Survey finds 59% of teachers considered leaving job

The Government of Jersey released its annual teacher survey report for 2021 this week

A survey found nearly 60% of school teachers in Jersey considered leaving their jobs in the past year.

About 500 school teachers - about a third of those in the island - filled out the government's teacher survey report for 2021.

Teachers said feeling undervalued, work-life balance, stress and anxiety were reasons they considered leaving.

However, most teachers said they enjoyed working with pupils and described it as "rewarding".

Of those surveyed 50% had been verbally abused by pupils and 22% had been threatened with physical harm by a pupil and 20% had been verbally abused by a parent or guardian.

When asked what teachers thought the main reason for poor student behaviour was, more than 80% said "pupil's home life/parental guidance" was a major contributing factor.

In 2015, 87% of teachers reported being satisfied in their roles, falling to 79% in 2021.

Those in leadership roles reported a lower job satisfaction of 74% compared to classroom teachers at 80%.

About 80% of teachers agreed they felt respected as a professional, with 43% agreeing they were well paid for what they did

With the impact of Covid-19, 44% of teachers reported being less satisfied with their role, with almost half saying they "didn't feel any different".

Up to 54% of teachers reported always or often feeling "stressed or anxious" since the pandemic began, with 60% reporting it had a negative impact on their work-life balance.

When asked what aspects of the job teachers liked most, 95% said interactions and relationships with pupils, followed by the practice of teaching at 57% and the "rewarding nature of the job" at 52%.

When asked what they were most concerned by, 59% of teachers said the volume of work, 47% said the long hours, and 36% said the pressure to achieve results.

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More than 80% of those working in non-provided education roles would recommend their school as a good place to work, compared to 81% at government fee-paying schools, and 67% at non-fee paying government schools.

A separate survey was also published this week which showed the average size of government primary schools had increased by 24 pupils in the last 10 years.

Since 2010, the average number of pupils per primary schools has risen from 253 pupils to 277 in the latest year.

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