Is the teaching profession an attractive career choice?
What do school leaders really think about free schools and the new National Curriculum?
The last three years have seen rapid change in the school sector, with the expansion of the academies programme, creation of free schools, a new Ofsted framework, and changes to the examination and assessment systems. At The Key, we know that school leaders and governors are concerned about how to keep ahead of that change. Some 50,000 use our question-answering services, so we are well placed to reach those with most influence over how our schools are run.
To learn more about where school leaders and governors are, and where they are going, we teamed up with Ipsos MORI in spring term 2014 to survey members of The Key. We asked them to reflect on the quality of the school system and governance nationally, the state of the teaching profession, and government policies and initiatives. A total of 1,198 school leaders and 1,079 governors responded.
The responses provide for interesting – and sometimes surprising – reading. They show a sector that’s positive about the quality of schools and teaching, and is committed to equipping young people for adult life and to be good citizens. At the same time, there are concerns about morale and work-life balance, the headteacher role, government policies and the effectiveness of governance.
You can read the survey report on our website. We’ll also be sharing data nuggets from the survey on this blog over the coming weeks.
For those of you who are attending The Sunday Times Festival of Education, Fergal Roche, our CEO, will be presenting some of the findings and setting them in the wider political context with Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, on the Friday. Do go along and hear them if you’re there.