Further education teachers are in total crisis thanks to government cuts

I’m sure most of us have seen Adolescence by now. It was fucking scary. Aggression in schools, lost and lonely kids being radicalised by their phones, and behaviour going down the shitter. Yeah, the kids aren’t alright, but neither are the teachers, and I think we’ve forgotten about them. I’ve worked on the frontline of Further Education behavioural management. I’ve supported those kids, but when I was there, I found that the teachers needed just as much, if not more, help.

In an industry cut down to the bare bones by austerity, the once professional and proud career of ‘teacher’ is now untenable. Teachers are struggling with a sharp decline in behaviour, years of wage stagnation, fuck all support, and a spiralling cost-of-living. They are no longer just educators. They are expected to play the roles of educator, social worker, parent, and carer. And they’re breaking themselves from the sheer stress of it all. These conditions are forcing these wonderful professionals out of the classroom, and it’s screwing up the education of our young people.

A classroom under siege

‘I just can’t do it anymore. We’re trying to get these kids to listen, but they just can’t. They can’t sit down for five minutes and listen.’ – C, an FE English teacher.

I know C, and she’s one of the loveliest people you’d ever meet. She originally got into Further Education teaching because she wanted to help more nervous kids to thrive, because she says she herself was an anxious kid. But the challenge of maintaining discipline in the classroom has driven her away from the job. It’s no longer manageable and is the primary driver of teacher burnout and resignations, just as C’s are. I saw her struggle, shouting over twenty voices at a time, dodging chucked pens and having to endure abuse day after day. And does management give a shit? Do they fuck. Teachers report widespread decline in student conduct, often linked to post-pandemic challenges and cuts to mental health services. Yet the bosses at the top don’t seem to care. Instead, they want bums on seats to cover costs at the expense of staff.

Three in ten teachers report having to deal with a disruptive incident in their class every 10 minutes or less. 11% state it happens every five minutes. Could you let that sink in? Imagine the time it takes to resolve each issue, imagine trying to teach kids with that level of interruption. It’s fucking impossible. As a result, 86% of teachers say this behaviour is massively hindering their ability to teach.

Physical aggression in Further Education

When you have three-quarters of teachers saying that instances of students challenging their authority have increased, we have a huge fucking issue. Imagine trying to teach a room full of kids who do not understand or continually question your authority. It’s fucking impossible. Almost every teacher is facing classrooms full of kids who constantly talk over them, but a shocking 20% of educators admit to having been physically hit by a child in the past year. That’s 1 in 5!

I’ve seen kids throw chairs, I’ve seen them launch themselves at teachers in a rage, and I’ve seen them call people the most disgusting names. Is it any wonder educators are leaving in huge numbers? This constant strain means over a quarter (28%) of teachers state they are likely to quit the profession specifically because of these growing discipline problems. This is wrecking our teachers emotionally, and when wages don’t match the workload, we have a massive problem.

The wage doesn’t match the workload.

‘We used to be professionals. Now we get paid next to nothing to babysit kids who just can’t or won’t learn. It’s not worth the chew, it’s not worth the sleepless nights anymore. I’m better off working in Aldi, at least I’m not going to be called a n*nce every day.’ – P, Maths tutor,

Whilst Further Education workloads are surging and stress peaks, teachers’ financial security basically doesn’t exist. The role of a teacher no longer has financial incentives as a career.

In my experience, I’ve known teachers who have gone to foodbanks and struggled to make rent or afford childcare for their own families.

Salaries for experienced teachers fell by a fucking staggering 13% between 2010 and 2022. Even with a few scraps of increase, pay for many remains significantly below what it was a decade ago, once inflation is accounted for.

Meanwhile, everyone is feeling the pinch of the manufactured cost-of-living crisis. Teachers’ pay just straight up doesn’t keep pace with the soaring costs of housing, energy, and food. For those in high-cost areas like London, high rents often eclipse the benefit of pay weighting. This forces teachers into long commutes, something which doesn’t help with rising costs or ridiculous workloads.

This wild economic strain is one of the clearest factors in the retention crisis. Almost one in ten state school teachers (9%, or around 47,000 individuals) have said they’re likely to leave the profession within a year for reasons related to pay. That is fucking wild, and we are sleepwalking into an educational crisis.

The hidden cost of being empathetic

Teachers aren’t just victims of the cost-of-living crisis; they are also witnessing the mental-health crisis in real time. They’re our first responders in Further Education.

A considerable portion of teachers are now dipping into their own pockets to help these kids. I remember one kid coming to college who literally had nothing. He had no clothes, no coat, one pair of scabby shoes and that was it. He came in cold, smelling, and hungry every day, so we pooled together to help fill out his wardrobe and make sure he had at least one warm meal a day. So many teachers and support staff will give the last quid out of their wallet to make sure these kids are okay, even when we ourselves were struggling.

8 in 10 primary school teachers in England report spending their own money on shit like food, stationery, and winter clothing because these kids do not have these essentials. This is because these teachers never got into the profession for the money. They entered the profession out of a love of children and a deep empathy for the struggles they face. It is so fucked up that we are spitting on their goodwill and leaving them to look after our nation’s children with little to no support. No wonder our kids are so fucked up.

The Further Education system is in crisis

Over 75% of UK education staff experience poor mental health directly linked to work. Their average well-being score is significantly lower than the national average. The chaos of the classroom, the heartbreak of an entire generation struggling, and financial insecurity are weights our teachers shouldn’t be carrying. The unions are pathetic, barely standing up for those members who fill their bank accounts.

That means it’s up to us to stand up for our nation’s educators, because if we don’t, a few years down the line, our schooling system – particularly in Further Education – is going to fall apart.

It’s time to cut headteacher wages, take the power out of the hands of the few at the top of the pile, and give it back to those on the frontlines. We need to unionise, organise, and take the fight to the government before these outstanding teachers and our education system fail.

Featured image via the Canary