education.

What’s the cause?
Some sociologists suggest that women, who have traditionally dominated teaching because of its caring role, and compatibility with domestic obligations, now have far more choices. The Government blames the teacher shortage on low pay and spiralling housing costs, especially in the South East. But neither fully explains what is happening. It’s not just the difficulty of finding new recruits; there’s also been a haemorrhage of middle-aged teachers, who would normally be settled, in housing terms. It’s clear the satisfaction, which previously compensated for low pay, has been eroded and it’s this which needs to be addressed.

The real reason people enter teaching is because they enjoy their chosen subjects, they are keen to communicate this to the next generation, and, more nebulously, they enjoy being with young people as they learn. Most want children to find their true potential, and feel the current preoccupation with targets and league tables undermines this more interesting and complex task of drawing out a child’s desire to learn. ‘I don’t want to achieve targets,’ said one English teacher. ‘I want to challenge and encourage people. I want to look at and discuss literature.’ Most want to fire up enthusiasm. ‘It’s fantastic teaching young people, and they really do need our investment in them,’ said one French teacher at a Bedford comprehensive.

Next page: the power of education