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Thursday 11 September 2003
Only a salary increase in double figures will improverecruitment to teaching and stem the flow from the profession, Britainsbiggest teachers union, the NUT warned today.
Since the Review Bodys first report, teachers average payhas fallen by 8 per cent against average earnings. Over the same period, recruitment to the profession hasfloundered and retention has deteriorated.
Startingsalaries for teachers are 12.1 per cent (2,195) behind graduate startingsalaries generally. After three yearsthat gap has widened to 23.4 per cent (5,329). It can be no surprise that teaching is an ageing profession withalmost 60 per cent over the age of 40.
The profession is failing to recruit and retain sufficientyoung graduates, the NUT told the School Teachers Review Body in itssubmission* for salary increases in 2004.
Around half the full time teaching force, some 195,000teachers, will have retired in 20 years. Current recruitment levels give noconfidence that these teachers, many of whom are in senior positions, will bereplaced.
Recruitment targets to training as a secondary teacher aremissed annually. Even this year when applications rose it was by just 0.1 percent yet for university courses across all subject areas, the rise was 4.5 percent.
Of the claimed 4,300 increase in teacher numbers between2002 and 2003 only 500 were qualified teachers. Many of them were part time.The remainder were instructors, trainee teachers and overseas trained teachers all without qualified teacher status in this country. Since it came to power,there has been a four-fold increase in the number of unqualified persons beingcounted by the Government as teachers.
Performance related pay/payment by results is opposed by theNUT but imposed on the profession by the Government. Now it wants to change therules not to improve it but to undermine what clarity and objectivity it hascurrently. It wants to remove the external assessment which has resulted in anopen framework and a relatively small number of appeals against headteachersdecisions.
Having removed that safeguard, the Government then wants tocash limit the number of teachers who can move up the upper pay spine. Its onlyjustification is cost.
The Department for Education and Skills wants to break itspromise to teachers. Only a third of applicants will be allowed to move up thespine. This will have one effect andone effect only: the most experienced teachers in the education service will bedemoralised.
Government demands for a three year inflation-only awardwould merely exacerbate the problems faced by the education service.Inflation-only awards would mean a pay stand-still and would fail to addressthe salary gap with other occupations recruiting graduates. Problems ofrecruitment and retention would deepen, leading to serious damage to theeducation service and unrest and instability in the profession.
Doug McAvoy, NUT General Secretary, said The Governmentpersists in claiming that recruitment to the profession is buoyant. The claimis false. A 32 per cent increase in applications to teacher training last yeardeclined to a 10 per cent increase in acceptances.
Dont be blinded by percentages. The 23 per cent increasein applicants to train as physics teachers was just 80 people. In German the 28per cent increase was only 73 people. Our children deserve better than theshort-term approach this Government adopts.
The Government is trying to get round the problems on thecheap. It wants to use unqualified support staff to replace teachers. Thatapproach wont deliver its high standards agenda.
Three-year imposed awards will make matters worse since theyare linked with inflation.
The Review Body must live up to its responsibilities andrecommend changes that really will recruit, retain and motivate teachers. Itshould tell the Government what is needed not what it wants to hear.
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For further information contact Olive Forsythe on 020 73804706 (office) or via a mobile on 07879 480061.
* Submission available on request.