Teachers burn out whilst the Government watches on.
A timely report from the Education Policy Institute on Teacher Workload reflects the views of member’s here in Bedford. The number of members contacting us about workload and associated issues is on the increase
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, commenting on the Education Policy Report report said, “This is another Report to add to the already overwhelming mountain of evidence that teachers’ professional lives are blighted by an excessive workload.”
“Year-on-year increasing numbers of teachers leave the profession and potential recruits are deterred from joining it because of the toxic combination of increasing workload and decreasing pay”, she added.
Excessive freedom and flexibility, given to schools by the Government, has enabled poor management practices to flourish. Such practices are increasingly apparent here in Bedford. Teachers are overwhelmed by punitive management, pointless, oppressive observation regimes, and whilst these practices flourish, teachers continue to be underpaid, after years of Government imposed, public sector pay restraint.
As Ms Keates commented, “Ministers continue to fiddle while teachers burn out and the children and young people they teach lose out.”
Key Findings from the Education Policy Institute report:
- 1. Teachers in England are working longer hours than in most other countries. Full time teachers work an average of 48.2 hours per week – the third highest out of jurisdictions compared, 19 per cent longer than the average elsewhere.
- 2. Long working hours are hindering teachers’ access to continuing professional development (CPD). Of 36 jurisdictions, England ranked 30thin average number of days spent each year on some key forms of CPD.
- 3. Long hours, low starting pay and limited access to professional development create a risk of teacher ‘burn out’, especially in the early stages of careers.
BBC News Teachers working 60 hour week
