Educating and moulding young minds is one of the most important jobs in the world, so surely we need to provide our teachers with the best possible working conditions so they can fulfil their role to the best of their abilities?
This is the recommendation of experts from a think tank, tasked with tackling the issue of why so many female teachers in the UK drop out of the profession permanently after maternity leave.
Research revealed that one in four teachers who quit teaching are women aged between 30 and 39, and about half of those will never return to the teaching profession.
Jonathan Simons, who has written a paper on the topic, said: “It is desperately sad to think that, in a profession which is all about educating the next generation, many of this group have simply concluded that it isn’t compatible with raising their own children.”
With women making up such a huge part of the workforce in the teaching profession, Policy Exchange has advised that schools need to be more flexible for female employees balancing work and family life.
Policy Exchange has subsequently recommended that working hours become more flexible for parents according to the demands of that teacher’s family, and that workplace nurseries be set up for female teachers returning to work after maternity leave.
Increased communication regarding teachers’ home lives, and refresher courses for those who have left the teaching profession were also recommended in the paper.
