While the majority of teachers are parents, the majority of parents are not teachers, and so when Westminster-watchers talk about keeping parents happy with the state of education, that does not necessarily mean keeping teachers happy. It is largely those parents outside of the teaching profession that keep the education secretary awake at night, as there are simply far more of them.
That leads to policy that makes little sense to many teachers - just look at aspects of the White Paper, such as the “Parent Pledge”. It also leads to confusion among the profession: how can parents be happy when schools are under-funded, under-appreciated, ignored and staff are overworked?
After all, staff are only just about keeping the whole thing together.
That was clear in the NAHT school leaders’ union survey this week that listed all the cuts schools are making due to a lack of funding, with 15 per cent cutting staff and teaching hours. It was clear in the NASUWT survey, also released this week, that revealed 91 per cent of respondents felt their job had adversely impacted their mental health in the past 12 months. It’s actually been clear for some time across multiple measures.
But is it clear to parents?
The government are fortunate that school staff will always do their best with the little they have. Faced with barriers and challenges, those who work in schools find solutions. Often, those solutions are to the staff’s own detriment, often, they feel like clinging to the ledge to stop the fall and, often, they feel like they are not enough. But out there on the playground - where I am usually standing - you can’t see all that.
Frustratingly, the harder schools try to cover the cracks in the system, the easier the government rests and the less chance anything will change.
This is not a call to arms. Or to down tools. The job of a teacher is too important to sacrifice the outcomes of children to force the reality of what is occurring into the wider public’s consciousness. But what we do need is a discussion about how we do get that message across.
One way is more direct communication between schools and their community about the pressures they are under. That’s a risky business, though: parents don’t want to hear their child is getting a raw deal, so it would require careful wording and many headteachers simply don’t have time to dedicate to that. Also, how many parents actually read school communications and process them to a level that would make a difference?
Another method would be for unions to come together and engage in a coordinated information campaign aimed at parents. The trouble here is that most parents’ experience of education is limited to the schools their children attend. If the message from the unions does not tally with what they see in front of them - a sense of “well, my kids’ school seems fine” - then it’s questionable how well a general message would play out.
The truth is: it’s complicated. I would love to have been able to come up with an answer as I pondered this problem over the past few months, but, at every turn, I encountered problems with any proposal that came to mind. Even teachers simply not filling the gaps could backfire: parents could side with the government against teachers - mainly due to the inconvenience it would cause them - rather than haranguing the government for a lack of support.
Health has had a similar problem, but they are now a little further down the line. Medical staff have covered the cracks for so long, but now the problems are clear in wait times, outcomes and access to services. Everyone now has an NHS-under-strain story to tell. That’s forced the government’s hand into action, but, for many patients, that action has simply come too late.
What we are in danger of in education is the same end result. If we don’t find a way to get the message through to parents soon, any action will be too late for so many pupils. For some pupils, in some areas, it likely already is too late.
