Latest news with #EducationSecretary
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'I couldn't imagine not teaching full-time - until I had my baby'
"I really loved my job, and I loved working full-time. I couldn't have seen that changing before I had a family." After eight years in teaching, primary school teacher Alice Cole says that all changed with the arrival of her first child, Oliver, last May. With Alice's partner working shifts, Alice says a full-time return to work would have made her family time "non-existent". "Working flexibly now has given me that precious time with my son which I wouldn't change for the world," she says. Alice returned to work three days a week at Oasis Academy Warndon in April and is on a flexible working arrangement for the next year, which means she can also take Oliver to regular baby group sessions. She believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the profession. She wants all new parent teachers to be offered such flexibility, to allow them to "feel confident that taking that step forward in their personal life isn't going to lead to a step back in their professional life". It's an area of teaching the government is trying to improve as part of its pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said more schools should offer flexible hours when she announced plans to give teachers a 4% pay rise earlier this year. Pay and working conditions have been key drivers for many teachers deciding to leave the profession in recent years, and to fewer deciding to join. Annual data released on Thursday suggested the overall number of teachers has fallen by 400, and 1,400 fewer teachers entered the profession in 2024-25 than the previous year. It is the lowest year on record for new teachers joining the profession overall, at 41,736, or 9.2% of all teachers, and targets for trainee teacher recruitment were again missed for both primary and secondary schools for the ninth time in 10 years. Despite remaining high compared to previous years, the number of teachers leaving the profession in England has slightly improved compared to 2023-24. The government said Thursday's data showed there were 2,346 more teachers in secondary and special schools in England compared to last year. Responding to the data, the education secretary said the government was "delivering on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, with more joining the profession in our secondary and special schools and over a thousand more people intending to train to become teachers this year compared to last, fundamental to improving children's life chances." However, those figures have become a source of contention, with Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien accusing Labour of "abandoning" their pledge by ignoring the falling number of teachers in state nurseries and primary schools, which had driven the overall numbers down. Primary pupil numbers are decreasing, though, as birth rates fall, and staffing issues have been felt most acutely in secondary schools - particularly in specialist subjects like maths, science and languages. Computer science teacher Sam Alner says he loves the "dynamism" of teaching, but regularly wonders how long he can sustain it. "Relentless is probably a word people would use when they talk about teaching," he says. Now 12 years into his teaching career, Sam is also vice principal at Bridge Academy in Hackney, east London, where more than half of the students receive free school meals. During the busy exam season, his day can begin at 05:00 and regularly finish late for parents' evenings, which he says can be "really, really full on". Sam has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, saying he loves the "hustle" of school life. But he says he has seen other experienced staff members leaving to find a better work-life balance, or higher-salaried jobs, in recent years. "There's always more you can do because you can always spend that little bit extra time on making a lesson better," Sam says. "When you're young and fresh that's OK. But when you're having to make the choice between that work-life balance, I think that's when people look at teaching and go: 'I can't sustain or justify this.'" For Sam's subject, computing, the government hit just 37% of its national target for recruiting new teachers for 2024-25. Data gathered by survey tool Teacher Tapp, commissioned by teaching charity Teach First, suggests 15% of schools in the poorest communities cannot offer computer science GCSE, compared to 4% of the wealthiest schools. Many schools in disadvantaged areas find it harder to recruit teachers, especially in specialist subjects, meaning disadvantaged pupils may have fewer opportunities, Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby says. "What we really need is to flip the dial on that," he says."Otherwise, if we don't do that, we will continue to see these inequalities perpetuated." Dan Botting, executive principal of Portsmouth Academy, which also has a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, says finding staff to teach computing has been "really challenging" for his school. Coastal areas like Portsmouth have historically found it harder than other regions to recruit and retain teachers, so the school has had to be creative. A member of the senior leadership team has been retrained to deliver classes in computing, instead of "continuing to search for candidates that just aren't out there". They have had to limit the number of pupils who can take it at GCSE, Dan says, despite high demand - which he says has been a "shame". The school can provide for just one class of pupils per year for a GCSE in the subject at the moment, which Dan thinks "we could probably triple", as the students are enthusiastic about technology. Portsmouth Academy works closely with local universities to try to recruit new graduate teachers, and has hosted a "get into teaching" event. Across all subjects, Dan says he believes it is crucial to recruit teachers who will stay in the profession long-term. "It's really important to retain those people," he says, adding that it is crucial they have "the right skills and expertise to be able to deliver for the pupils who need it most". Additional reporting by William Dahlgreen Act 'now or never' to hit 6,500 teachers target, report warns Teacher mums who leave profession fuelling shortages Would a 1.40pm Friday finish stop teachers quitting?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'I couldn't imagine not teaching full-time - until I had my baby'
"I really loved my job, and I loved working full-time. I couldn't have seen that changing before I had a family." After eight years in teaching, primary school teacher Alice Cole says that all changed with the arrival of her first child, Oliver, last May. With Alice's partner working shifts, Alice says a full-time return to work would have made her family time "non-existent". "Working flexibly now has given me that precious time with my son which I wouldn't change for the world," she says. Alice returned to work three days a week at Oasis Academy Warndon in April and is on a flexible working arrangement for the next year, which means she can also take Oliver to regular baby group sessions. She believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the profession. She wants all new parent teachers to be offered such flexibility, to allow them to "feel confident that taking that step forward in their personal life isn't going to lead to a step back in their professional life". It's an area of teaching the government is trying to improve as part of its pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said more schools should offer flexible hours when she announced plans to give teachers a 4% pay rise earlier this year. Pay and working conditions have been key drivers for many teachers deciding to leave the profession in recent years, and to fewer deciding to join. Annual data released on Thursday suggested the overall number of teachers has fallen by 400, and 1,400 fewer teachers entered the profession in 2024-25 than the previous year. It is the lowest year on record for new teachers joining the profession overall, at 41,736, or 9.2% of all teachers, and targets for trainee teacher recruitment were again missed for both primary and secondary schools for the ninth time in 10 years. Despite remaining high compared to previous years, the number of teachers leaving the profession in England has slightly improved compared to 2023-24. The government said Thursday's data showed there were 2,346 more teachers in secondary and special schools in England compared to last year. Responding to the data, the education secretary said the government was "delivering on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, with more joining the profession in our secondary and special schools and over a thousand more people intending to train to become teachers this year compared to last, fundamental to improving children's life chances." However, those figures have become a source of contention, with Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien accusing Labour of "abandoning" their pledge by ignoring the falling number of teachers in state nurseries and primary schools, which had driven the overall numbers down. Primary pupil numbers are decreasing, though, as birth rates fall, and staffing issues have been felt most acutely in secondary schools - particularly in specialist subjects like maths, science and languages. Computer science teacher Sam Alner says he loves the "dynamism" of teaching, but regularly wonders how long he can sustain it. "Relentless is probably a word people would use when they talk about teaching," he says. Now 12 years into his teaching career, Sam is also vice principal at Bridge Academy in Hackney, east London, where more than half of the students receive free school meals. During the busy exam season, his day can begin at 05:00 and regularly finish late for parents' evenings, which he says can be "really, really full on". Sam has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, saying he loves the "hustle" of school life. But he says he has seen other experienced staff members leaving to find a better work-life balance, or higher-salaried jobs, in recent years. "There's always more you can do because you can always spend that little bit extra time on making a lesson better," Sam says. "When you're young and fresh that's OK. But when you're having to make the choice between that work-life balance, I think that's when people look at teaching and go: 'I can't sustain or justify this.'" For Sam's subject, computing, the government hit just 37% of its national target for recruiting new teachers for 2024-25. Data gathered by survey tool Teacher Tapp, commissioned by teaching charity Teach First, suggests 15% of schools in the poorest communities cannot offer computer science GCSE, compared to 4% of the wealthiest schools. Many schools in disadvantaged areas find it harder to recruit teachers, especially in specialist subjects, meaning disadvantaged pupils may have fewer opportunities, Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby says. "What we really need is to flip the dial on that," he says."Otherwise, if we don't do that, we will continue to see these inequalities perpetuated." Dan Botting, executive principal of Portsmouth Academy, which also has a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, says finding staff to teach computing has been "really challenging" for his school. Coastal areas like Portsmouth have historically found it harder than other regions to recruit and retain teachers, so the school has had to be creative. A member of the senior leadership team has been retrained to deliver classes in computing, instead of "continuing to search for candidates that just aren't out there". They have had to limit the number of pupils who can take it at GCSE, Dan says, despite high demand - which he says has been a "shame". The school can provide for just one class of pupils per year for a GCSE in the subject at the moment, which Dan thinks "we could probably triple", as the students are enthusiastic about technology. Portsmouth Academy works closely with local universities to try to recruit new graduate teachers, and has hosted a "get into teaching" event. Across all subjects, Dan says he believes it is crucial to recruit teachers who will stay in the profession long-term. "It's really important to retain those people," he says, adding that it is crucial they have "the right skills and expertise to be able to deliver for the pupils who need it most". Additional reporting by William Dahlgreen Act 'now or never' to hit 6,500 teachers target, report warns Teacher mums who leave profession fuelling shortages Would a 1.40pm Friday finish stop teachers quitting?
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'I couldn't imagine not teaching full-time - until I had my baby'
"I really loved my job, and I loved working full-time. I couldn't have seen that changing before I had a family."After eight years in teaching, primary school teacher Alice Cole says that all changed with the arrival of her first child, Oliver, last Alice's partner working shifts, Alice says a full-time return to work would have made her family time "non-existent"."Working flexibly now has given me that precious time with my son which I wouldn't change for the world," she returned to work three days a week at Oasis Academy Warndon in April and is on a flexible working arrangement for the next year, which means she can also take Oliver to regular baby group believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the wants all new parent teachers to be offered such flexibility, to allow them to "feel confident that taking that step forward in their personal life isn't going to lead to a step back in their professional life".It's an area of teaching the government is trying to improve as part of its pledge to recruit 6,500 new Secretary Bridget Phillipson said more schools should offer flexible hours when she announced plans to give teachers a 4% pay rise earlier this and working conditions have been key drivers for many teachers deciding to leave the profession in recent years, and to fewer deciding to data released on Thursday suggested the overall number of teachers has fallen by 400, and 1,400 fewer teachers entered the profession in 2024-25 than the previous is the lowest year on record for new teachers joining the profession overall, at 41,736, or 9.2% of all teachers, and targets for trainee teacher recruitment were again missed for both primary and secondary schools for the ninth time in 10 remaining high compared to previous years, the number of teachers leaving the profession in England has slightly improved compared to 2023-24. The government said Thursday's data showed there were 2,346 more teachers in secondary and special schools in England compared to last to the data, the education secretary said the government was "delivering on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, with more joining the profession in our secondary and special schools and over a thousand more people intending to train to become teachers this year compared to last, fundamental to improving children's life chances."However, those figures have become a source of contention, with Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien accusing Labour of "abandoning" their pledge by ignoring the falling number of teachers in state nurseries and primary schools, which had driven the overall numbers down. Primary pupil numbers are decreasing, though, as birth rates fall, and staffing issues have been felt most acutely in secondary schools - particularly in specialist subjects like maths, science and science teacher Sam Alner says he loves the "dynamism" of teaching, but regularly wonders how long he can sustain it."Relentless is probably a word people would use when they talk about teaching," he 12 years into his teaching career, Sam is also vice principal at Bridge Academy in Hackney, east London, where more than half of the students receive free school the busy exam season, his day can begin at 05:00 and regularly finish late for parents' evenings, which he says can be "really, really full on".Sam has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, saying he loves the "hustle" of school life. But he says he has seen other experienced staff members leaving to find a better work-life balance, or higher-salaried jobs, in recent years."There's always more you can do because you can always spend that little bit extra time on making a lesson better," Sam says."When you're young and fresh that's OK. But when you're having to make the choice between that work-life balance, I think that's when people look at teaching and go: 'I can't sustain or justify this.'" For Sam's subject, computing, the government hit just 37% of its national target for recruiting new teachers for gathered by survey tool Teacher Tapp, commissioned by teaching charity Teach First, suggests 15% of schools in the poorest communities cannot offer computer science GCSE, compared to 4% of the wealthiest schools in disadvantaged areas find it harder to recruit teachers, especially in specialist subjects, meaning disadvantaged pupils may have fewer opportunities, Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby says."What we really need is to flip the dial on that," he says."Otherwise, if we don't do that, we will continue to see these inequalities perpetuated."Dan Botting, executive principal of Portsmouth Academy, which also has a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, says finding staff to teach computing has been "really challenging" for his areas like Portsmouth have historically found it harder than other regions to recruit and retain teachers, so the school has had to be creative.A member of the senior leadership team has been retrained to deliver classes in computing, instead of "continuing to search for candidates that just aren't out there".They have had to limit the number of pupils who can take it at GCSE, Dan says, despite high demand - which he says has been a "shame".The school can provide for just one class of pupils per year for a GCSE in the subject at the moment, which Dan thinks "we could probably triple", as the students are enthusiastic about technology. Portsmouth Academy works closely with local universities to try to recruit new graduate teachers, and has hosted a "get into teaching" all subjects, Dan says he believes it is crucial to recruit teachers who will stay in the profession long-term."It's really important to retain those people," he says, adding that it is crucial they have "the right skills and expertise to be able to deliver for the pupils who need it most".Additional reporting by William Dahlgreen Act 'now or never' to hit 6,500 teachers target, report warnsTeacher mums who leave profession fuelling shortagesWould a 1.40pm Friday finish stop teachers quitting?
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow mass layoffs at Education Department
Washington — President Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for it to continue with its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and lay off more than 1,000 employees while a legal fight over the future of the department moves forward. The Justice Department is seeking the high court's intervention in a pair of disputes brought by a group of states and school districts and teachers unions, which challenge President Trump's efforts to unwind the Department of Education. Mr. Trump signed an executive order in March directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate the department's closure to the maximum extent allowed under the law. As part of Mr. Trump's pledge to get rid of the department, the administration canceled a host of grants and executed a reduction in force, or a layoff, that impacted 1,378 employees — roughly a third of the department's workforce. Mr. Trump also announced that the Small Business Administration would take over the Education Department's student-loan portfolio, and the Department of Health and Human Services would handle special education, nutrition and other related services. In response to the lawsuits challenging Mr. Trump's actions, a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the administration from carrying out its layoffs, finding that the reduction-in-force was a unilateral effort to close the department, which would violate the separation of powers. The Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit to pause the lower court's decision, which is declined to do earlier this week. In seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the district court in Massachusetts "thwarted the Executive Branch's authority to manage the Department of Education despite lacking jurisdiction to second-guess the Executive's internal management decisions."
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doctors union says above-inflation pay rises aren't enough as they threaten strike action
Doctors are threatening strike action after being given an above-inflation 4 per cent pay increase, claiming that it does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes. Ministers announced the increases after the latest review of the public sector pay, with other NHS workers such as nurses, midwives and physiotherapists receiving a 3.6 per cent increase. Teachers have also threatened to 'register a dispute' over their 4 per cent increase, which will only partly be covered by the Labour government, with the rest to be covered by existing school budgets. An additional £615 million of funding will be provided to schools this financial year to help them with the costs of pay awards for staff, she added, roughly equivalent to three-quarters of the pay rise. Schools will be required to fund the remaining quarter of the pay rise through 'improved productivity and smarter spending', according to the Education Secretary. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said in many schools this would result in 'cuts in service provision to children and young people, job losses, and additional workloads for an already overstretched profession'. He added: 'Unless the government commits to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the Government on the issue of funding, and campaign to ensure every parent understands the impact of a cut in the money available to schools, and that every politician understands this too.' The increases, recommended by independent pay review bodies, are above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024. NHS staff in Wales are also likely to be given the same pay award, as the Welsh Government has accepted the same recommendations. Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA's chairman of council, warned it was already considering strike action, as the union believes the pay rise does not do enough to restore doctors' pay after previous salary freezes. 'Doctors' pay is still around a quarter less than it was in real terms 16 years ago and today's 'award' delays pay restoration even more, without a Government plan or reassurance to correct this erosion of what a doctor is worth,' he said. Meanwhile, NHS staff who are members of the Royal College of Nursing and GMB union will be voting on whether to accept the increase, arguing that it is 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. Elsewhere, most members of the armed forces will be given a 4.5 per cent pay rise, according to Defence Secretary John Healey, while senior members of the military will receive a 3.75 per cent rise. Senior civil servants will get a 3.25 per cent pay rise, according to the Cabinet Office, but ministers plan to defer rolling out new pay bands as part of a review of salaries among the upper echelons of the Civil Service. Prison officers and managers are also set to get a 4 per cent pay rise, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. Judicial office holders, a group which includes judges, will also get a 4 per cent pay rise, after Ms Mahmood rejected a recommendation their pay should rise by 4.75 per cent.
