Positive spin

15th February 2002, 12:00am

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Positive spin

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/positive-spin
As an example of “positive news management”, I thought your front-page article on the survey was a classic!

On your own figures, you could have run a headline “40 per cent of teachers intend to quit within the next five years”, although this runs somewhat counter to the assertion that the profession is happy. Certainly this fact must worry the Department for Education and Skills.

And there is something that does not add up: I imagine that the lion’s share of potential quitters must be over 45. Yet you say “most” of the over-50s intend to retire within five years, I presume at 60.

Logically this must mean that there are either a) a lot of potential quitters in their mid-40s or b) that virtually all members of the profession over 50 are in fact 55 or over. This can’t be true, or am I missing something?

Andrew Turner 38 Swin Forge Way, Swindon, Dudley Editor’s note: The survey shows most over-50s who intend to quit will retire, but they may do that early, before they are 60. The survey also suggests London staff are far less happy with their pay.

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