Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Teachers and School Support Staff: Morale

Monday 11 March 2024 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Barry Sheerman asked about steps to improve teacher morale and raised concerns over retention and recruitment rates.
  • Barry Sheerman highlighted the importance of good teachers and asked about measures to assist schools with discipline and truancy.
  • David Evennett questioned the impact of proposed minimum service levels on the right to strike and teacher morale.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education
Context

Morale among teachers and school support staff is reportedly declining, impacting the education sector negatively.

Question

Whether she is taking steps to help improve the morale of teachers and school support staff. Is the truth not that retention is down, recruitment is down and early retirements are up? What is the Minister going to do to boost the morale of teachers?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Supporting teacher wellbeing is crucial to our commitment to a supportive culture in schools, and for encouraging teacher retention. That is why we co-created the education staff wellbeing charter with the education sector, and we have invested over £1 million in school leader mental health and wellbeing support. On recruitment and retention, I join him in stressing the importance of retention, which we are absolutely focused on, including through our workload programme.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions to boost morale were not detailed beyond general commitments

How: We Are Committed

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Q2 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education
Context

Good teachers are vital for school success, but there is a need to assist schools with issues such as discipline and truancy.

Question

Would my right hon. Friend agree that good and enthusiastic teachers are vital to ensuring that we have good, successful schools and pupils? What more can be done to assist schools with discipline and truancy issues, because it would obviously help teachers' morale if they could have some more support?

Answer from Damian Hinds

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right about the importance of brilliant teachers—I think he might have some personal experience of that. He is also right about the central importance of behaviour. In relation to retention, we hear back in surveys that we need to improve further on this. This is one of the reasons that we have the network of behaviour hubs, so that schools can learn one from another about what works best.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures for discipline and truancy were not detailed beyond general commitments

How: We Are Committed

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Q3 David Evennett Con
Education Employment
Context

Teachers' pay and working conditions are affecting their morale, further threatened by minimum service levels that would limit strike actions.

Question

Morale among teachers and support staff is affected by their pay and working conditions, and now the teachers are being threatened with minimum service levels, which would limit their fundamental right to strike. Surely the Minister can recognise that this course of action will lower morale further and ultimately impact the recruitment and retention of teaching staff.

Answer from Damian Hinds

Nobody is talking about taking away the right to strike. All that we are seeking to do is balance that right, which we absolutely recognise and protect, with the right of a child to have an education.

Not addressed: Did not acknowledge potential impact on morale from minimum service levels

How: Changed Subject

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Q4 Carol Monaghan SNP
Education
Context

There are concerns about declining teacher retention and recruitment rates.

Question

Is the truth not that retention is down, recruitment is down and early retirements are up? What is the Minister going to do to boost the morale of teachers?

Answer from Damian Hinds

I think the hon. Gentleman needs to do some research before he starts asking questions in Parliament. On recruitment and retention, I join him in stressing the importance of retention, which we are absolutely focused on, including through our workload programme. We have a good set of scholarships and bursaries for encouraging entry and a range of different routes into teaching to get the full range of talent that can benefit our children and young people.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions beyond general commitments

How: Under Review

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