Negative narratives about what a teacher is and does exacerbate workforce issues. We need to tell a new story.
How much of the long-term recruitment and retention issue is down to the repeated concerns of high workload and low pay? That doesn’t mean we should pretend those are great – but too much focus on them makes teaching sound like a dire job that no one should want to join or stay in.
To compensate, and with best intentions, we often talk about the unsung heroism of teachers. But heroism implies sacrifice, and that we ask more of teachers than is reasonable. So the hero-teacher model is not always the effective recruitment strategy we might imagine.
Of course, there is a moral imperative that motivates many values-driven people to join the profession. That’s why adverts that focus on the life-changing moments and long-lasting impacts teachers have on children and young people do work.
But if we’re going to solve the recruitment and retention crisis, we need to focus more on the vital community-anchor role schools play. Teachers support whole communities and function as reliable touchstones for children and families; and the schools and trusts which live this ideal are great places to work.
What’s more, we need the new Labour government to echo all the reasons why teaching is a great job. Early indications show Bridget Phillipson understands this. She has spoken positively about the profession and engaged with the sector directly – a welcome shift from the previous government’s, shall we say, less supportive approach.
But flipping from admonishment to lionisation won’t tackle the scale of the issues. They’re two sides of the same coin – a standard no one can live up to.
At the recent Labour Party conference, PLMR hosted two panels exploring the workforce crisis with sector and political leaders. Both sessions emphasised the need to do more to ‘sell’ teaching as a career.
This resonated with recent national polling we commissioned, looking at what factors could influence people to become a teacher.
Unsurprisingly, among younger people, better pay (43 per cent) and more flexible working options (36 per cent) were both in the top three. But teaching’s status as a profession in ‘high regard’ (37 per cent) beat flexibility into second place.
We need to speak to the needs of a new generation
Additionally, only 16 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds would never consider becoming a teacher. That means a massive 84 per cent would.
And if young people want good pay, flexible working and to be part of a highly-regarded profession, we need to start delivering on their expectations.
Labour’s 5.5-per cent teacher pay rise starts to address the pay challenge. Meanwhile, Phillipson is set to make clear in guidance that teachers should be allowed to spend their preparation time at home, and her letter to the STRB this week mentions flexibility for TLRs.
There’s also plenty of innovation on the ground in these areas in schools and trusts across the country. But the ‘high regard’ bit – that must be a concerted and collaborative effort.
So what can school leaders do to make a start?
Engage directly with policy makers
Communicate with the department for education, MPs and the government more widely, highlighting challenges but also bringing solutions. Make sure the hard work of teachers is clearly communicated and understood. This will help policy and decision makers know how to communicate it.
Use all media channels
Recruitment materials should speak to the shifting needs of the workforce. Use films and case studies on your websites and social media to demonstrate the impact of teaching, not just on pupils, but on teachers themselves.
Don’t underestimate the power of positive media stories to show up on the radar of potential recruits.
Practise what you preach
Staff who feel well-supported and buy into your vision and strategy are powerful advocates for joining the teaching profession. Keep positive staff communication a priority.
Teaching is a purpose-driven profession for sure. But we won’t build economic, environmental and societal success on a story of heroism or altruism.
Instead, we need a narrative that stresses constancy, stability and community for all pupils and the experts who teach them. Teaching is a great career – we just need to say it.
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