Flexible Working: New Research shows Invested Belonging is Key

I appreciate the irony that I'm writing this on a Sunday evening, having spent my Saturday at the #WomenEd Global Unconference. 

But you don't need to work silly hours just because I do, and nor should anyone feel obliged to. 

I'm really concerned about the state of education, and you should be too. Here's (one reason) why.

According to the MTPT project, TES, and Policy Exchange, women aged 30-9 are the largest group leaving the profession (more than those in first 5 years). Women in this age group are the largest demographic in the profession (more than all men in the profession). 55% of these women are mothers. All this to say, this is a really significant number of trained, experienced classroom practitioners who find that their personal circumstances oblige them to walk away from the classroom. 

To put it another way: we have plenty of teachers, but it is really difficult for a significant proportion of them to work in our schools.

In my EdD study, I have explored a range of concepts relating to cultural conditions that promote teacher professional learning. One significant theme is teacher perceptions of efficacy. Following my phenomenographic analysis (a study of how words and concepts can be used and in different ways) of over 300 publications on the subject, I have identified eight themes relating to teachers perceptions of efficacy:

Briefly, seven of these are:

1. Capacity to be research-informed (reads CPD books and journals in their own time for personal enjoyment)
2. Enjoys and engages with evidence-based CPD promoted and supported within their school 
3. Openness and capacity to engage with self-guided CPD (e.g. is working towards a qualification) 
4. Enjoys collaboration with colleagues (e.g. engages with mentoring/coaching/working parties) 
5. Is motivated, optimistic and willing to experiment and try new ideas in their practice (e.g. undertakes action/practitioner research) 
6. Is very experienced and willing to share/lead others (e.g. offers support ECTs or trainees) 
7. Is tuned into emerging student needs in the classroom (notices and adapts practice 'on the go' as student needs emerge)

I captured data in five secondary schools (n=142 participants) and analysed it relating to teacher perceptions of this measure.

Headlines:

58% of participants reported that the demands of school life were compatible with their age and career stage, and, within that, a lucky 23% were positively thriving! 

However, a whopping 42% of teachers disagree or strongly disagree that their age and/or career stage are supported in their workplace. If this sample has any inferences for the bigger picture, then it is a big concern.

I also looked at both mean scores and the variance between teachers in the same school on this measure. 

Although a couple of schools bucked the trend, there does seem to be a pattern of low perception/high variance scoring on this item. Of course, there are well known perennial issues and pressures facing teachers and school leaders; only a utopian idealist would believe that you can always meet everyone's needs. 

Although work/life balance dissatisfaction was found in all teacher groups, these issues appear to be affecting some groups more than others. This needs digging into more, and urgently, if the numbers leaving the profession citing work/life balance reasons are anything to go by. As, if not more, concerning are the numbers of teachers who are unhappy, heading for a possible burnout, working in our schools. This is not a sustainable model.

Flexible working is still a real challenge in many schools. Teachers can feel 'out of the loop' when working part time, losing out on career development and the satisfaction of responsibilities (and the associated money from TLRs) as well as losing exam groups. All this is highly problematic in and of itself, but it also limits scope for diversification of career portfolios. 

As well as these 'push' factors, there is also the 'pull' of opportunities for work from home/hybrid working.

Even those school leaders who accept these premises and conclude that something needs to be done, face significant structural, cultural, financial barriers in addressing this issue. Sometimes their concerns are real and extremely challenging, but sometimes they perceive fears that can be allayed by good, evidence-based practice. 

To make things better, schools need to give deliberate consideration to the design and implementation of flexible working policies and practices. 

These need to encompass carefully designed processes to ensure that operational needs of the schools can continue to be met. This will have cost implications, but so do the repeated costs of recruitment and supply cover. I would be interested to see how those comparative numbers stack up.

Of course, ALL colleagues are subject to these challenges. I want to see things change for everyone's benefit. It is the case that fewer men opt for part time, for complex and connected socio-cultural reasons. Nevertheless, as I suggested at the start of this blog, in real terms, there are fewer men in teaching in the age 30-39 demographic, and so these issues turn out to disproportionately affect women.

Ultimately, we all want the same thing: excellent teachers thriving in amazing schools, getting the best possible outcomes for the students in front of them. 

The system as it is currently simply cannot deliver this.