As the summer slowly comes to a close, and 2022/23 is nearly upon us, it’s time to focus on the hopes and challenges we expect from the forthcoming academic year. After a difficult few years due to Covid, many are hoping for something more ‘normal’ in which the main focus is on students and not on masks, sanitiser and the latest information from the Department for Education.
With that in mind, what will be the priorities for 2022/23?
Balancing the books
With the cost of everything from gas and electricity prices to food and interest rates rising, it’s a difficult time to balance the books. With funding largely the same as it has been for the last decade, more and more staff, students, leaders and family members are feeling the pinch. If the average household gas and electricity bill may well quadruple by Christmas, how will the average college manage? What about those larger colleges or those with a number of sites? With transport costs also rising, 2022/23 could prove a difficult year in terms of attendance also. No matter what occurs in the following months, costs are certain to rise, wages will remain at current levels and funding shows no signs of increasing. For balancing the books, 2022/23 is set to be a challenge.
Covid Catchup
Though much of the Covid guidance has now been removed, one element of Covid which remains is the amount of lost learning which students suffered. With those just commencing their journey in Post-16 education, there will likely not have been a ‘normal’ year since Key Stage 3. Though remote and online learning did well to plug some gaps, there are those which remain. Thankfully, funding has been extended for intervention and ‘catch up’ sessions, but will this prove enough? With colleges struggling to find teachers to staff these sessions at times, and students not always able to attend, there is continued work to be completed to support students to catch up.
Staffing
Regardless of subject, sector or information source, one thing is clear: teacher recruitment targets are not being hit. After the initial spike in teacher recruitment following Covid, numbers appear to have returned to pre-Covid levels. Challenges remain in recruiting in Engineering, Science and Construction, as well as maths and English. With the private sector offering flexible working, increased holidays and increases in pay (in some cases) following The Great Resignation of 2022, schools and colleges can’t always offer similar packages. In saying this, there are roughly 350,000 trained teachers currently not working on education in England, and many of them are being tempted back into the sector after years of private sector employment.
Workload
The headline for many years pre-Covid, workload in education has been debated for the best part of two decades by all concerned. From DfE task forces, to education unions to teachers, leaders and students pushing for streamlining, workload is constantly on the agenda. With the majority of delivery now occurring face to face, there is at least the likelihood that additional workload in the form of online/ remote learning will take a back seat for the majority of 2022/23. Yes, flipped learning strategies are still being used, and there are the many resources created since Covid to use, but there is less of a call for brand new resources to be created by teachers in 2022/23, and this will significantly decrease workload in some areas. Having said this, many catch up sessions are staffed by teachers with full timetables, and significant additional work is needed to help students plug the gap.
Sustainability
With sustainability now permanently on the agenda, many colleges, across the sector, are placing additional focus on their next steps (and the size of the carbon footprint that this step leaves). With many advertising for a Head or Director of Sustainability, and a renewed focus on achieving significant reductions in emissions, more and more of us will be asked to think about how we contribute to a sustainable work environment. With additional funding in this area more available than ever (whether directly from the government, or via grants), there is also the opportunity to make a real difference to working environments, and in educating students around this topic. At least around sustainability, there is much to be excited about.
About the author
Jonathan Kay
Jonny Kay is Head of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at a college in the North East. He has previously worked as Head of English and maths in FE and as an English teacher and Head of English in Secondary schools. He tweets @jonnykayteacher and his book, 'Improving Maths and English in Further Education: A Practical Guide', is available now.