Half of the school staff has changed in five years: "A third of the staff could leave next year."

BarcelonaOne of the many demands of the education sector is the implementation of measures to prevent excessive turnover of teachers who change schools. After years of constant competitions, lack of teachers in various subjects and of changes in the teachers' pool, this Tuesday the Bofill Foundation published a figure that shows the magnitude of the instability in Catalan educational centers: half of the teachers in primary school teaching staff have been replaced in five years (with data from 2018 to 2023).

This figure is part of the report Educational improvement in vulnerable environments, presented by the Bofill Foundation, which denounces that this teacher turnover is higher in high- and maximum-complexity schools. The added factor is that, due to the characteristics of these schools, the impact of a change in teaching staff is greater than in ordinary schools, which number more than 50 schools due to the educational and employment levels of families, the immigrant origin of the students, and the presence of students with specific educational support needs (SESE). Specifically, the Catalan education system divides schools into low, low-medium, high-medium, maximum, and maximum complexity schools. This represents 24% of all Catalan schools and institutes. Vulnerable.

In order to adequately support these students, a key aspect is the experience and training of teachers, creating a bond of trust with them. In this regard, one of the situations highlighted in this report is that in five years, 53% of the teaching staff at highly complex schools have been replaced. This dynamic shakes the structure of these centers, as key professionals are lost and, consequently, it becomes more difficult to consolidate educational projects and teacher cohesion.

"We have a cohesive team that is very committed to the school's project and no one wants to leave, but with the transfer competition, a third of our staff could change next year," Elisenda Roda, director of the Institut Escola Mestre Morera in Barcelona, explains to ARA. This highly complex school could expect to see up to 11 new teachers join between July and September. "We will have to welcome them and explain our way of working to them so they can fit in with the project," Roda points out. Considering that this is a highly complex center, "students carry a significant emotional and vulnerable burden, and teachers need training and support to manage these situations," warns the director herself.

Pressure for results

The study presented this Tuesday also includes the results of a survey of 852 teachers and 68 in-depth interviews to understand the opinions and feelings of education professionals in Catalonia. In this regard, 85% of respondents find it unfair to evaluate a school or institute based on the results of tests such as those for basic skills, and 70% believe that these results do not provide a true picture of teachers' work.

However, almost half (46%) of high- and maximum-complexity schools say they feel significant pressure to perform well on basic skills tests. This pressure is felt by 35% of low-complexity schools and institutes. Regarding the source of this feeling, 80% of teachers state that it is self-imposed pressure. 80% also believe that the management team is responsible for the pressure they experience, and 60% attribute the primary responsibility to the Department of Education.

In the case of Mestre Morera, the principal explains that the tests serve to see how they stand compared to other high-complexity schools in Catalonia and what they can do year after year to improve the areas where they are "a little weaker." However, Roda assures that these results do not put pressure on them. "We put the pressure on ourselves because we want to give our students the best opportunity. If we lower the standard, it will be difficult for the students to excel, which is what we want," she maintains.