A quick gender critical overview
the impact of covid 19 On Secondary school educators
Here at the Feminist Directory we think that it is important to observe the world through a gender lens. Data shows that the COVID19 pandemic has disproportionately affected many sectors which are female dominated such as Healthcare, Early Education etc.
The pandemic has also led to a rise in unpaid care work which is disproportionately falling to women. We have researched how this combination of factors is affecting women’s mental health, physical health, economic stability and professional lives.
At the Feminist Directory we think that it is important to observe the world through a gender lens. Data shows that the COVID19 pandemic has disproportionately affected many sectors which are female dominated such as Healthcare, Early Education etc.
The pandemic has also led to a rise in unpaid care work which is disproportionately falling to women. We have researched how this combination of factors is affecting women’s mental health, physical health, economic stability and professional lives.
This page extends our series on the impact of COVID19 on women working in the Education sector. In this section we will explore the impact on Secondary School educators throughout the Covid pandemic. We will spotlight experiences from Australia and the UK as well as present data from some international perspectives.
‘The Covid crisis has demonstrated the pivotal role that teachers and schools play in our society. Educators tell us that they feel disorientated, and they recognise how Covid-19 has an uneven impact on communities, families and children. Our ability to recover from the pandemic will depend heavily on the capacity of the education workforce to support children through the transition back to a normal school life. This, in turn, requires good wellbeing and mental health across the sector. We must be strategic in our provision of support to educators over the coming months’
Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support
General Climate Pre-Covid
The teaching profession has been under strain during Covid with extended hours of work and low levels of pay. Women make up 72 percent of workers across the sector as a whole, 62 percent of teachers within Secondary schools in the UK are women. There is a relatively low proportion of women progressing to senior leadership roles (where they are overtaken) by their male peers. This results in women missing out on the higher pay grades.
The charity for teachers called Education Support notes :
‘Every day we support education professionals who are suffering the consequences of many factors causing severe pressure: budget cuts; fewer staff, bigger class sizes, localised recruitment and retention difficulties in some areas are adding to workload and increasing stress levels. Outside school, many are suffering financially. According to our latest research, 75% of all education staff have faced physical or mental health issues in the last two years because of their work and 53% have considered leaving as a result’.
General Climate Covid
The Covid19 pandemic has thrust teachers onto the front lines of providing support for the youth of our society. Many teachers report feeling overwhelmed and overworked. The pandemic has exacerbated existing issues.
Seventy five percent of secondary teachers report working more hours per week whilst doing remote teaching.
Secondary school teachers have felt the added uncertainty and pressure of supporting students and colleagues through senior level exams. With ‘43% of secondary teachers having higher levels of anxiety than normal about the exam process’.
Teachers have adapted working practices and support of students, going above and beyond their usual responsibilities.
Student Welfare
Many teachers have assumed additional responsibility for their students’ welfare during the pandemic where alternative help has not been accessible. Senior leaders are reporting higher demands and responsibility and concern for their students. Indeed, 38% of secondary school teachers have been making weekly home visits to vulnerable children.
Pursuit reports that :
‘Accessing social workers has not always been easy’
Another reported difference on support from different local authorities states ‘We work across two counties, and the level of social and welfare support is very different’.
‘It is the social-emotional wellbeing of our young people, particularly those at risk in their homes, that is my biggest concern.’
Whilst Nuffield warns that :
‘As they open more fully with split classes, there will be increased pressure on the school workforce and current levels of welfare support may become unsustainable.’
Pursuit: https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/being-a-teacher-during-covid-19
Student Welfare and Experience
Many vulnerable children, who have histories of mental health needs, are reporting a reduction in support. According to the mental health charity Young Minds, 26% of young people say that they were no longer able to access mental health support. Teachers cite both their students as well as themselves and their own families wellbeing as anxiety inducing. Teachers are concerned that vulnerable students will need even more support and long-term management on their return to the school environment.
Vulnerable pupil engagement in school work is particularly low in secondary schools.
‘Senior leaders in secondary schools are one and a half times more likely to report that lack of pupil engagement in learning is a challenge … Given that vulnerable pupil engagement is particularly low for older children, one concern is that some vulnerable pupils may disengage with education altogether as a result of the pandemic.’
Teacher’s Welfare
It is not only the welfare of children that is of concern to educators, but also their own safety and that of their families. This has been reiterated across the globe, where teachers have been required to teach in person the children of front line workers. In some scenarios where internet teaching is not accessible, the teachers workload has been further increased by making provision to support those students.
According to Pivot’s research in Australia:
Our survey – with responses from April 17 to May 10 – showed fewer than one in four teachers felt safe working on the school site at the end of term one. But nearly 95% felt safe working from home.
To allow children to continue learning, Wilcannia central school teachers have been making lesson packs for their students and delivering them in person every few days, on a 9km round trip in the school minibus.
Pivot Report : https://www.pivotpl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pivot_StateofEducation_2020_White-Paper.pdf
Teachers and Planning Time
Teachers are running remote lessons as well as teaching the children of key workers face to face. Planning a lesson that can be carried out in person as well as remotely has highly increased preparation time. In some cases teachers report that they have had to plan two completely separate lessons for the same year group.
Table: https://www.pivotpl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pivot_StateofEducation_2020_White-Paper.pdf
Spotlight on Remote community
Whilst the pressures on teachers have increased globally, the move to online teaching has proved particularly challenging for teachers working within more remote communities. Some of the world’s more remote populations are those of the Aboriginal/Indigenous communities of Australia.
Studies in Australia show that for the Indigenous communities outside of cities, many rely on phone access for internet connection. It is reported that in rural communities, 32% of children do not have internet access.
“We don’t have NBN. We have just a telephone line connection, I can’t use my mobile phone in my house. As soon as I walk inside, I have no reception and can’t send or receive text messages. And when the majority of my families rely on prepaid credits and the only internet they have to use at home is what’s on their phone, when you can’t get reception inside, that makes it tricky for us as educators.”
Access to technology has not been the only hurdle met by educators in remote communities.
According to AEU research:
Attendance is always a challenge in a remote community says Andrew Lansdell. This has intensified with Co-vid. He says some of the school’s 600 students and their parents have been reluctant to attend because of rumours around COVID-19. Teachers needed to work out how to explain the virus and why it was still OK to come to school in the Northern Territory … The Indigenous language and culture teacher says some families moved out bush, and that of the school’s 340 preschool to Year 10 students, less than 100 were attending school daily during the crisis”
AEU: http://www.aeufederal.org.au/news-media/news/2020/learning-crisis
Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs)
Another group of people that have been severely affected within the education sector are those who are Newly Qualified teachers (NQTs) or those who are in the midst of their teacher training.
According to the RSA:
‘Every year there are almost 30,000 new entrants into teacher training programmes. Teachers will be handed the substantial challenge of plugging the learning loss – which could be as much as 6 months for the most disadvantaged – and supporting pupils who may have experienced trauma or loss. Early career teachers and trainees could find themselves facing these challenges with only one full term of classroom teaching under their belt.’
In the UK there is already an issue with 1 in 3 leaving the profession after 5 years and one in seven leaving at the end of their first year as a teacher. We must ensure that there is the necessary support in place to cushion the extra pressure that NQTs will face as a result of the pandemic.
Mental Health
Covid19 has placed a range of additional stress on teachers. This has mental health implications. Many are juggling home schooling on top of their own work pressures, supporting their students’ welfare and additional required planning that accounts for various needs. This is on top of the worry of contracting or carrying Covid and putting themselves, their friends and family at risk.
Forty nine per cent of secondary teachers said they are feeling higher stress levels than usual. The Teachers charity, Education Support is concerned for the mental health of our educators.
Some case studies reported by Education Support are detailed below :
“Teaching online can be very isolating, especially for teachers who live on their own.” Aside from physical isolation, teachers indicated the loss of their teaching community was particularly difficult. One teacher stated: “Not only do we teachers miss the social connection with our students, we miss being with our colleagues and friends. Teaching is a very social profession, teaching is successful when connection is strong.”
“Continuous work since January. Tired, not sleeping properly. Strange dreams. Drained, trying to support and be up-beat for everyone else.” (Senior primary leader, Wales).
Education Support: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/coronavirus-teachers-experiencing-high-levels-stress-school-uncertainty
Further Reading
Education Gender Split Revealed: Only 28% of Education Sector are Male https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/29822-education-gender-split-revealed-only-28-of-education-sector-are-male
Gender Inequality in the British Education System
http://www.gendertrust.org.uk/gender-inequality-in-the-british-education-system/
New evidence on teachers’ working hours in England.
An empirical analysis of four datasets: https://johnjerrim.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/working_paper_teacher_hours.pdf
NQTs: Early Career teachers
Coronavirus: Teachers experiencing high levels of stress as school uncertainty continues
Australian Education Union: Learning From A Crisis:
Teachers hand deliver lessons to Aboriginal students lacking internet access: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/24/teachers-hand-deliver-lessons-to-aboriginal-students-lacking-internet-access