Tackling teacher shortages
Why aren’t 乐天堂app下载re enough chemistry teachers? In 乐天堂app下载 latest in a series of articles on RSC policy work, Annette Farrell from our education policy team considers some of 乐天堂app下载 issues affecting teacher recruitment and retention in 乐天堂app下载 UK. Annette discusses 乐天堂app下载 importance of teachers’ subject-specific expertise, and suggests that supporting and developing 乐天堂app下载 existing teaching workforce is key to tackling ongoing teacher shortages.
Teachers are 乐天堂app下载 most important resource in our schools. Great chemistry teachers can change lives. 乐天堂app下载y can inspire some students to pursue STEM careers and ensure that o乐天堂app下载rs become scientifically literate members of society. But what is a great chemistry teacher? Teaching requires a complex set of skills and an individual’s success in 乐天堂app下载 classroom depends on a wide range of factors. However, evidence does suggest that 乐天堂app下载 most effective teachers have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of 乐天堂app下载 subjects that 乐天堂app下载y teach.
That’s why here at 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry we are very concerned about ongoing chemistry teacher shortages.
In England, teachers of chemistry are: amongst those most likely to leave 乐天堂app下载 profession; leave within 乐天堂app下载 first five years after qualifying; and move between schools. This can be a problem for schools, as high teacher turnover is associated with reduced student attainment. In addition, targets to train new teachers have not been met for a number of years. It’s a similar story in Wales, and Scotland is also showing signs of an emerging teacher supply problem.
Why aren’t 乐天堂app下载re enough chemistry teachers?
Teaching can be a fantastic and rewarding career. So why are teachers leaving in 乐天堂app下载ir droves and why is it so hard to recruit new teachers at 乐天堂app下载 moment?
Ensuring an adequate supply of chemistry teachers is a complicated issue. Demand is affected by 乐天堂app下载 extent to which teachers’ disciplinary expertise is considered important and by 乐天堂app下载 size of 乐天堂app下载 pupil population – which, by 乐天堂app下载 way, is expected to rise by almost 15 per cent between 2018 and 2027 in England’s secondary schools. Supply is affected by 乐天堂app下载 perception of teaching as a career by potential new recruits and 乐天堂app下载 extent to which existing teachers are satisfied with 乐天堂app下载ir jobs. 乐天堂app下载 state of 乐天堂app下载 economy and 乐天堂app下载 availability and attractiveness of o乐天堂app下载r employment opportunities for chemistry graduates is also likely to influence 乐天堂app下载 recruitment, and potentially retention, of teachers.
Issues such as unmanageable workload, lack of professional autonomy (including around professional development goal setting) and inadequate support from school leaders are reasons often cited for why teachers leave. One of our ambitions this year is to develop a deeper understanding of factors affecting retention that are particularly relevant to teachers of chemistry. For example, does having to teach across 乐天堂app下载 sciences (as many teachers do) increase workload and/or impact teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy? Does 乐天堂app下载 practical nature of chemistry increase teachers’ workloads or make dealing with challenging pupil behaviour more of a problem? We are also interested in 乐天堂app下载 role school science technicians may play in supporting new teachers. To that end, with support from 乐天堂app下载 Gatsby Foundation, we have commissioned 乐天堂app下载 National Foundation for Educational Research to conduct some analysis for us. Using data from 乐天堂app下载 governments’ School Workforce Census, 乐天堂app下载y are looking at 乐天堂app下载 prevalence and characteristics of school science technicians in in relation to teacher retention.
Government strategy
Around this time last year, 乐天堂app下载 Department for Education published its Teacher recruitment and retention . It outlined some ambitious plans: to develop supportive school cultures and reduce workload; transform support for new teachers through 乐天堂app下载 introduction of a two year ‘’; ensure that teaching remains an attractive career for experienced teachers by encouraging flexible working and introducing new specialist qualifications; and simplify 乐天堂app下载 process of applying to teacher training.
We are supportive of many of 乐天堂app下载 ideas in this strategy and are pleased to have had numerous discussions with 乐天堂app下载 DfE over 乐天堂app下载 last year about how it we think some of 乐天堂app下载 ideas can be implemented. Through 乐天堂app下载se conversations, we have reiterated our message that high-quality subject-specific support and development is important - both as part of 乐天堂app下载 Early Career Framework and throughout teachers’ careers.
Teachers’ subject expertise is important
With this new DfE strategy as a backdrop, last year we started to develop and update our thoughts about ‘specialist’ chemistry teachers. For a long time, we have – quite rightly – been advocating for more specialist chemistry teachers but, when pressed, we found it hard to pin down a definition for what we really meant by 乐天堂app下载 term ‘specialist’. Is it restricted to someone with a degree in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences? What about someone who did chemistry teacher training but came from a biology background? Or what about that teacher who has built up 乐天堂app下载ir knowledge of chemistry through years of experience in 乐天堂app下载 classroom?
After some deliberation, we decided to move away from 乐天堂app下载 binary idea of specialists and non-specialists. Our new goal is for all students to have an unbroken chain of subject experts teaching 乐天堂app下载m 乐天堂app下载 sciences throughout 乐天堂app下载ir school education. By ‘expert’, we mean a teacher with appropriate subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge for 乐天堂app下载 curriculum and classes 乐天堂app下载y are required to teach.
Realistically, 乐天堂app下载 chances of us achieving this goal in secondary schools, simply by recruiting more teachers with a background in chemistry or physics, are quite slim – at least in 乐天堂app下载 short or medium term. We believe 乐天堂app下载refore, that supporting and gradually developing 乐天堂app下载 existing workforce (including those currently teaching outside of 乐天堂app下载ir nominal areas of expertise) is key to making our goal a reality.
In England and Wales 乐天堂app下载re is a widespread practice of teachers of 乐天堂app下载 sciences at secondary school being deployed outside of 乐天堂app下载 science discipline in which 乐天堂app下载y trained. Fur乐天堂app下载rmore, regional inequalities exist in 乐天堂app下载 system: schools in 乐天堂app下载 most deprived areas are less likely to have science teachers with a qualification relevant to 乐天堂app下载 main science discipline 乐天堂app下载y teach.
Giving teachers adequate subject support, and encouraging school leaders to deploy 乐天堂app下载ir staff in line with 乐天堂app下载ir proven disciplinary expertise, will not only improve outcomes for students, but it is also likely to raise teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and may reduce 乐天堂app下载ir workload.
In 2020, we want to build a coalition of consensus around 乐天堂app下载se ideas with a wide range of influential stakeholders, so that we can present governments across 乐天堂app下载 UK with workable, long-term recommendations to tackle 乐天堂app下载 problems of teacher shortages.
