When asked what should be done to fix the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching, “improving the status of the profession” regularly makes the top three possible solutions.
I’ll be honest: it’s a suggestion I’ve always struggled with. Not because I don’t think it’s a good idea - instinctively, I like the sound of it.
My struggles have been more with the nebulous nature of the concept. What exactly do we mean by status and, more importantly, what could actually be done to improve it?
One thing I’m pretty sure of is that you cannot improve the status of the profession through catchy soundbites, well-meaning speeches or glossy TV adverts. Such superficial strategies may look and sound good and tick a box, but they make very little meaningful difference.
So, what might the government do if it’s serious about raising the status of teachers? Let’s start by considering what it can learn from the experience of the previous government.
The pay question
During that time, teaching and leadership salaries fell both in real terms and in comparison to other graduate professions.
While pay alone does not determine the status of a profession, it clearly matters. Over time, this government must make teaching financially attractive when compared with other graduate professions.
The fact that other professions can now offer greater flexibility in working patterns makes that all the more important.
However, this isn’t just about pay. Anyone who worked in schools during the pandemic experienced first-hand a government that seemed almost intent on damaging the professional status of teachers.
Respect and status
This perhaps reached its nadir when the then secretary of state encouraged parents to complain directly to Ofsted should they not be satisfied with the quality of a school’s remote-learning provision.
On top of this, teachers and leaders found their professional agency continually eroded by a government that became increasingly convinced it knew better than they did - issuing neverending directives, dressed up as “guidance” and “advice”.
Avoiding the mistakes of the past will not be enough. The bigger challenge lies in what actions - beyond the clear need to restore the value of pay - can be taken now to repair some of this damage and genuinely improve the status of the profession.
As a starting point, the government needs to be prepared to demonstrate its full and unequivocal support for teachers and school leaders.
Sadly, we have seen a growing level of abuse directed at teachers and leaders both online and in person in recent years. Somewhere along the line, that sense of respect for teachers as professionals has been severely damaged. While the causes of this might be complex and deep-rooted, we need a clear and urgent signal from the government that this cannot continue unchallenged.
Perks and privileges
There are other specific measures that warrant consideration, too.
The introduction of sabbaticals and secondments (as used in other professions), clearer career pathways, an entitlement to fully-funded, high-quality CPD, and better financial incentives for entering the profession - such as student loan forgiveness - all have the long-term potential to elevate the status of the profession further.
Alongside such initiatives, there is, of course, an urgent need to tackle the systemic issues that are driving too many people out of the profession, be that excessive workload or an overly punitive accountability system.
It’s no good attracting more people if their experience then forces them to look for alternative career options elsewhere.
Go beyond talk
I have heard some argue - including several previous government ministers - that the answer to all this lies in us all doing more to “talk up the profession”. If only it were that simple.
You don’t rebuild the status of a profession by pretending everything is rosy. You do it by tackling the challenges it faces head-on and then committing to policies that demonstrate the value you place on it.
I have no issue with those heartwarming adverts that remind us all of the incredible difference teachers can make, but wouldn’t it be nice if we got to a stage where they were no longer needed?
James Bowen is assistant general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union
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