The need to value older, experienced teachers was a hot topic for two of the UK’s education unions during their annual national conferences where they opposed what they see as on-going discrimination.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), both affiliated to Education International (EI) and currently holding their respective national conference, have condemned the age discrimination in teaching. Both unions want to see experience embraced in order to create greater collaboration with new teachers.
NUT: Experienced teachers, a wealth of educational knowledge to support teaching and learning
“Experienced teachers are increasingly under-valued in schools as they are seen by employers as more expensive than their younger colleagues,” said Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary, from Harrogate on 7 April. Blower is also the President of the Education International (EI) European Region, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE).
“This is a short-sighted view of the value that older teachers bring to schools”, she said, adding that their expertise is essential to effective peer coaching of younger colleagues and ensures that vital experience remains within the classroom and the school community, benefitting children directly every day.
NASUWT: Unacceptable harassment and discrimination practices against older teachers
To the south in Cardiff, Wales, representatives at the Annual Conference of the NASUWT also agreed that discrimination against older teachers in schools has become a serious problem.
They are also concerned by growing evidence that older teachers, particularly women, are increasingly being singled out for redundancy or subjected to the abuse of capability procedures.
The NASUWT General Secretary Chris Keates said that “older teachers often have a wealth of experience and expertise”, and “should be viewed by schools as an asset.”
She firmly criticised the fact that these teachers face harassment and discrimination “often for no other reason than they are older and more expensive”, and too many schools want to create space for younger, cheaper teachers or even unqualified staff who they can place on temporary contracts, giving them flexibility over performance or funding, or both.
“The excessive freedoms given to schools are leading to abuse of older teachers and exploitation of younger ones,” Keates went on to explain, underlining that children and young people are losing access to good, experienced teachers as a result of these “unacceptable practices”.
The annual national conferences of the NUT, 3-7 April, NASUWT, 3-5 April, brought together teachers from all over the UK.