The research underlines the significant impact high quality teachers and headteachers can have on improving performance. This pivotal role is echoed by public opinion, which suggests that teachers and headteachers have the most significant role to play in turning underperforming schools around.
However, despite a drop in overall teacher vacancy rates[1], according to TDA research, only one in ten teachers and headteachers would consider working in schools in need of turning around, where their expertise is needed most.
Where this view changes though is amongst teachers who have actually experienced working in challenging schools during their training. These teachers are much more likely to apply for jobs in them than those who haven’t (43 per cent as opposed to 4 per cent), suggesting it is misconceptions about what these schools are like which may be holding some people back. With this in mind, the seminar kicks off a new TDA campaign to recruit more teachers into these schools.
Speaking at the seminar Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA said:
“While overall vacancy rates are dropping, the lack of quality teachers and heads willing to work in the most challenging schools remains a major obstacle, which we must address if we are to offer all pupils the same opportunities to achieve.
“A fact that overturns one of the biggest misconceptions about challenging schools is just how quickly positive changes can be implemented if the right staff and school leadership is in place. If more teachers know just how much impact they can have in these environments, we are confident that more top teachers would take up the challenge.”
According to a public poll, the main benefit to teachers who moved into underperforming schools was seen to be the opportunity to make a difference to individual pupils and society. This view was supported by research amongst teachers currently working in such schools, who said they are motivated by a desire to make a difference, enhanced career prospects, camaraderie, and a commitment to social equality.
When Sally Coates, Principal of Burlington Danes Academy in London, joined the school it was plagued with high absentee rates amongst both pupils and teachers, and was being threatened with a return to special measures. Just a year into Sally’s tenure, in 2009, Burlington Danes was named one of the country’s most improved academies. Sally commented:
“When I joined Burlington Danes in 2008, there were many vacant teaching posts, and little sense of teamwork or motivation amongst the staff or the pupils. Pupils take their lead from their teachers and the school’s leadership, so I found that little things, like smiling at pupils in the hallway and treating them as respected and valued members of the school community, led to transformational changes.
“As the TDA’s research shows, I am a firm believer that struggling schools can turn around more quickly than many people assume. By using the tools available to them, high-quality, passionate teachers and heads can improve their pupils’ experience and increase the school’s potential in a matter of months.
“It is a series of small changes made by each and every teacher that over time create an optimistic, positive learning environment where pupils are engaged and aware of the countless opportunities they have to succeed.”
To join the debate about challenging schools or to read more about the TDA’s seminar or working in a challenging school, please visit: www.tda.gov.uk/challengingschools/seminar.
