As we approach the Christmas break, school teachers, in all likelihood, will receive cards and gifts from pupils and their parents, saying thank you for their hard work. These thanks are well deserved, of course – and, as Tes editor Ann Mroz pointed out only days ago, do not happen anywhere near often enough.
But even that small gesture is something much less likely to happen for most people working in FE colleges across the UK. Because of the student profile, the way colleges work, and the student cohort in our colleges, I reckon thank yous, even at Christmas, will be few and far between. That, to me, is a great shame.
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Opinion: Teachers deserve a thank you every day of the year
Changing lives
College staff deserve to be appreciated. FE institutions change lives, every day. Anyone engaged with the education sector knows that. College students are an incredibly diverse group – from high-achieving school leavers to mature returners to education with care responsibilities, and from learners with additional support needs to those studying towards a university degree. Colleges cater to all of them – in what is undoubtedly an incredibly difficult climate for the sector.
College staff operate in an ever-changing policy environment – with the imminent introduction of T levels and the new Ofsted inspection framework just two examples of this. They also are certainly not in it for the money – many have not seen a pay increase in years, and especially for lecturers in technical education, the question why they chose FE over a career in an industry that may well be much more lucrative is a reasonably obvious one.
Add to that the persistent existence of casual contracts, as well as all sorts of structural pressures, and being an FE teacher – or member of support staff – is far from an easy job. And yet, you excel at it.
Every week, we run pieces written by frontline FE staff, highlighting the exciting work that goes on in colleges, and how they go the extra mile. From Tes FE teacher of the year Sam Jones and her focus on research, to Mark Beetlestone, curriculum area lead at Fareham College, who planned his own paternity cover, and Sarah Simons who shares insights into her work with adults in Tes on a weekly basis – they deserve our thank you for their contribution to Tes and for sharing their work with you through us.
And then there are others, whose hard work we only find out about because others write about them – like Elaine Hutton, hospitality curriculum director at Ayrshire College, who helped organise her college opening on 30 December to ensure students do not go hungry, or WorldSkills training managers who have managed to, alongside their full-time jobs, train young people to beat the best in the world.
They, too, deserve our thanks – not just today, when the time of year makes us all more thoughtful and keen to show our appreciation of each other – but every day of the year. Let’s extend that thank you to the support staff in colleges who, quite literally, keep the lights on and the places running, and support students who face the greatest challenges. And to those senior managers to fight the corner of their college in difficult circumstances and stand up for their staff.
So here is to you, heroes of FE. We don’t say it often enough – but thank you. For all you do – and for the way you open up new worlds for learners every day you turn up for work.
