Today, up and down the country, teachers will walk into schools and discover their students' results – or, as has become the norm, “their” results.
Some will have experienced sleepless nights or restless brains even in the midst of the longest of holidays. The doubting may have started last September with some short glimpses at class lists and estimated grades – it may have escalated into dreams about the day itself, jubilation or devastation, over and over. The silence of the holiday may have been deafening with the full knowledge that the school leadership team, colleagues and wider “stakeholders” are all waiting, eagerly, to raise the "outstanding" banner or gently cast a player on to the substitutes' bench for the new season. This will have weighed especially heavy on the shoulders of the “high flyers”, those heralded as excellent teachers (usually because they are) but whose luck will at some point run out.
This is, sadly, how it often goes:
You walk into the school building to be met by certain "looks" or perhaps a knowing "good morning" (aka "I’m well aware your department's results are below what we expected") from the headteacher.
You are then dragged into a meeting in which you're asked: “What did you think of your results?” This question is immediately followed by – regardless of your response – “Well, let’s look at how we can support you further." To which you want to say: "But I didn’t need support up until yesterday. In fact, you’ve told me for years that I’m the bees’ knees and then suddenly, at the drop of a hat, you’ve come to doubt me."
Teachers 'are scared'
Of course, it might be that the results were actually really good but within that small minority of toxic schools, they are simply never good enough. Cue an immediate feeling of inadequacy that could last days, weeks, months – even years. Of course, confidence then fades. Before, the loyalty of certain colleagues, bosses or managers had never been questioned, but now paranoia (or a sense of reality) has lowered esteem to such a level that they ask themselves: "Am I a good teacher? The kids tell me I'm inspirational, but is that enough?" This happens, and it happens all too often.
Last week, I received a message from an incredible teaching professional who was left shattered after she was called into her head's office to “explain” her results.
When we talk about teacher retention, the focus often falls on workload. But actually, the subtle pressure and mental strain of people questioning your ability can make possible tasks become impossible and positive challenges, daunting ones.
Of course, some schools reinforce this with the classic: “We still trust you despite these results but we are taking your GCSE/A-level groups off you and giving them to X."
I’ve heard from young teachers in the past year “relieved” because they don’t have to teach exam groups. There are fantastic teachers scared to fulfil their potential and work with the kids who might need them the most because they don’t want to fail their performance management. I’ve heard a NQT who has a Year 10 group say, and I quote: “I’m planning to quit in the summer of 2019 once my current Year 10 results come through because they will be my first set of results and I already know they won’t be good enough.”
GCSE results 'not just down to teachers'
If student results were under the control of teachers, then this Machiavellian, Wall Street-style ethos – although always unethical – would at least have a reason. But alas, the research is as clear as day: "teacher factor” is not significant when it comes to exam attainment.
King's College London said that 58 per cent of student attainment was down to “hereditary factors”, the ASA put teacher impact on attainment at 1-14 per cent and the Coleman report was clear in saying that 86 per cent of school performance can be put down to “out of school factors”.
Teachers simply can’t do what every politician, media outlet and Ofsted chief presumes they can – alter humanity. And of course, even within those things teachers can control, you have to make allowances for student absences, them selecting the “wrong” subjects or, God forbid, students not putting in enough effort for two years – a factor still dismissed as “an excuse, not a reason” in some quarters. I could go on, but I won’t. There are a million factors at play.
Of course, there will be those who say, “Well my school is in a deprived area and has done XYZ,” and as much as I wouldn’t want to play down anyone else’s success, there could be an underlying explanation. For example, the recent revelation that EAL students perform significantly better than non-EAL students in exams – it's a dangerous game to take results on “face value”.
My message to teachers is this:
Never let anyone tell you or make you feel that you aren’t good enough based on a set of student exam results. For me, if it's something I can control – the behaviour in the classroom, the resources I use or the way I teach – I see all of those as fair game.
However, on exam results, as clearly outlined here and elsewhere, my impact and control over the outcome aren’t what our society and some of my fellow professionals want to believe they are.
Tom Rogers is a teacher who runs rogershistory.com and tweets @RogersHistory
For more columns by Tom, view his back catalogue.
