Lambeth Teacher with Lambeth NUT

Teacher shortage and supply: some progress, we hope.

At a recent meeting with Mike Peters, Director of Education, the unions submitted their views on teacher shortage and supply cover. Perhaps a break from the past, present negotiations with the LEA seem to be a breath of fresh air in that there appears to be a genuine dialogue. Ourselves and the LEA agree that there is a need for an improvement in workload to make teaching in Lambeth more attractive and a more substantial London Allowance is required to ensure across the board improvements. Unfortunately, we are unable to report at present that there will be much on offer.

Mike Peters, Lambeth's Chief Education Officer

We are not in favour of gimmicks such as bus passes or ‘golden handcuffs’ as they do not alter the structure of teachers salaries in any lasting way. The DfEE is providing £528,000 to tackle recruitment and retention. However, the proviso is that 90% of this has to go to the Secondary sector unless after consultation with the heads, they concede some of the cash. Not surprisingly, when consulted, the secondary heads made clear that they need all the money! The LEA is compelled by the DfEE’s guidelines to follow this course, even though the shortage is greater in Primary schools than Secondary. It is imperative that this injustice is addressed and the issue of recruitment in the Primary sector is tackled.

Supply Pool to Return?

Under LMS, supply cover was effectively privatised as LEA’s were unable to maintain a supply pool which was centrally funded. This led to a growth in insurance premiums to commercial concerns and the mushrooming of agencies. Teachers’ pay packets were not enhanced.

The recent crisis highlighted, against the popular myth that private enterprise is more efficient, the failings of the present system. The LEA have agreed to approach Secondary heads, in the first instance, to consider the feasibility of a ‘buy back’ system which establishes an LEA supply pool. The unions give full support to this initiative and ask all members to encourage similar enthusiasm from their headteachers.

Crisis? What crisis?

UK Ads for teachers bolster 'crisis' talk School staffrooms faced a deluge of paper on Friday (27th April)- as an education newspaper published a record number of job advertisements. The Times Educational Supplement has 647 pages of recruitment ads in this week's edition, lending support to union claims of a crisis over teacher shortages.

The School Standards Minister, Estelle Morris, said the period after Easter was traditionally the peak time for recruitment adverts. Schools have to make appointments by half term if candidates are to give proper notice and be available for the next academic year in September. "This is the time of the year when schools are advertising," she told MPs on Thursday. But the adverts in the TES represent a 70% increase on those it carried in May last year. And the newspaper said 400 other schools had been unable to place adverts this week, so next week's edition would be just as big.

Unions say it adds weight to claims of a "crisis" in staffing - literally. When a copy arrived at the headquarters of the National Association of Head Teachers it tipped the scales at 3lb 6ozs (1,533gms). "It will descend on school staff rooms with a deafening thud," observed the general secretary, David Hart. "Government recruitment packages have started to attract more graduates into teaching but we are still losing far too many young and experienced teachers from the profession," he said. "Until the government can stop this haemorrhaging of talent, recruitment and retention will remain the most serious problem facing ministers."

More posts The government says the main reason for all the vacancies is that extra teaching posts have been created. The Education Secretary, David Blunkett, has described the situation as a "challenge" and said that calling it a crisis would only make matters worse. The General Secretary of the NUT, Doug McAvoy said: " Unless the government acts now on reducing the pressures faced by teachers and takes action to better their terms and conditions, then the potential for a disastrous crisis for teacher shortages in the autumn will be realised. "The crisis is severe now and we haven't seen anything yet."

'Evidence' The deputy editor of the TES, David Budge, said the fact that the paper had 647 pages of classified advertising underlined the gravity of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis. He told BBC News Online: "The Department for Education has been rather reluctant to admit the full extent of the staff shortages but it cannot deny the evidence that our jobs columns provide. "We are carrying 7,700 adverts for more than 9,000 teacher vacancies - but we could have published hundreds more had we had sufficient space

." The Liberal Democrats' education spokesman Phil Willis said it was time the government recognised that teacher recruitment and retention remained a serious issue. He said: "When will the government acknowledge that the highest rate of teacher vacancies for a decade is threatening standards in schools? "The government must commit now to increasing, not decreasing its targets for recruiting trainee teachers if we are to avoid this appalling shortage of teachers in future years."

On the left is the resolution passed at NUT, NASUWT and ATL conferences. Are we fiddling while Rome burns, or should we engage in prompter action?

Below click on ' Lambeth Teacher's view' to find our view, but you cam express your view, if you wish:union@lta.demon.co.uk