Discuss One Current British Educational Issue And Suggest Some Possible Solutions.docx

Almost one in six teachers in England quit after just a year in the

classroom - the highest figure on record. The high drop-out rates suggests that

attempts to tackle teacher workload - seen as one of the key obstacles to

teacher retention - are failing to bear fruit. This essay will discuss the teacher

shortage in Britain and suggest some feasible solutions.

The reason for Bristain teacher’s scarsity

Teacher shortage and recruitment

The teacher supply model used by the UK National College indicates

that demand for new staff will not peak until 2025, but clearly shows a

national teacher shortage that is already underway.

The issue has arisen as a result of the boom in birth rates leading to a

rise in pupil numbers in schools and under-recruitment to teaching posts over

the previous five years.

Whilst the number of primary teachers has increased significantly over

the last two to three years (set against a downturn in the number of secondary

teachers) this will not be sufficient to deal with the influx of children into

primary schools.

Retention of existing staff

Experienced teachers have a wealth of knowledge and skills to offer

schools. However, complaints of high workloads, endless accountability and

targets, along with insufficient financial reward for the hours in a working

week, result in tired and stressed professionals, causing this expertise to be

lost by them leaving the profession.

53 per cent of the UK teachers are considering leaving teaching

according to a recent YouGov poll, and it isn’t just experienced senior staff.

11,000 young teachers actually leave in training, an exodus that has tripled in