Blogs

At the chalkface: Statistics

Forty-three per cent of teachers plan to leave in the next five years and early retirement will increase. Good riddance. I was teaching at 100. Some of my best friends are posthumous and they’re still in the classroom – as good as ever.

There are, as we well know, lies, damned lies and statistics – and the latest grim statistics concerning teachers are pretty big fibs. As any fule – and Nicky Morgan know – “the education system is in much better shape than it was five years ago – the evidence speaks for itself”, says she.

Indeed. Absolutely. So why are we fed such gloomy statistics by whingeing unions, pinko liberals, and the pernickety National Audit Office? It is surely time to refute them.

A Guardian survey finds that 98 per cent of teachers are under increasing “pressure”. What a nebulous term! We are all under pressure. Man up! And what about the other two per cent getting on with it quietly? The survey reveals that 82 per cent of teachers find workload “unmanageable”.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here