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Roy Leach, Strategic Lead for Education Sufficiency and Access, will attend for a discussion around the issue of recruitment and retention of teachers. This builds on previous consideration of the issue at the 11 February 2016 meeting of the Education Scrutiny Committee.
The following people have been invited to address the committee on this topic:
- Adam Arnell, Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance
- Philip Baillieu, Chair of Governors, Wheatley Park School
- Ms Kate Curtis, Headteacher, Wheatley Park School
- Richard Peacock, Chief Executive, SOHA
Minutes:
Roy Leach, School Organisation Planning Manager, attend for a discussion around the issue of recruitment and retention of teachers. This built on previous consideration of the issue at the 11 February 2016 meeting of the Education Scrutiny Committee.
The following people also attended to address the committee on this topic:
- Mr Adam Arnell, Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance
- Mr Philip Baillieu, Chair of Governors, Wheatley Park School
- Ms Kate Curtis, Headteacher, Wheatley Park School
- Mr Richard Peacock, Chief Executive, SOHA
Ms Curtis highlighted that the quality of teaching was the biggest factor affecting the quality of a school. One of their biggest concerns was around funding and keeping good teachers. She detailed the steps they took to look after teachers at Wheatley Park School including development, social networking and addressing pupil behaviour. However maths and English teaching was a problem with the response to adverts being poor and they were often forced to pay more. She added that primary schools had similar problems.
Oxfordshire was an attractive place for young teachers but they often ended up in poor housing which was an issue in terms of retaining staff. Retention was a greater issue even than recruitment. In response to questions she commented that in her experience teachers did not leave for the private sector based on political ideology but rather for any number of reasons including smaller classes and easier to teach pupils.
Mr Arnell, explained that increasingly problems of teacher recruitment and retention impacted on the work they did. He gave figures for teachers in training in Oxfordshire for the current year highlighting the difficulties faced. This included problems with the allocations policy from central government that limited the number of training posts on offer and did not take account of local need. Although not set up to undertake recruitment activity they were becoming involved in some simple aspects. They talked to people about the benefits of working in Oxfordshire and had set up a vacancy website which cost less than the IBC provided site. He noted that other County Councils had spent money on promoting their areas.
Mr Peacock, detailed the process for allocating rented social housing which was based on housing need criteria with local authority nominations. Shared ownership schemes provided greater flexibility and could help teachers to obtain suitable accommodation. He outlined the likely costs involved and noted that cheaper housing would only be possible with subsidy. He added that there were ways in which the County Council could help including making land available to housing associations at a cheaper price. He also referred to the use of key worker schemes.
Mr Baillieu supported the comments from Ms Curtis and added that as a Chairman of a company (in his role as Chair of Governors) he was frustrated that he was not able to make best use of assets. For example he was unable to raise a mortgage against them.
During discussion Education Scrutiny Committee:
1. Considered the issue raised around the sale of land at less than market value and whether this was worthy of consideration by Cabinet. They acknowledged that it could not be considered in isolation from the Council’s broader financial situation.
2. Noted the problems raised concerning the allocations policy for preparing teachers.
The Chairman proposed and by a show of hands by 7 votes for to 2 against it was:
AGREED: to:
(a) request Cabinet to discuss with schools and housing associations the possibility of selling land at below market value to assist with the current and ongoing issue over recruitment and retention of teachers; and
It was further AGREED (nem con): to:
(b) recommend the Cabinet Member writes to the Secretary of State for Education requesting an allocations policy for preparing teachers 2016 that allows Oxfordshire schools to recruit sufficient trainees to meet the future needs of local secondary, and primary, nursery and special schools.