The recruitment and retention crisis is taking its toll and our headteacher diarist would like to see some honest pragmatism from the government

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher. I had some great teachers throughout my school life, but also some pretty dodgy ones, like most people. However it was the great ones who inspired me to become a teacher.

Whatever the public perception of the teaching profession, the stark reality is that it is a profession in crisis. The unprecedented level of reform within the education sector in the past few years has taken its toll and there is a genuine concern across the profession about two key issues – recruitment and retention.

The retention issue is worrying, increased workload has got teachers creaking under the pressure and as a headteacher I have to ensure I strike the right balance between allowing my staff to be able to achieve a healthy work/life balance while at the same time “raising standards”.

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