A recent YouGov poll suggested that 53% of teachers are thinking of quitting in the next couple of years. The top reasons given were “volume of workload” (61%) and “seeking a better work-life balance” (57%). We believe that enthusiastic, confident teachers, with a long-term commitment to education, are essential to children’s development, so these figures are deeply disturbing to us. Worse though are the reports that this workload isn’t driven by preparing exciting lessons for children but by demands for “evidence” and “data” arising from an increasingly irrational and punitive system of inspection and from constant political interference in curriculum and assessment. We are concerned that these excessive burdens are demoralising staff who want to do their very best for the pupils in their care. We appeal to the secretary of state for education, Nicky Morgan, and the schools minister, Nick Gibb, to turn their focus away from turning all our schools into academies and instead to look urgently at the core issues and reform inspection and accountability so that teachers can devote their energies to teaching and learning.
Alan Gibbons Author, Michael Holroyd Author, Terry Jones Author, Tanya Landman Author, Gillian Cross Author, Michael Rosen Author, Beverley Naidoo Author, Julie Bertagna Author, Cathy Cassidy Author, Bali Rai Author, Tommy Donbavand Author, Linda Newbery Author, Berlie Doherty Author, Bernard Ashley Author, Anne Cassidy Author, Liz Brownlee Author, Mary Hoffman Author, Vanessa Harbour Author, Duncan Pile Author, Philip Caveney Author, Tim Collins Author, Penny Dolan Author, Ann Giles Author, Steve Barlow Author, Steve Skidmore Author, Angela Topping Author, Julie Sykes Author, Lynn Breeze Author, Malcolm Rose Author, Gwen Grant Author, Daniel Hahn Author, Bernard Young Author, Ros Asquith Author, John Dougherty Author, Teresa Tomlinson Author, Saviour Pirotta Author, Eileen Wharton-Wright Author, John Shelley Author, Tony Mitton Author, Andy Seed Author, Dr Jon Berry, Dr Vanessa Harbour, Dr Bethan Marshall, Carrie Etter, Alasdair Smith, Roger Stevens, Trevor Wilson, John O’Toole Kennedy, Richard Raftery, Felicity Dowling, Alex Steward, Agar Balbir, Sally Kincaid, Del Pickup, Pete Dudgeon, Paul Cooney, John Wilks, Di Finch, Simon Duckett, Philip Kane, John Yates, Paul Gormley, Tim Malone, Kate Mayer, Emma Halford, Alison McDonald, Adele Wallis, Caroline Elcombe, Mark Goddard, Kathlyn Al-Dabagh, John Wadsworth, Celia Rose, Marian Green, Sarah Jenkins, Bev Edwards, Ros Fisher, Gulay Dalkilic, Doug Morgan, Emma Crofts, Helen Day, Deborah Hyde, Doug Hinsley, Geoff Dubber, Ann Jones, Patricia Blanch, Matthew Burrell, Alicia Binding, Sophie Beveridge, Kendal Daward, Dave Cryer, Emma Randall, Marion Urch, Steve Jones, Carol Bolland, Joss O’Kelly, Suzanne Gannon, Sue Sparks, Mitzi Hendry, Dylan Strain, John Illingworth, Nina Simon, Melanie Gibson, Sue Hopkinson, Catherine Foster, Brian Collier, Jess Edwards, Mike Watkins, Susan Urwin, Rebekah Butler, Christopher Danson, Lucy Cox, Linda Evans, Despina Mavrou, Claire Johnson, Dean Harris, Stephen Calder, Helen Farrar, Owen Gallagher, Matthew Carr, John Westmoreland, Gilly Henshaw, Helen Gill, Lesley Martin, Julia Lynskey, Jenny Day, Karen Parkin, Tony Harrison, Timothy Beighton, Jem Coady, Conor Kenneally, Sarah Cox, Darren Bradshaw, Kay Green, James Looker, Tom Mycock, Elaine Heffernan, Debbie Ward, Audrey Glover, Ginette Doyle, Dawn Botham, Dan Neale, Same Jutson, Andrew Stone, Teresa Clark, Jules Alford, Narzanin Massoumi, Duncan Wright, Ibrahima Gueye, Margaret Higginson, Janet Romain, Divya Proctor, Gabrielle Pritchard, Ellen Renner, Lian Wilde, Sam Senik, Paul Hudson, Kate Scott, Bethan Marshall, Doreen Montgomery, Adam Say, Hugo Montero, Cara McPherson, Cara Franks, Liam Conway, Sue Allonby, Rob Marseden, Sharon Gardner, Neil Rogall, Tanya Efthymiou, Janet Foxley, Christine Donegan, Neil Williams, Margaret Fay, L Sharpling, Gina Wood, Gina Kent, Diane Brewer, Fiona Byers, Netta Ford, Enid Stephenson, Alan Summers, Liz Clinch, Janet Nicholls, Katherine Morgan, Marie Grey, Richard Sutton, Alison Lainchbury, Sarah Gates, Amanda Epps, Richard Rose, Ian Billings, Richard Rose, Marlyn Hopson, Nigel Barnacle, Joyce Sheppard, Jan Dean, Andrew Darmanin, Salma Owen, Greg Monks, Lynn Coppendale, Tony Goodwin, Caroline Aperguis, Scott Fitzgerald, John Biddle, Salman Shaheen, Jim Gillen, Dave Mingay, Alex May, Paul Whitaker, Dawn Taylor, Jane Nellist, Hazel Danson, Freya McLaughlin, Elaine Cline, Andrew Coburn, Janet Ousby, Alan Summers, Tim Sanders, Peter Gates, Sam Ud-din, Simon Murch, Sian Bloor, Louise Chadwick, Jackie Haskins, Bushra Mubashar, Richard Knights, Kiri Tunks, John Westmoreland, Tom Woodcock, Nikki Heath, Valerie Dewhurst, Jeremy Taylor, Chris Stephenson, Dorrie Vandome, Mike Owen, Paul Hudson, Heather Butler, Emma Collins, Bridget Chapman, Joe Walsh, Jean Ryan, Steve Squibbs, Jon Duveen, James Stirton, Nigel Yeo, Ann Bryant, R Smits, Stephanie Thwaites, Ben Morris, A Watkinson, Garry Needle, Philip Maloney, Paul McGinn, Ulrike Coleman, Lisa Graham, Antony Armstrong, Derek Pitman, Karen Mendham, Johanna Pottle, Tracey Collins, Timothy Beighton, Dean Plowes, Amy Barry, Vin Wynne, Beckie Louise Broadhurst, Peter Gates, Kauser Jan, Gilly Henshaw, Louise Regan, Dugald Ferguson, Chris McCabe, Eugene Doherty, Janet Foxley, Heidi Drake, Elizabeth Ash, Bianca Todd, Paul Power, Joe Drummer, Owen Gallagher, Beverley Humphrey, Adrian Thompson, Sue Brownlie, Kirsty Bruce, Asa Benstead, Victoria Neumark Jones, Helen Gage, Christine Donegan, Michelle Smith, Karen Laing, Del Paul Pickup, Jen Macpen, Sue Caldwell, Karen Parkin, Connor Kenneally, Christopher Denson, Den Charman, Jane Bassett, Dean Harris, Julie Anne Griffiths, Sally Calvert Dench, Jen Persson, Jackie Schneider, Sam Jutson, Marie Watson, Gill Goodsen, Roger Keely, Joe Henry, Lou Davies, Frank Hill, Jeanette Chantry, John Gordon, Lisa Roberts, Sue Birch, Harry Facey, Barry Pavier,
• Probably one of the most important demonstrations this year took place last week and yet there was no media coverage. NUT supply teachers – a mixture of teachers who have had enough of the impossible conditions under which permanent teachers have to work, experienced teachers who have been bullied out because they argue against all the testing and levelling, and those who have their own children and want to spend time with them (there is no work-life balance for teachers) – were marching through London to lobby the supply agencies which have stepped into the gap left now that local authorities have stopped having supply teacher pools.
Agencies charge schools premium rates yet the supply teachers get a fraction of this and no access to the teacher pension. The Guardian has reported that there is a teacher crisis – not enough qualified teachers. The reality is there are more than enough qualified teachers out there, but a lot of us are either doing something else or working as supply teachers. It is difficult to properly explain how completely the observations, learning walks, scrutinising of work, Ofsted visits, “levelling” of small children etc suck the joy out of teaching: a job we all thought would be awesome. I and many of my colleagues are persuading our own children not to be teachers. That will be the crisis for the next generation. Where were your reporters? We had lots to say, but no one was listening.
Helena Tendall
Oadby, Leicester
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