East Anglia's schools could struggle to recruit the next generation without serious changes, says union
This comes after the Teacher Wellbeing Index found that 77% of teachers say they experience poor mental health due to their work
Last updated 29th Nov 2021
Schools in the East could struggle to recruit the next generation of teachers if serious changes aren't made.
That's according to Keith Anderson our representative for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers.
This comes after the Teacher Wellbeing Index found that 77% of teachers say they experience poor mental health due to their work.
While 72% teachers said they felt permanently stressed at work.
Mr Anderson told us many are still working overtime despite very few students having to learn from home:
"What we've seen during the pandemic is that schools altered their timetables to enable that students were bettered supported. This has meant that their hours increased, but these same hours haven't been reduced once students came back into school".
He went on to say that one school in our area lost 200 hours since September due to absences:
"Students trying to have that consistency in their learning has proved to be very difficult. As well as teachers being expected to produce work not only in the classroom but also for students not in the classroom, their workload has significantly increased".
He warned that if things don't change the sector will struggle to recruit the next generation:
"If you talk to teachers at the moment and ask them if they'd recommend the profession to their children or anyone else they'd say no. We also see that after teachers have been on the frontline during the pandemic they've been given a pay-freeze, which is basically a pay-cut".
He concluded by saying that teachers deserve more respect:
"We do need to recognise the work they do and reward them for it. But we also need to address the issue of workload as well. Work should be a rewarding experience and they shouldn't dread going it or feel that it is going to negatively impact their health".