Education update: ATL in the news

ATL received quite a few media mentions over the last few months. Some of the ATL comments and releases that might interest you are below.

From half-eaten chocolate bars to a brace of pheasants – present-giving is alive and well in UK schools

From bizarre ornaments and recycled toiletries, to opera tickets and champagne, giving presents to thank education staff for their efforts, or to celebrate religious festivals, is alive and well. Over 90 per cent of school and college staff have received a gift from a pupil or their parent or guardian, according to a survey conducted by ATL.

Some staff have received expensive gifts, with one being given a Tiffany bracelet, another tickets to an England cricket Test Match, and another £1,000 of gift vouchers. Other extravagant presents included: a Mulberry handbag, an Yves St Laurent scarf, champagne, a brace of pheasants, and theatre vouchers. Some of the strangest gifts reported included a 49p Somerfield half-eaten chocolate bar, a ripped book with 10 of the last pages missing, and “a second hand photo album with dog hair all over it”.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, said: “Although most staff like getting presents from their pupils to show their hard work is appreciated, they don’t expect them. Staff certainly don’t want their pupils to feel they have to give presents or for them to feel humiliated if they can’t afford to do so. Staff are just as delighted by a handmade gift or card – the thought really does count.”

Over a quarter of education staff have dealt with physical violence by pupils

Over a quarter of school and college staff have had to deal with physical violence from a student, and just over a third have been confronted by an aggressive parent or guardian, according to a survey by ATL.

Nearly 90 per cent of staff have dealt this academic year with low level disruption such as talking and not paying attention (89 per cent), but over 50 per cent reported verbal attacks, and nearly 40 per cent intimidation. Over 650 staff reported physical aggression including pushing and shoving (83 per cent), punching or slapping (48 per cent), or kicking (42 per cent). Incidents of physical attacks were far more prevalent in primary schools with 48 per cent of staff reporting pupils being physically aggressive, compared with 20 per cent working at secondary level.

More positively nearly 40 per cent were happy with how their school or college dealt with reported incidents and 45 per cent were partially happy. Nearly 90 per cent of staff said their school has a clear behaviour policy, and over 60 per cent were happy with it.

Mary Bousted, said: “It is totally unacceptable that poor student behaviour continues to be such a widespread problem in schools and colleges, and shocking that over a third of staff have experienced aggression from students’ parents or guardians. Schools cannot be expected to solve the problems of society. However, it is encouraging that most schools seem to have clear behaviour policies, and offer support to manage poor behaviour. The most effective learning happens when teachers and parents work together to help children to learn to behave well.”

Trainee teachers face strain of working long hours to support themselves during studies, finds ATL survey

Almost a third of trainee teachers currently have or have had a paid job whilst undertaking their teaching training course. Of these, almost 10 per cent work 21 hours or more per week and 30 per cent work 11-20 hours, according to a survey by ATL.

Almost 60 per cent of student and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) worry about how they are going to pay off their debts. Nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents estimate they will owe in excess of £20,000 by the time they complete their studies, with just under 19 per cent estimating they will owe between £15,001-£20,000. Over a fifth estimate that this debt will take at least 16 years to pay off.

The biggest impact of working in paid employment whilst studying has been on students’ energy levels according to 85 per cent of respondents, with 63 per cent saying it’s affected their studies and 42 per cent believe it has affected relationships with their family.

Mary Bousted said: “I think everyone understands that you will be in debt after any higher education course, but if students have to do long hours of paid work to support their studies, their grades will undoubtedly suffer. This is not in anyone’s interests. We are fiercely against tuition fees increasing any further because students tell us this does deter them from doing training courses. We do not want teaching, or any other profession, to become an impossible dream for those from poorer backgrounds.”

Education staff worried about dangers of social networking

Nearly a quarter of education staff say they or a colleague have been told by their employer (or a colleague) to remove something from their social networking profiles or accounts, found a new survey by ATL in conjunction with Teacher Support network.

In addition, over 40 per cent of respondents, in the survey of 630 teachers, lecturers, support staff and school leaders across the UK, voiced concerns that information about them on social networking sites may be used in disciplinary action. Staff were also worried about the improper use of the sites for cyberbullying. There were also reports of a darker side to social networking, with 94 respondents saying that they knew of colleagues that had had a group set up to discuss or post abusive messages about them.

Mary Bousted said: “Social networking sites can be a wonderful resource for learning, as well as personal enrichment through keeping in contact with friends. Education staff, however, need to be aware of the possible dangers of these sites. There have been some horrendous incidents of cyberbullying reported in this survey, which have made people’s lives miserable. Bullying is no less serious whether it is done face to face or via a social networking site. Schools and colleges need to have clear policies to deal with it, and make sure that pupils will face appropriate punishment if they engage in any form of bullying – cyber or otherwise.”