Modern teachers are expected to deliver more varied and complex curriculums, provide students with additional care and support, and manage their work digitally from laptops and computers. In fact, a study from UCL’s Institute of Education found that 90% of the 800+ teachers surveyed believe their job requires a very high level of input, physically and mentally, which is a significant increase from 54% over 25 years ago.

At Novatia, we want to focus on an area of education that is core to our business, EdTech. It's an area of the education sector that continues to grow and evolve - with new digital resources, tools and platforms being published everyday. But does EdTech have a bigger role to play? In order to address the recruitment crisis, it’s worth exploring how EdTech can help in making teaching a more attractive career choice for young professionals.

 

Understanding The Situation

With additional pressures and challenges on salaries, teaching as a profession isn’t entirely attractive to young people deciding on their career path. Data in the 2022 School Workforce report from DfE shows that 31.3% of teachers who qualified in 2017 are no longer teaching, only 5 years after they qualified. Furthermore, the number of vacancies in teaching has more than doubled in the last 2 years. It essentially means that the demand for teachers outweighs the supply, which can lead to the quality of education being impacted due to forced larger class sizes and hiring of less experienced professionals in more demanding senior roles.
 
“Every lesson shapes a life” is a slogan that might ring a bell - this was a nationwide television advert from Get Into Teaching that still airs today. It’s just one example of a notable advertising push encouraging applications from new entrants into the sector. But is it enough? Addressing the teacher recruitment crisis is a challenging and complex situation that requires combined efforts from various governing bodies and organisations. Bursaries and scholarships have been established by the UK government with the aim of reducing financial concerns for those getting into teaching. Levelling Up Premium was also introduced that provides secondary school teachers who specialise in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics with payments of £1,500 to £3,000, depending on eligibility.

 

Can EdTech Help?

EdTech has the potential to both attract and retain young teachers by giving them the opportunity to carry out their job with the modern devices and tools that they’re accustomed to. For new graduates who are used to the latest top of the range laptops and smartphones, working with outdated tech can quickly lead to frustration and a sense of unappreciation. Legacy IT infrastructure can result in staff having to work outside of their normal hours to catch up with tasks due to slow performance and frozen screens, therefore increasing stress levels. Teacher mental health can be greatly impacted by ineffective IT equipment, as their ability to manage heavy workloads is further impeded. Unnecessary paper-based processes, which are subsequently digitised, means teachers often face an avoidable admin burden. When such burdens bring them away from what brought them into the profession in the first place (teaching!), it’s easy to see how negative perceptions can arise. 

Modern EdTech, from physical devices to apps and digital resources, has the capability to improve teacher morale and help them to deliver lessons effectively without compromising on their wellbeing and passion for education: 

1) Grant flexibility with systems that can be accessed remotely, meaning teachers can get home on time and finish off any marking or lesson planning from the comfort of their home. Classroom management software is available on the market that puts remote accessibility first and allows teachers to manage their classroom from any location. Flexibility is something that is expected from young professionals, people want a work-life balance that is healthy and keeps them feeling motivated.

2) Enable digital resources that help deliver more engaging and rewarding lessons. Gamification through education apps gives teachers alternative teaching methods that embrace modern technology and provide young students with fun and exciting learning resources. Some can even facilitate inter-school competitions where students can compete with other classes by getting the best scores, aka most correct answers.

3) Provide access to training and professional development via the likes of CPD programmes that schools and MATs can apply for that enables their own teaching staff to get extra training and support.

4) Reduce anxiety surrounding cybersecurity by using the latest security systems and up-to-date software that can protect teachers and students. Teachers have enough on their mind without having to worry about cyber threats and data being compromised. By investing in IT audits and establishing secure systems, teachers can focus on what matters most. 

5) Build a collaborative and non-toxic teaching environment for teachers by implementing modern MIS that facilitates communication and streamlines processes. Toxic cultures are a well-known issue within the education sector, and there's now far more focus on improving cultures and providing a more comfortable environment for teaching staff.

 

Conclusion

The teacher recruitment crisis is a significant issue that needs to be addressed and EdTech has the potential to play a big role. It can be used to both attract and retain teachers, as well as to improve the quality of education being provided to students. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative solutions that will help to make teaching a more accessible and attractive profession.

If you’d like to find out more about our IT and EdTech solutions, visit our website or get in touch for a friendly chat about how we can help you.

 
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