The teaching profession is widely recognised as being in crisis. Issues including pay, working conditions and stress are undermining the workforce and putting the quality of student learning at risk.
Morale amongst teachers is low. Schools across the UK are struggling to fill vacanciesOpens in a new window as retention rates drop. Fewer people are joining the profession and training targets are being missedOpens in a new window, storing up more problems for the future. A protracted pay dispute has resulted in strike action across all four nations of the UK, with teachers citing the impact of cost of living pressuresOpens in a new window on their own families as well as the children they teach. While school funding levels have now returned to 2010 levels, school resources remain squeezedOpens in a new window, making it harder for teachers to do their jobs.
The role of Ofsted has come under renewed criticismOpens in a new window in response to the death of the headteacher Ruth Perry following the downgrading of her school, with wider evidenceOpens in a new window of the detrimental mental health impacts of the expanding roles and responsibilities of teachers.
While large parts of the workforce now enjoy increased flexibility post-pandemic, teachers typically work longer hoursOpens in a new window than other graduate professionals and lack the ability to work from home.
