Flexible Hours For Teachers

Teacher shortage problem can be solved with flexible working hours, think tank argues.

20:22 06 March 2016

A think tank has argued that schools in England should embrace flexible working to tackle teacher shortage problem ahead of the Association of School and College Leaders meeting scheduled this weekend.

 

The Policy Exchange paper said that flexible working could encourage more teachers to go back into the profession.

 

Aside from severe teacher shortages, schools also face threats posed by funding cuts.

 

"These problems are so acute that there is a serious danger we will not be able to maintain current standards, let alone raise them further," union president Alan Foulds will warn in a speech.

 

Meanwhile, policy Exchange's head of education, Jonathan Simons, said that official figures suggest that between 2008 and 2012, 6,000 teachers aged 30-39 years old left the profession each year.

 

"The most obvious conclusion to be drawn here is that this is maternity related," writes Mr Simons.

 

He added that only 50per cent of those who left the labour force completely to look after their family returned to the classroom.

 

"Schools and the government both need to recognise the need for flexibility, and that flexible working means more than just working part-time," he said.

 

"In particular, we know that younger graduates tend to want portfolio careers which enable them to come in and out of professions, and teaching is no different.

 

"Our education system needs to embrace a new way of working.

 

"If it doesn't, schools are going to continue to struggle to attract and retain the best talent."