Teachers’ New Year Message January 2014 STRICT EMBARGO 00:01 2ND JANUARY 2014 Methodology The National Union of Teachers (NUT) commissioned the polling company YouGov Plc to survey a representative sample of teachers in England and Wales. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The figures have been weighted and are representative of the England and Wales school population by region, school phase, school type and teacher gender. The total sample size was 826 teachers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd December and 9th December 2013. The survey was carried out online. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Key findings Morale in the teaching profession continues to fall and three quarters (74%) of teachers say their morale has declined since the last general election. 52% of teachers are less likely to stay in the profession as a result of changes to teacher’s pay and pensions, and 57% are less likely to stay as a result of changes to teacher’s conditions In one of the richest countries in the world, almost half of teachers (49%) report malnutrition or hunger affecting the ability of pupils to concentrate. 86% of teachers would rank Ofsted as inadequate or requiring improvement. Teachers and parents share concerns about schools having different term dates. The survey results are set out in more detail below. Teacher professionalism In September 2013 the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove said: ‘It is because the teaching profession is so crucial that our programme of education reform has been designed to empower teachers; to give them more freedom, more power and more prestige’. This survey shows that he has much to do to turn his words into reality. Teachers were asked to what extent they think that this Government’s reforms have empowered teachers. A large majority (69%) answered ‘not at all’ and a further 22% said ‘not very much’. Perhaps of even more concern for the Secretary of State: 81% of the head teachers in the sample felt that the reforms had not empowered teachers at all. When asked how trusted by the Government they feel to get on with their job as a teacher only 1% of respondents answered ‘totally trusted’ and 4% said they felt trusted most of the time. Most teachers identified a lack of trust with 45% of respondents saying they were ‘not at all trusted’ and 36% ‘rarely trusted’ by Government to get on with their job. 70% of head teachers felt they were ‘not at all trusted’ Respondents were asked to what extent they feel valued as a professional by politicians and also by their pupils’ parents. The difference in response was stark. While almost two thirds (64%) feel valued by their pupils’ parents only 3% feel valued by politicians. Teacher morale Teachers were asked to describe their current morale. A similar sample of teachers was asked the same question by YouGov in April 20121 and December 20122. The table below shows how they responded, then and now: Teacher morale Very high High Neither high nor low Low Very low April 2012 3% 24% 32% 29% 13% December 2012 2% 13% 31% 35% 20% December 2013 3% 11% 32% 30% 24% All three surveys have asked teachers whether their morale as a teacher had improved, declined or stayed the same since the General Election in May 2010. Has your morale changed April 2012 since May 2010? December 2012 December 2013 Improved 9% 5% 3% Stayed the same 32% 27% 23% Declined 59% 69% 74% These results show that morale is at low levels and has continued to fall over the last twenty months. Since April 2012 a higher proportion of teachers are saying that their morale has declined since the last general election. Verdict on Government policies Teachers were asked if they thought the Coalition Government’s academies and free schools programme was taking education in England in the right direction. Only 6% answered ‘yes’ while the majority (82%) said ‘no’. School leaders were even more critical than class teachers with 87% indicating ‘no’ in their response to this question. Respondents were then asked what impact the Coalition Government had had on the education system over the last three and a half years. Almost four fifths (79%) of teachers felt that the Government’s impact had been negative. Only 4% of respondents thought that the Government had made a positive difference to the education system. 1 2 www.teachers.org.uk/files/yougov-survey-tables_final.doc www.teachers.org.uk/files/NUT%20analysis.doc Teachers were asked if they agreed or disagreed that people teaching in academies and free schools should have qualified teacher status. Only 3% of respondents disagreed with this and the majority of teachers (93%) agreed that people teaching in these schools should have qualified teacher status. Voting intentions In the context of the above, it is perhaps not surprising that few teachers said they would vote for the Coalition parties ‘if there was a general election tomorrow’. Of those teachers who said that they would use their vote (85%), 12% said they would vote for the Conservative Party and 6% said they would vote for the Liberal Democrats. 43% of teachers would vote for the Labour Party. Impact of changes on young people The Government is introducing sweeping reforms to the curriculum and examination system to ‘prepare students properly for life after school’3. Teachers were asked whether they thought the cumulative impact of the changes to the curriculum, qualifications and examinations was having a positive or negative impact on students. Four-fifths (80%) of respondents considered the impact to be negative, while only 4% thought they were making a positive impact on young people. Since 2012, schools have assumed responsibility for giving careers advice. In a highly critical report published in September 2013, Ofsted4 said that three-quarters of schools visited by Ofsted were not delivering adequate careers advice. Teachers were asked whether their school had adequate resources to provide high quality careers advice to students. A third (34%) of teachers said their school had adequate resources but almost half (48%) answered to the contrary. Almost one in five (18%) of respondents did not know whether their school had adequate resources. Primary school teachers taking part in the survey were asked about the Phonics Screening Check that has been introduced on a statutory basis for all pupils in year one. Respondents were asked whether the Check gave them any additional information about their pupils. Most teachers (58%) said that the Check did not provide them with any additional information. For 19% of respondents the Check did provide them with extra information. Teachers working in early years and primary settings were asked whether the person responsible for leading children’s learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) should be required to have Qualified Teacher Status. 95% of teachers agreed that there should be a requirement while only 3% disagreed. A frequent concern cited by teachers is that they are required to spend too much of their working time on bureaucratic tasks at the expense of supporting their pupils. Teachers were asked what proportion of their workload related to tasks and activities which they feel do not directly benefit children’s learning. The results suggest that changes have to be made in the way teachers spend their time to reduce the time spent on tasks that do not directly benefit learning 63% of teachers said that more than a fifth of their workload does not directly benefit children’s learning. 18% of respondents said that more than 3 https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reforming-qualifications-and-the-curriculum-to-betterprepare-pupils-for-life-after-school 4 http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/going-right-direction-careers-guidance-schools-september-2012 40% of their workload is spent on tasks and activities of no direct benefit to children’s learning. Teachers were asked whether a range of factors external to schools had a negative impact on the educational achievement of the children that they teach. Their responses are set out in the table below: Factor % Lack of space in the home 28 Lack of access to computers and the internet at home 29 Malnutrition or hunger affecting ability to concentrate 49 Fewer cultural experiences such as outings and holidays either in the 52 UK or abroad Child or adolescent mental health issues 53 Lack of specialist services for SEN and behaviour intervention 63 Teachers were also asked what impact public sector cuts and austerity measures were having on their pupils and their families. 40% of teachers said it was having a negative impact on some children and their families. A similar proportion (36%) said it was having a negative impact on many children and their families. Teachers’ pay and working conditions Teachers were asked if introducing performance related pay would improve outcomes for children’s education. 81% thought that it would not improve outcomes with only 6% answering ‘yes’. Respondents were then asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: ‘I prefer a national framework for teachers’ pay rather than individual decisions at school level’ – 88% agreed. 6% disagreed. ‘I prefer a national framework for teachers’ working hours rather than individual decisions at school level’ – 85% agreed. 6% disagreed. The survey then asked teachers whether the Secretary of State’s changes to teachers’ pay and pensions would make them more or less likely to stay in the teaching profession. A majority (52%) said it was less likely they would continue in the profession. Only 2% of teachers said the changes meant it was more likely they would stay in the profession. Similarly, teachers were then asked whether the Secretary of State’s changes to teachers’ conditions would make them more or less likely to stay in the teaching profession. While 2% of teachers said the changes meant it was more likely they would continue teaching, 57% felt it was less likely they would remain in the profession as a result. The Government wants teachers to work longer - until they are 68 or maybe even higher; pay more for their pensions and get less in retirement. The survey asked teachers if they would be able to continue teaching to 68. Only 7% of respondents answered in the affirmative with 69% answering ‘no’. 18% of teachers said they didn’t want to continue teaching until the age of 68 but they couldn’t afford to retire earlier. All respondents were asked to what extent they supported the NUT/NASUWT strike action on pay, pensions and conditions. The majority of teachers (67%) said that they supported the action while 28% were opposed. 80% of NASUWT and 81% of NUT members supported the strike action. Ofsted Teachers were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about Ofsted. Agree Ofsted inspections make a positive contribution to school improvement Ofsted inspections are a reliable measure of school performance Ofsted inspections capture a rounded picture of all the school’s work Ofsted judgements are independent and free from political interference 15% Neither Disagree agree nor disagree 14% 70% 12% 9% 78% 9% 7% 83% 9% 11% 77% Teachers were then asked to grade Ofsted using the same rankings that schools are judged after an inspection. Only 1% of teachers gave Ofsted the top ‘outstanding’ ranking. 7% rated Ofsted as ‘good’ while 43% of teachers said the inspectorate ‘requires improvement’. 43% of respondents ranked Ofsted in the bottom ‘inadequate’ grading. For profit schools There is increasing speculation that a future Conservative government may allow schools to be run for profit. Teachers were asked whether they would support such a move. 91% said that they did not think that publicly funded schools should be run for profit. School term dates The Government wants to let all state schools in England decide their own terms and holidays from September 2015. The vast majority of teachers (80%) disagree with the Government and think it is important that schools maintain very similar term dates. A survey carried out by Netmums for the charity 4Children showed that a similar proportion of parents (77%) are also opposed to the proposed changes 5. Parents fear that planning childcare and activities would be harder if school holidays varied. 5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23756809