The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on teacher retention and recruitment in secondary schools. It said that recruitment and retention had improved significantly since the Committee first began its inquiry in the spring of 2003.
Source: Secondary Education: Teacher Retention and Recruitment - Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2003-04, First Special Report (Session 2004-05), HC 85, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2004-Dec
The schools inspectorate reported that 'satisfactory progress' had been made in implementing the first phase of the national workforce agreement: but many headteachers believed their workloads had increased.
Source: Remodelling the School Workforce: Phase 1, HMI 2298, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2004-Dec
A study found mainly positive views about the contribution of teaching assistants, from teachers, head teachers and teaching assistants themselves: but also some concerns about their preparation for the direct interactive role, in terms of training and qualifications, consistency of deployment between classrooms, and time for planning and feedback. The study found little quantitative evidence that the presence of teaching assistants, or any of their characteristics, such as training or experience, had a measurable effect on pupil attainment in the school class where they were deployed.
Source: Peter Blatchford, Anthony Russell, Paul Bassett, Penelope Brown and Clare Martin, The Role and Effects of Teaching Assistants in English Primary Schools (Years 4 to 6) 2000-2003, Research Report 605, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2004-Dec
A paper said that negotiated changes to performance-related pay systems for teachers had addressed many of the concerns of teachers, had created a new institutional role for the relevant unions, and might permit the systems to avoid the operational difficulties experienced elsewhere in the public services.
Source: David Marsden and Richard Belfield, Unions, Performance-Related Pay and Procedural Justice: The case of classroom teachers, DP660, Centre for Economic Performance/London School of Economics (020 7955 7673)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Abstract
Date: 2004-Nov
A think-tank report considered how well teachers were equipped for teaching. It said that standards of entry were pitched at a lower level than in other countries, while training courses failed to place sufficient emphasis on vital subject knowledge.
Source: Comparing Standards: Teaching the Teachers - Report of the Politeia Education Commission, Politeia (020 7240 5070)
Links: Politeia press release (Word file) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
The number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in the maintained sector in England rose by 4,100 (1.0 per cent), to 427,700, in the year to January 2004: but in the nursery and primary phase regular teachers went down by 800. The overall pupil:teacher ratio for the maintained nursery, primary and secondary sector was 17.7:1 in January 2004 compared to 17.9:1 in 2003.
Source: School Workforce in England (including pupil teacher ratios and pupil adult ratios), January 2004 (revised), Statistical First Release 34/2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that it had not found evidence of endemic retention and recruitment problems for teachers in secondary schools: but there were a number of specific problems which posed very real difficulties for those schools affected. 'Challenging' schools had particular problems with retention and recruitment, and there were persistent shortages of teachers in some subjects. There was a high level of drop-out from initial teacher training, while 50 per cent of teachers were over 45. A teaching union said that the report failed to recognize the past failure of pay flexibilities to solve the problem.
Source: Secondary Education: Teacher Retention and Recruitment, Fifth Report (Session 2003-04), HC 1057, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 21 September 2004, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (0121 453 6150)
Links: Report | NASUWT press release | SHA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
A survey of 10,000 registered teachers obtained their views on specific aspects of their professional work. Most teachers did not feel that their professional development needs were met in full. There was a high level of sharing of expertise and knowledge between teachers within schools: but sharing between schools was limited.
Source: Linda Sturman, Geoff Taggart and Adrian Woodthorpe, Survey of Teachers 2004, General Teaching Council for England (0870 001 0308)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A report said that turnover of full-time primary teachers in England in 2003 fell from 15.3 to 13.6 per cent, and of secondary teachers from 13.1 to 12.8 per cent: but wastage rates remained unchanged at respectively 9.2 and 7.2 per cent. Turnover, but not wastage, of teachers from secondary schools was found to correlate with exam results (inversely), eligibility for free school meals, and special needs - suggesting that there tended to be movement away from schools in more challenging circumstances.
Source: Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, Teacher Turnover, Wastage and Destinations, Research Report 553, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
A report said that secondary school teachers were fighting a constant battle to be allowed to teach, as a result of deteriorating pupil behaviour. In schools where behaviour problems were most acute, class size was of particular concern, with blanket inclusion policies without adequate support and resourcing adding to the problems. So far the new workforce agreement had had little impact on workload, with teachers work taking between 45 and 70 hours per week. But most of those interviewed said they would still have entered the teaching profession even under present-day conditions.
Source: John MacBeath and Maurice Galton, A Life in Secondary Teaching: Finding time for learning, National Union of Teachers (020 7388 6191)
Links: Report (Word file) | NUT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
A literature review examined the role and impact of teaching assistants in schools.
Source: Paula Smith, Karen Whitby and Caroline Sharp, The Employment and Deployment of Teaching Assistants, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Summary (Word file)
Date: 2004-Mar
A new book said that a government scheme to pay teachers according to performance was unpopular among staff and had virtually no effect on the way they taught in the classroom. But the government announced that the scheme would be extended, with a new pay grade to reward the best performing teachers.
Source: Ted Wragg (ed.), Performance Pay for Teachers: Views and experiences of heads and teachers, Routledge (01264 343071) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 16 March 2004, columns 16-22WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Summary | Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A report evaluated a pilot project designed to reduce teachers' working hours and increase the proportion spent on teaching. It found that the project had been effective, and had led to a change in working relationships between teachers and other staff, including classroom support staff.
Source: Hywel Thomas et al., Transforming the School Workforce Pathfinder Evaluation Project, Research Brief RBX03-04, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
A report presented the findings from a mapping exercise which aimed to identify and chart current thinking regarding the future of teaching and learning.
Source: Peter Rudd, Mark Rickinson and Pauline Benefield, Mapping Work on the Future of Teaching and Learning, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
