Government policies force teachers to quit says union

2:33pm Wednesday 5th September 2001

Hertfordshire's teacher shortage will not improve until the Government agrees to introduce better working conditions for school staff, union members claimed this week.

The county division of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) accused the Government of pursuing policies which were forcing teachers to abandon the profession.

In March this year the Government appointed independent consultants to look into the issues surrounding teachers' workloads and possible ways of reducing stress. England's three main teaching unions, including the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), are all pressing for the introduction of a 35-hours-a-week working limit.

Jon Berry, secretary of the NUT's Hertfordshire Division, said: "There are a significant number of teaching posts in Hertfordshire which are unfilled at the moment.

"The most startling problem is the number of people who are choosing not to stay in the teaching profession."

The last figures compiled by the county's NUT branch, in January of this year, suggested there were 179 unfilled teaching posts in schools across Hertfordshire. Mr Berry said many teachers were disillusioned because they felt too many restrictions were being placed upon them and they were unable to use their own judgement.

The Government recently received an interim report from the consultants, stating that most teachers were working between 50 and 60 hours each week.

Teachers were carrying out duties which could be performed by other staff, and many felt they were being asked to complete unnecessary paperwork.

Initial ideas about tackling the issue include making better use of support staff and exploring the role of headteachers in managing resources.

David Clout, county secretary for the ATL, said his union was also pressing for regulations concerning the amount of time teachers should spend covering for colleagues.

"Teachers may get long holidays, but it is the intensity of the work which they do when at school which causes the stress," he said.

Hertswood School was fully staffed throughout its first year, although its head, Ian Lucas, acknowledged it was proving difficult to find new teachers.

The NUT also fears the Government's policy of performance-related pay has had a detrimental affect on morale in the teaching profession.