Emeritus Professor Edgar Jenkins quoted in 'International studies highlight low teacher morale in UK'
Emeritus Professor Edgar Jenkins has been quoted in an online article for Education in Chemistry, ‘International studies highlight low teacher morale in UK’.
The article highlights the results from the 2015 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) which looks at pupils’ knowledge of science and maths at the ages of 10 and 14. Whilst performing above the international mean in both areas, England’s scores have remained static since the last report.
The article draws attention to the difficulty schools are having in filling teacher vacancies in science and maths, with long teaching hours and frequent changes in the curriculum fuelling low levels of job satisfaction amongst teachers.
However, whilst England’s TIMSS scores remain static, those of Scotland and Wales have experience declines in both subjects. Professor Edgar Jenkins mentions “Scotland has cause for concern, but the results could just be a “dip” as was the case for Ireland in an earlier round of testing. Wales has consistently performed worse than the rest of the UK, but major curriculum reforms are under way. This should serve as reminder for policymakers that current results reflect policy initiatives of the past, some as many as 10 years ago.”
