Astonishing figures
from NUT survey show
scale of teacher
workload crisis
The National Union of Teachers conducted a survey between
24 and 28 September: 16,379 teachers responded.
■
90% of teachers said they had considered giving up
teaching during the last two years because of the workload.
■
87% said they knew one or more colleagues who HAD
given up during the last two years because of the workload.
■
96% said their workload had negative consequences for
their family or personal life.
Teachers who left say workload
was the reason
We also surveyed members who had left the profession
during this year (other than for retirement): 86% said
workload was the principal or a significant factor in
them leaving the profession.
Fears for a teacher shortage
are building
Teacher supply expert John Howson says it is unlikely that any
of the key subjects measured by UCAS will meet their teacher
training number targets for this year.
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What teachers are saying
Here are a very small sample of the quotes that members gave us last week:
■ I have been teaching for nearly 40 years and it has never been this bad before!
■ I have three young boys who I barely spend time with any more. Just writing that sentence upset
me deeply.
■ Data! Data! Data! No one is interested in teachers and pupils any more, just numbers on a piece of paper!
■ I am heartbroken about what has happened to my profession and to me. I have given it
everything, that’s what the kids deserve, but I can’t stay in such a negative cycle any longer, it is
making me ill.
■ I worry that I will miss my son growing up, as “daddy is working” will continue to get worse rather than
better.
■ I am proud of being considered an outstanding practitioner by ALL who have observed me even
OFSTED ... Then why do I dream of stacking shelves in a supermarket?
■ Data, Ofsted, data, Ofsted … INSANE accountability which fosters a culture of blame, rock bottom morale
and teachers often found crying in corners.
■ I am exhausted and it’s only four weeks into term. I have two children of my own and find myself
snapping at them and unable to give them the time they need. How on earth am I expected to
keep going to 67???
■ This is no life. I love teaching, but all I want to do is leave. It no longer feels like a profession. I feel like a
slave. I don’t feel valued or trusted at all.
■ I have two young daughters and I don’t often have time to spend with them because I am so
exhausted from school. I don’t blame my school – they are responding to the excessive
expectations from the Government, which doesn’t trust those who work in education.
■ I would not advise any young person to go into teaching because of the level of pay compared to the
amount of work and stress.
■ I am often left feeling guilty for the lack of time I spend with my family and friends but also
feeling guilty for not spending more time on my work – how is this healthy?
■ When we approach SLT about these issues we are simply told this is what education is and what we
have to live with!
■ The amount of planning and paperwork required. And then thorough marking – trying to mark
120 books a day is daft.
■ I’m constantly pinning on a happy face, all the while seeing the career that I aspired to as a child being
twisted and deformed into a machine that churns out stressed and unhappy children. I’m devastated for
the children of this country…
■ I work at weekends and rarely see my daughter. I’m spending my days looking after other
people’s children and not even getting to see my own child.
■ We are told all the time that children progress at different rates and yet if it’s on our watch, it now affects
our progression on the pay scale.
■ I hate the fact that I am sometimes willing my children to go to sleep just so that I can work.
It’s not right.
■ I work a ten hour day and most days bring home marking which can take a further two hours after I have
put my son to bed. It is simply untenable on a long term basis. It will damage my health, relationships
and my quality of life.
■ My job is no longer about helping students to achieve their potential, it has become an endless
exercise in providing evidence that I am a good teacher.
■ I am no longer sure I even want to be a teacher. I used to believe it is what I was made for.
■ My daughter told me as she left for university that she knew my ‘school’ kids were my priority
and that I didn’t always have time for her and although she understood this it did hurt. I was
devastated; she was right but it was too late to change it for her.
■ I dread my daughter or friend telephoning for a chat in the evening because I have work to do and a
schedule to keep.
■ Three years in and I think I might become a statistic who leaves before five years. Why would I
want to do this for another 40 odd years? There’s no way I can keep this up and have a family.
■ I know so many people of all ages and stages of their teaching career who’ve quit, and I think about it at
least three times a week too. And I’ve only been teaching two years.
■ The lack of trust in teachers to do what is best for their students is astounding and the abuse of
their time leads to teachers feeling torn between what the DfE and school leaderships are telling
them to do, and what they feel they should be doing for their students.
■ Just to say, I love teaching. So many aspects of this job are fulfilling, but the workload is insane. I’m too
scared to work out my actual hourly rate. As a NQT, I was probably actually earning less than minimum
wage last year...
■ As teachers we would be devastated to think that the children in our care saw so little of their
parents and yet we ourselves are expected to neglect our own families.
■ The feeling of working as much as you can, still not getting everything done and then being told it’s not
good enough by both SLT and the Government is demoralising.
■ I love teaching, but hate this system I teach in. I’m a good and well respected teacher, but I can’t
keep living like this. The moment I find the right opportunity, I will leave this uncaring, fear driven,
life-drain that masquerades as a ‘profession’.
■ The obsession with data has no impact on my teaching. It hinders it as it takes away precious time to
plan and prepare inspiring lessons on top of marking constantly. How can I have a family as a teacher?
I don’t have enough time for myself.
■ Teachers just wish they had the time and energy to enjoy life, but feel guilty because they have so
little left to give to others…
■ It is the constant nagging feeling that I should be working regardless of what I am doing. If I’m seeing
friends, I’m only half there.
■ Two week marking cycles mean I almost always have marking that I have to consider “overdue”,
and the stress of ensuring every lesson leads to progress means my lessons are being planned in
so much detail it is unsustainable.
■ I am glad my time in education is coming to an end. I would never recommend it to anyone as a career
choice anymore and I am by no means alone in feeling this way.
■ To be properly planned for the next day I must have no evening. When my working day finishes,
another one starts. Weekends are for sleep and trying to squeeze something/anything in with the
kids. I am a drone.
■ The worst thing is telling my son I can’t read a story tonight because I have to get some marking
finished.
■ Data entry forms, Inclusion paperwork, new starter EAL paperwork, EAL register, trying to mark
130 pieces of work a day. I have no life and if I do I feel guilty and get behind. It’s very depressing
and feels hopeless.
■ Who do we want in front of our classes? Tired teachers with little life experience and few outside
interests or people with energy who can share life experiences…?
■ I have an 18 month old and work full time. At the weekend I have to arrange family time around
planning and writing schemes of work. I get cross with my toddler if he wants me when I am
trying to work, but he wants his mum and I will never get this time with him back.
■ I work until nearly 1am every day trying to keep up with ridiculous marking policies which means I am
exhausted every day and my lessons suffer as a consequence. I honestly feel like I can’t do this for much
longer. Education has changed so much since I joined the profession 11 years ago that I don’t recognise it.
■ I am fed up with seeing my colleagues near to breaking point, and there isn’t a week goes by
where I don’t see someone crying. This has to stop.
■ Last Christmas, I attended a friend’s retirement party where she apologised to her children for not being
there for them growing up. I’ve lasted five years – I cannot last another 38. That will not be me
apologising to my child for putting others before him.
■ In the last two years an innumerable number of fellow PGCE graduates from my course have left
teaching. Older teachers have every ounce of energy, creativity and time sucked out of them until
they physically cannot do the job, at which point they are disposed of. It’s frankly disrespectful!
■ As soon as something comes up, I will not hesitate to leave. Teaching is not the job It used to be.
Children are not allowed to have fun anymore as teachers are under too much pressure to get them to
make the desired amount of progress regardless of their family circumstances. Children are not robots!
We are losing far too many good teachers
#TellNicky something has to change
Go to www.teachers.org.uk/manifesto to read
the NUT’s manifesto for our children’s education
Designed and published by The Strategy and Communications Department of The National Union of Teachers – www.teachers.org.uk
Origination by Paragraphics – www.paragraphics.co.uk Printed by U4 Print Services – www.u4printservices.co.uk – 9710/09/14