New survey into the challenges faced by teachers
The Big Question Survey paints a stark picture of the challenges faced by teachers across the UK. The survey, conducted annually, has become a barometer for testing the pressures within the teaching profession, and this year's results are concerning.
Key Findings:
- Teacher Concerns: 89% of teachers are worried about their financial situation, and 62% have cut back on food spending.
- Mental Health & Safeguarding: Nearly 90% of teachers report an increase in pupil mental health challenges and 80% feel supported in addressing these issues; 55% have seen a rise in safeguarding concerns.
- Behaviour & Workload: Teachers are facing more behavioural problems, with increases in low-level disruption and violent behaviour. Workload has also increased, with teachers reporting working, on average, 52 hours per week.
- Health & Morale: 82% of teachers reported the job had adversely affected their mental health in the last 12 months, with 69% considering leaving the profession.
New college financial handbook
A new college financial handbook has been published. It provides an overarching framework to ensure that colleges implement effective financial processes and comply with their obligations as publicly-funded institutions. The intended audience includes: college governors, accounting officers, CFO’s, governance professionals and auditors.
It comes into effect from 1 August 2024.
End of funding likely to make it more difficult to attract governors
The UK's education sector is expected to face significant challenges in recruiting governors once funding for the Inspiring Governance programme stops at the end of September 2024. The National Governance Association (NGA) has expressed grave concerns about this and has accused the government of “taking the selfless governors for granted”.
The Inspiring Governance programme, managed by the charity Education and Employers, has helped to connect volunteers with schools, bolster the number of governors and improve diversity on governing boards.
Supply teachers survey
A survey conducted by the NASUWT union into the pay and experiences of supply teachers for the academic year 2022/23 reveals:
- Many choose supply work to support their wellbeing, gain flexibility or because of previous workplace issues.
- Most secured work through agencies, with many working for multiple schools and agencies.
- Most supply teachers found work in primary settings, with a mix of ad hoc and longer-term assignments.
- Pay rates varied – a majority received the same or lower rate than the previous academic year. Some supply teachers were able to negotiate higher rates by contracting with the school directly.
- Many faced financial hardship, with some needing to source additional work or claim state benefits.
Pupil behaviour getting worse in schools
The BBC has used Teacher Tapp to survey 9000 teachers across England in February and March.
The survey reveals:
- One in five teachers has been hit by a pupil this year.
- 30% of all teachers said they had witnessed pupils fighting during the week they responded to the questions.
- Two in five said they had witnessed aggressively violent behaviour that needed an intervention in a single week.
- 15% of secondary teachers said they have experienced sexual harassment from a pupil when working at school.
- One in five said they had experienced online abuse from a parent or guardian since September and a similar number said they had experienced verbal abuse.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT union, says teachers are reporting that violence and abuse in schools "have risen notably" since the pandemic. He believes it has been compounded by cuts to specialist behaviour and mental health services for children, which have left teachers doing their best to fill the gaps and meet the needs of pupils that really require the skills of specialist counsellors and therapists.
Schools need protest exclusion zones and improved national guidance on teaching controversial issues
In April 2021, the government appointed Dame Sara Khan to carry out an independent review into social cohesion and resilience following protests outside schools in West Yorkshire which occurred after pupils were shown a cartoon of the prophet Mohammend during a lesson. Demonstrators protested outside the school gates and demanded that the teacher in question be sacked. He went into hiding.
She was asked to examine the negative impact that extremism and other divisive activity was having in local communities and on victims. Her report has been published and recommends that there should be a 150 metre exclusion zone outside of schools in England within which most forms of protests would be banned. This will require new legislation.
The report also calls for better national guidance and support for schools in teaching controversial issues. This includes providing clear frameworks for handling sensitive topics and ensuring teachers receive appropriate training.
Compensate teachers for inability to work from home
Research carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research has recommended that teachers and other public sector workers should be given a pay bonus to compensate for their inability to work from home. It believes this is necessary to stop rising numbers of teachers leaving the profession for better working conditions elsewhere.
Department for Education criticised by watchdog as one in four FOI responses is late
The Department for Education (DfE) has been ordered to respond more quickly to freedom of information (FOI) requests or face enforcement action, after admitting to missing the deadline in up to a quarter of cases.
National statistics show the DfE responded to less than 80 per cent of requests within the statutory timeframe of 20 working days in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Information Commissioner’s Office has given the department until May to comply with its recommendations.
Flexible working changes confirmed
Just before Easter the government published the long awaited commencement regulations which will bring into force all changes to the statutory right to request flexible working on 6 April 2024.
The Acas Code of Practice on requests for flexible working has also finished going through parliament and will come into force on the same date.
New ICO's guidance to employers about sharing sensitive information about staff going through a mental health emergency
In a significant move to address mental health crises in the workplace, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has released guidance for employers to help them to understand when they can share sensitive information about staff going through ‘mental health emergencies’.
The ICO's guidance:
- Clarifies that a mental health emergency is where an employer believes that an employee is at risk of serious self-harm or poses a danger to others.
- Signposts where employers can obtain further information and support.
- Explains how mental health information is treated under data protection laws and the lawful basis and special category conditions likely to apply when employers share personal information in these circumstances.
- States that employers should share necessary and proportionate information about a worker’s mental health emergency with the appropriate emergency services or health professionals without delay and could share some information with their next of kin or emergency worker.
- Encourages employers to plan ahead so that they can make timely and informed decision-making in crisis situations.
- States that employers should develop a policy on sharing personal information in a mental health emergency, ensure that workers know about and can access the policy and train staff about how to handle personal information in these circumstances.
New Code of Practice on Picketing
The Department for Business and Trade has published the final version of its revised Code of Practice on picketing. The final version is identical in content to the draft revised Code which was published on 16 January 2024 (although the page numbering is different).
The revised Code came into force on 11 March 2024.
UK's Gender Pay Gap Widens
The latest 'Women in Work 2024' report reveals that the UK has fallen from 13th to 17th place within the OECD countries in terms of its gender pay gap.
The report, which scrutinises the persisting pay disparities between men and women found that the gender pay gap in the UK widened from 14.3% in 2021 to 14.5% in 2022. It attributed this to the UK's slower pace in advancing gender equality at work compared to other nations.
The report underscores the substantial economic benefits that could be unlocked by addressing the gender pay penalty. It estimates a potential £55 billion annual increase in women's earnings if the pay disparities were eradicated, alongside a boost to the UK GDP by up to £125 billion annually with a 5% rise in female employment.
Discrimination and toxic workplaces
In a recent study released to coincide with My Whole Self Day, one in three employees in the UK reported experiencing microaggressions or discriminatory behaviour from their managers within the last six months. The campaign, spearheaded by Mental Health First Aid England, believes that workplaces across the UK need radical change.
Key findings:
- The research, involving 2,000 employees, highlighted that ageism, inflexible work patterns, and insensitivity towards personal life and health are the most common managerial missteps
- Nearly half of the workforce has faced discriminatory or exclusionary acts, such as lack of recognition, favouritism, and sarcasm, from their superiors
- Younger employees and ethnic minorities reported higher instances of such behaviour, with Black or Black British workers being the most affected group
National Insurance cuts
The Chancellor has announced changes to National Insurance contributions (NICs) in the Spring Budget 2024. The main rate of Class 1 employee NICs will be reduced from 10% to 8% starting from 6 April 2024.
Read more – April 2024
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