Teacher survey shows science staffing crisis disproportionately affects disadvantaged students
The 2023 Science Teaching Survey, led by the 欧美AV and supported by the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Biology, has laid bare the challenges faced by teachers in schools with high levels of socio-economic deprivation.
The first Science Teaching Survey took place in 2022 Picture: 欧美AV
More than 2,900 educators across the UK and Ireland, including over 1,300 chemistry teachers, filled in the survey. Respondents across the sciences highlighted a crisis in staffing, which was particularly acute in areas of the UK with a high proportion of students receiving free school meals (FSM). Of these, 48% reported understaffing in high FSM schools compared to 32% in other schools.
Staff turnover was also viewed as particularly high in schools with more students in receipt of FSM, with 42% highlighting this as a challenge compared to 25% elsewhere. When asked for reasons for choosing their school, teachers at schools with a higher proportion of FSM said they 'wanted to give back to the community' (51% vs 18% from the respondents as a whole).
Professor Gill Reid (pictured left), President of the 欧美AV, said: 鈥淓very young person in the UK deserves a world class chemistry education so that we have the talent, skills and inspiration needed for our future workforce. For years we have been trying to engage and empower students from less advantaged backgrounds who believe STEM 鈥榠sn鈥檛 for people like them鈥�.
鈥淲e celebrate the contribution chemists from disadvantaged backgrounds make in the sciences, but this survey gives us evidence from teachers that they are doing so against the odds. This is unfair, and we urge the government to start by addressing the recruitment and retention crisis in science teaching 鈥� we can鈥檛 just rely on the goodwill of teachers forever.鈥�
Other challenges faced disproportionately by teachers in schools with high FSM included challenges with student literacy (75% of teachers in higher FSM schools cited this as a problem, compared with 50% in other schools), student numeracy (69% of higher-FSM school teachers vs 48% other) and student attendance (73% higher-FSM teachers vs 47% other).
Prof Reid added: 鈥淲e also need to reassess curricula, so every child gets an inclusive, forward-looking and inspiring chemistry education.
"An accessible STEM curriculum would ensure that literacy and numeracy are not barriers that disproportionately affect certain students, while updating with applied content such as tackling global sustainability challenges will engage more students.
"Teachers are also telling us that the chemistry curriculum has far too much content 鈥� meaning that student groups with more absences don鈥檛 have a chance to catch up.鈥�
Educators also spoke of the impact that underfunding is having on their ability to teach the sciences. Across the UK and Ireland 57% of teachers highlighted inadequate funding as a challenge; 34% said that the lack of classroom equipment was an issue in teaching science; and two-thirds (67%) of respondents asked for more funding to tackle the challenges they face.
Funding was also cited as an issue affecting the professional development of teachers. In fact, 61% of respondents teaching chemistry stated they had received no subject-specific professional development (SSPD) in the last academic year, and pointed to barriers of costs to attend courses or to fund cover teachers.
Teachers are also expected to attend SSPD in their own time and this too is a barrier. In England 47% of early career teachers, who should be prioritised for SSPD, said they have not received any at all.