The problems are trifold that are creating these conditions - obviously the big one is austerity which has had all the directly linkable effects - bigger classes, less resources etc. There’s also teachers having to pick up non classroom stuff due to the cuts to social workers - recently a Friend of the family who’s a teacher had to attend a child custody hearing to give evidence on a girls welfare, she noted that years ago that would have been a social workers job.
Secondly, there’s a huge philosophical sh*tstorm going on within education that’s really creating problems. ‘The way to teach’ shifts from week to week depending on what’s popular on social media - one week it can be learning by doing is the definite way to go, then the next week kids should be dictating what lessons should look like. I know when I worked as a lecturer we had to attend CPD on 'Learning Styles' which less than six months later was thoroughly debunked as biggest load of garbage going. So teachers have plenty of garbage thrown at them without it ever really being tested. There are still professional development companies pedalling out Dweck's garbage for christsake, which teachers are then scrabbling to implement The classroom seems to be this mixing pot of political, untested academica and ideological garbage that comes out with teachers unable to develop their own style and doesn't do anyone any favours.
Finally, teachers themselves - I know plenty of teachers, but only one went to university first time round to actually study teaching. The rest are johnny come latelies riding in on PGCE's after either flunking their bachelors degree to the point it's useless, or generally being unsuited to work in industry so end up teaching - 'Those that can't, teach' was a pretty common mantra round universities when I was finishing degrees. There needs to be something that pulls people in to education and that's clearly missing in this country at present - it needs to be far less politicised for one.
