Mary Bousted, secretary general of the ATL union, tells politicians they will “reap parental fury when there is no teacher for their children” (Tory policies ‘to blame for crisis’ as teachers depart in droves, 1 April). She continues: “That time is coming.” Well, it’s already here. Anyone (like me) who has tried to recruit teaching staff over the past couple of years knows there is already a desperate shortage of qualified teachers out there; schools are relying more and more on agency staff – who cost the school much more and over whom the school has no control over quality.
Headteachers’ and governors’ relentless pursuit of “outstanding” ratings from Ofsted is a major factor in driving teachers away; pressure on classroom teachers to churn out data which Ofsted will like is not only pointless but anti-education, yet it is the mantra across the country. In the 20-odd years since its invention, Ofsted has cost hundreds of millions, but has done nothing to improve education. An incoming Labour government must immediately abolish this “weapon of fear and terror” (Bousted’s words). This one simple act will reboot the profession overnight and immediately allow teachers and children to refocus on relevant, enjoyable and positive teaching and learning, making teaching a much more attractive career choice again.
Max Fishel (assistant headteacher)
Bromley, Kent
• Latest figures which show that four out of 10 teachers quit the profession within their first year are particularly worrying. We’re currently supporting research with the University of Nottingham, which has been commissioned by the Department for Education to find out why so many teachers are leaving, to help address this urgent problem. Excessive workload, rapid pace of change and unreasonable demands from managers are some of the glaring problems causing a significant number of teachers to feel overworked and undervalued at school. Our recent health survey found that 91% of teachers have suffered stress, 74% anxiety and 47% depression in the past two years. We often hear of teachers breaking down in class, ruined family relationships and low self-esteem. These issues seriously need to be addressed so that we can encourage more people to not only stay in the profession but remain passionate about teaching and dedicated to their students’ learning, and to stem rising recruitment and training costs.
Julian Stanley
Chief executive, Teacher Support Network Group
