Teachers get lie-ins, as schools search for new ways to attract staff amid recruitment crisis

19 September 2024, 10:57

Teachers at a school in west London are being offered lie-ins, as part of a wider attempt to tackle a recruitment crisis in the sector.

Staff at All Saints Catholic College, a secondary school in north Kensington, west London, are given the first two periods off once a week.

School leaders say that it helps teachers relax and work better.

"Teaching is a performance profession. You need to be on your A-game every single day of the week and that’s difficult," All Saints head teacher Andrew O’Neill.

"My approach has always been that we need to treat teachers like elite athletes," he told the Guardian. "They are given the best treatment. They are looked after and they’re cared for."

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Teachers are using the time off in a variety of ways, such as staying in bed for longer, or leisure activities such as going for a run or doing some yoga.

English teacher Bethany Ames told the paper: "You can tell who has had the morning off. It’s quite visible. When they come in they are very happy."

It comes amid a "parlous" recruitment and retention crisis in schools across the UK.

The government wants to hire an extra 6,500 teachers, a move that ministers say will be paid for by ending tax exemptions for private schools.

Schools and educational trusts are looking to offer more to staff to attract them to the sector. The government said this week that teachers will be allowed to do certain parts of the job from home, such as marking.

Meanwhile Teach First, the organisation that seeks to get university graduates straight into the profession, said on Thursday that teachers should be offered a "flexibility" entitlement.

The group warned that some young people perceive teaching as a stressful profession offering low salaries, although many also see it as a job that had a purpose.

To combat this, Teach First said that teachers should get career breaks, such as extended unpaid leave, and short-term secondments to work in other industries.

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Chief executive Russell Hobby said: "For too long conditions in the teaching profession have failed to keep pace with what the next generation of workers crave in a career – and what they can find in other sectors.

"This means that, despite having huge respect for teachers, Gen Z are simply not signing up in sufficient numbers. This is holding back the education of our young people, especially from poorer backgrounds."

"This comprehensive study offers innovative solutions to long standing problems, based on the best possible insights of what has the potential to work.

"Change will not happen overnight, but by making the necessary interventions, we have the power to break the cycle of inequality and unlock the potential of every child, regardless of their background."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Teacher recruitment and retention is in a parlous state. That is why the Education Secretary has already begun a reset of the government’s relationship with the sector, with the intent to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert and ultimately go-to profession for graduates.

"We are taking steps to support teachers’ wellbeing and ease workload pressures, including clarifying that teachers can carry out their planning time at home, improving flexible working for staff.”