We Know What Makes Schools Great, So Why Aren’t We Producing The Teachers Great Schools Need?
Where are all the expert educators and why aren't they getting the training they need to meet expectations?
- by Matthew Hood
Let’s unpack this. We know how to make schools great and we keep getting better at it. I’ve seen great schools in Bradford, Hartlepool and Portsmouth. I’ve seen great primary schools, secondary schools and special schools. I’ve seen great LA-maintained schools, free schools and academies. We have the know-how across the board.
But a shortage of expert teachers is preventing us from creating more great schools. And heroic leadership, new buildings and curriculum reforms will not make a dent without first addressing this challenge.
This shortage of experts exists because too many teachers do not get the training and development they need to meet, let alone exceed, the expectations placed on them.
Teachers deserve at least as much effort to go into their training as they put into the development of their pupils. Too often they get a dodgy ‘twilight’, an overpriced one-day conference or a couple of marking tips from the exam board briefing. It’s not good enough.
To change this we have three myths to bust and three practical problems to solve:
Myth 1
Teachers are born and not made This belief directly diminishes the critical importance of excellent training and development. Who needs to nurture when nature has sorted you out with special teacher code in your DNA? There is no evidence to support a particular teacher ‘type’.
Myth 2
If you know something, you can teach it I’m going to assume you’re a teacher and so won’t go into how absurd this idea is. If you’re not, and need convincing, spend the next few minutes creating a story or diagram to show that 2/3 x 3/4 = 1/2. Hard, isn’t it?
Myth 3
Teaching is only moderately difficult If the public were asked to rank the 20 most-common jobs in terms of difficulty, teaching would probably be somewhere in the middle – below brain surgeon, but above waiter. This might be the most damaging myth of all. Teachers are expected to be able to consider the thinking of up to 30 small, often-excitable young people for over 20 hours a week. It’s a phenomenal task that takes years to master.
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Belief in these three myths drives low expectations of how complex teaching is. This then translates into low expectations of how sophisticated training and development for teachers needs to be. As a result, teachers learn less. Now, on to the practical challenges:
Challenge 1
Improving teacher training Courses, programmes and workshops are often undifferentiated and poorly designed and delivered. They fall short of the requirements necessary for effective training and development, and as a result – despite the investment of time and resources they entail – have little impact on teacher expertise.
Challenge 2
Improving incentives While teaching’s attractiveness as a career choice for graduates has increased over the last 20 years, there are few incentives to continue as a classroom teacher. Compared to middle leadership, classroom teaching lacks a clear route of progression to mastery; it’s lower status and has poorer pay progression. Teachers also leave the classroom for better incentivised careers in other sectors.
Challenge 3
Improving environments The culture and ethos of a school, and the effectiveness of colleagues, can make a significant contribution to, or detraction from, an individual teacher’s ability to improve. It can be frustratingly difficult to attempt to improve your practice within a challenging school – which is where that improved practice is needed most.
It’s time for quid pro quo. Any politician, policy maker or school leader who asks or expects more of teachers needs to join the voices trying to bust these myths. And crucially, they need to have a plan to support the profession to dramatically improve the training and development on offer. Just like our pupils, you’ll get out as much as you put in.
Matthew Hood is chief executive at the Institute for Teaching, governor at Heysham High and trustee at The Brilliant Club.
