Concerns From The Start Of The School Year
Back in September, a number of concerns were raised for this academic year. From funding and budgets, to teacher retention and pupil mental health. As we approach the end of the academic year, we take a look at how these concerns have changed so far.
Funding and Budgets
This concern has been ongoing throughout this school year, and certainly hasn’t altered as it comes to an end. We are still seeing schools across the country to have been hit by not only the energy crisis but are also underfunded for free school meals and basic supplies.
Just a few weeks ago we mentioned how the lack of funding has greatly impacted educational visits that schools are able to offer. We also mentioned that classroom resources are also being impacted, with many schools now having to photocopy resources, such as books, rather than provide one for each child within a classroom.
Teacher Retention
Across the education sector, there have been issues with employee retention, from Teachers to Teaching Assistants, Support Staff and everyone in between.
Sadly, we are still seeing these issues. National news has covered the Teacher strikes that have been ongoing, and here at The Learning College, we are working closely with a number of education recruitment specialists who are hunting for Teaching Assistants to fill the abundance of spaces they currently have.
Pupil Mental Health
Another concern we have covered recently, albeit in light of exam stress, is that of pupil’s mental health. It was deemed a concern at the start of the academic year due to many feeling the stresses of the first year back to exams following covid absences, and the added strain within their homes of the cost of living crisis. Unfortunately, this is another concern that has increased, rather than disappeared.
Following a record number of complaints regarding the difficulty of this year’s exams, the stress and strain of exams have increased further, particularly in years 10 and 11.
Mental health may not be aided even further by the cost of living crisis. We are noticing that with the increasing cost of food, many pupils are eating cheaper, unhealthy meals, which is, unfortunately, playing a part in energy levels and mental health.
Here at The Learning College, we can only offer encouragement where funding is concerned. For pupil’s mental health, we do recommend that where possible, Teaching Assistants and Support Staff have an Understanding Mental Health qualification to help them be better prepared. Our level 3 is entirely online, allowing them to study in downtime, rather than impacting their daily routine.
If your school is struggling with the retention of your Teaching Assistants, we currently work with a number of recruitment partners that may be able to help. Please contact us for more information.