TRR 27

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Cyflwynwyd yr ymateb hwn i'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar gyfer yr ymchwiliad i recriwtio a chadw athrawon

This response was submitted to the Children, Young People and Education Committee on the Inquiry into Teacher recruitment and retention

Ymateb gan: Yr Athro Emmajane Milton, Ymarfer Addysgol, a Dr Alexandra Morgan, Cyd-gyfarwyddwr Addysg Ddigidol, Ysgol y Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol, Prifysgol Caerdydd
Response from: Professor Emmajane Milton, Educational Practice and Dr Alexandra Morgan, Co-director for Digital Education, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University

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Barriers to recruitment: Intake into ITE and factors impacting recruitment into post (including a focus on priority subjects, Welsh medium, secondary schools and the impact of Wales’ educational reforms on teacher recruitment). 

In addition to the well known barriers to recruitment we feel there are additional issues including:

1. a lack of flexibility in work terms and conditions for staff (i.e. little opportunity to work from home)
2. negative perceptions of workload, behaviour in schools and the overall effectiveness of Education in Wales
3. a lack of clarity in relation to the expectations, practices and pedagogy needed for CfW and lack of support to enable schools and teachers to successfully deliver the CfW in a way that improves outcomes for all learners, especially the most disadvantaged learners in Wales.  
4. the increased demands placed on teachers to use Welsh language and to support its development.
5. insufficient high quality, sustained, contextualised, in-person professional learning focused directly on classroom practice and developing teachers' professional judgement and expertise. This includes the need to embed within the profession well trained educative mentors to support colleagues at all levels of the profession in developing their practice.

Factors affecting retention: (including a focus on priority subjects, Welsh medium, secondary schools and the effectiveness of early career support). 

as above for Barriers to recruitment

School Leaders: specific factors affecting recruitment and retention of school leaders.

as above for Barriers to recruitment

Diversity of the workforce: whether the current and future workforce reflects the diversity of the Welsh population including gender, race and ethnicity and disability.

Whilst support should be given for everyone to be able to enter and succeed in the profession, entry into the profession should also be based on being well qualified for the job of teaching - learners only get one chance to have an education.

Impact on learners: of the current position on and the delivery of education and on wider support for learners.

Without a significant shift in terms of recruitment and retention, work terms and conditions and support for teachers and their professional learning it is likely that there will be insufficient teachers to provide high quality learning experiences for learners in Wales. This is already acute in shortage subject areas in secondary schools and could be further exacerbated given the concerns around CfW. There is an established and growing mismatch between the rhetoric of policy aspirations, the reality in schools and the capacity schools and staff have to deliver these. 

There are real concerns that learners in Wales may be disadvantaged by the current enactment of and interpretation of the CfW. There is wide inconsistency and variation in practice in schools across Wales - through no fault of staff who have worked hard in challenging circumstances over the last 5years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These concerns seem to be the result of a relentless commitment to a policy direction of travel without sufficient care or attention having been paid to maintaining standards, building shared understandings, professional learning and support and the necessary sustained funding required to realise this and the associated aspirations in all schools. 

Impact on delivering educational reforms: including the Curriculum for Wales. Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill.

These challenges in terms of recruitment and retention are likely to result negatively on the profession's ability to successfully deliver the current educational reform agenda for all learners in Wales. Given our existing performance (e.g. PISA) this cannot be allowed to deteriorate further otherwise we will have done a disservice to a generation of learners in Wales many of whom have already been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attention needs to be given to the expectations/demands these reforms place on teachers. Without appropriate, genuine and meaningful support they could be delivered in instrumental ways precisely because the volume of expectation is to too burdensome for teachers to realistically achieve. This is not a reflection on teachers but rather unreasonable expectations simultaneously and a lack of attention to the complexity of what is needed to enact these reforms in practice across the profession.

Impact on teachers and wider workforce: including impact on use of teaching assistants and support staff, effect on use of supply teachers. 

This 'perfect storm' could lead to even greater attrition and lower recruitment than we currently have and therefore greater and more unrealistic expectations on existing teachers, TAs, supply teachers and unqualified staff in schools. 

Addressing recruitment and retention: What actions should be taken, and by whom, to ensure the sustainability of the education workforce and how such actions should be prioritised.

More support and professional learning for teachers is essential as teachers must feel supported and valued. Whilst it is essential to have monitoring in the system there needs to genuinely be a reduction in terms of the pressure school and teachers experience from mechanisms of external accountability and a much greater emphasis on developing internal and intelligent accountability at all levels of the profession. This way of working must be understood and supported by Welsh Government and Estyn. 

Despite the inevitable complexity enabling teaching staff to work more flexibility must be a priority to improve recruitment and retention.

Kind regards

Emmajane (and Dr Alex Morgan)

Emmajane Milton, FLSW, NTF, SFHEA Athro Ymarfer Addysgol | Professor in Educational Practice Ysgol Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol | School of Social Sciences Prifysgol Caerdydd | Cardiff University
	Mae’r Brifysgol yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at unrhyw oedi. The University welcomes correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.