School staff shortages: call for evidence

As winter draws in, schools across the country are continuing to face staff shortages and children’s education is suffering.

Recruitment is at rock bottom and education workers are leaving the profession in droves because of a toxic mix of excessive workload and low pay.

Our Pay Up! Save Our Schools campaign secured a 6.5 per cent pay increase which you voted to accept before the summer and this year the NEU is once again demanding a fair, fully funded pay rise for all education staff.

To help us put pressure on the Government, we need you to send us your evidence of the impact of staffing shortages in your school. Do you have examples of:

• Teachers teaching out of their specialist subject?
• Teacher and teaching assistant vacancies leading to huge class sizes or pupils left without support?
• Teachers and teaching assistants who’ve quit your school – and the profession – for better paid work elsewhere?

Please submit your examples – recording a short film on your phone if you can – of the impact staff shortages are having on you, your colleagues, your students and your school in general. We will anonymise all submissions unless you tell us you are happy to go public. We will use the evidence on social media, in communications with members and to lobby politicians to pledge the pay and funding our school staff need. 

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