TEACHERS ‘CAN’T COPE WITH LOAD’
NEARLY 90% of teachers say they are unable to manage their workload and one in three are considering leaving the profession in the next three years, the most comprehensive ever survey of the profession in Wales reveals today.
The stark results from the survey, the first of its kind in Wales answered by 10,408 teachers, lecturers and support staff, are “a wake-up call” to the Welsh Government, one union said, while another said it showed many in the profession are at “breaking point”.
The survey shows many school teachers work 50 or more hours a week – with 21 of those hours spent teaching while FE lecturers report working at least 11 hours every week unpaid.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams, who commissioned the Education Workforce Council to carry out the survey to get views from the profession when she took up her post, said she would use findings to inform policy and tackle workload.
But she was disappointed so few in the profession responded.
The first National Education Workforce Survey was answered in separate surveys for teachers and learning support staff between October 2016 and January this year.
Around half the respondents, 5,115, were school teachers, with the rest made up of FE teachers and support staff, school support staff and supply teachers representing 14.4% of the profession.
Responding to the findings, unions said the Welsh Government must scale back changes, make more clear what it wants from teachers and address recruitment and workload.
Responding to the findings teachers said they were swamped by mounds of paper work, often duplicated, as they account for their actions to their schools, local education authorities, regional consortia, and inspectorate body Estyn among others.
The survey shows many still don’t know enough about the new curriculum, with 38.6% of school teachers saying they are either not very familiar or not at all familiar with the content and recommendations in Professor Donaldson’s report ‘Successful Futures.’
The body representing head teachers, the National Association of Headteachers Cymru warned: “We simply cannot continue adding more and more, without being clear about what a new policy replaces.”
The NUT Cymru said its calls for a national survey have been justified. NUT Cymru Secretary David Evans said: “What we have now is the concrete evidence that supports the host of anecdotal views we have been articulating for many years.
“That workload has been identified by 78% of school teachers as an issue is one concern, that such a significant proportion (88.3%) stated they can’t cope with existing workload demands is quite another. This certainly has wide reaching implications for the long-term recruitment and retention of teachers. Clearly, action is needed and as a matter of some urgency
“The 50+ hours a week being put in by teachers is simply not sustainable, which is highlighted by the fact a third of the profession are intending to leave the profession in the next three years.”
General Secretary of the NASUWT Chris Keates said: “The survey confirms that teachers have reached breaking point in terms of workload, often generated by the inappropriate accountability frameworks, and that many are considering leaving the profession. The Welsh Government must view the results as a wake-up call that requires immediate and decisive action to prevent a crisis in recruitment and retention of teachers as this would inevitable impact adversely on the wellbeing and life chances of children and young people in Wales.”
Rob Williams, Director of Policy for NAHT Cymru, the school leaders’ union for Wales, said he hoped the Welsh Government would take on board the results.
“This survey confirms many issues that teachers and school leaders have been raising for some time. New and innovative policies are welcome, but staff are left frustrated when this impacts on an already excessive workload.
“Nearly 90% of teachers are now saying that they are not able to manage their workload. Given the massive reform currently taking place in Wales, this is of great concern. We know that over a fifth of teachers under 45 years see themselves leaving the profession in the next three years. This is a particular concern given the recruitment challenges facing schools, especially in subjects such as maths and science. For schools seeking a new headteacher, this is an additional challenge.
“We now need clear, agreed policies which show staff at every level what they must continue to do and, more importantly, what activities are no longer required. We simply cannot