Challenges faced by teachers are amplified in areas of high socio-economic deprivation

We use Free School Meals (FSM) eligibility as an indicator of deprivation: schools with more than 30% of pupils eligible for FSM are deemed to have high levels of socio-economic deprivation within their student population. Free school meals data is not available in Ireland, so these comparisons apply only to our respondents from the UK.

Responses have been presented for mainstream state secondary schools which includes non-fee paying local authority, community, foundation, Education and Training Board schools (in Ireland), academy, grammar and selective schools.

Challenges in the classroom

Common classroom challenges among all teachers include:

challenging student behaviour
limited literacy and numeracy skills of students
student attendance
a lack of classroom support (teaching assistants, for example).

These challenges are cited more frequently by teachers in schools within areas of high socio-economic deprivation.

Please detail why you regard your school as being in challenging circumstances:

Noticeable decline in behaviour of learners (for learning and general conduct) since the pandemic.

High levels of deprivation and lack of opportunities for further education nearby ... Many pupils also arrive in school in the first year at a lower level than would be expected: this impacts across literacy and numeracy and all subjects.

Significant cohort of students with learning difficulties, poor literacy, poor numeracy, English not first language, social and emotional difficulties, behavioural difficulties. School catchment with poor socioeconomic status

Challenges to your classroom teaching (UK only)

Challenges to your classroom teaching (England only)

Table 1. Which of the following present challenges to your classroom teaching in science? (Mainstream state secondary schools. By nation and percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals in the UK and England*.)

	UK		England only
	Mainstream state secondary schools
	FSM%		FSM%
	30% or above	Less than 30%	30% or above	Less than 30%
Challenging student behaviour	75%	65%	74%	65%
Limited literacy skills of students	75%	50%	73%	47%
Limited numeracy skills of students	69%	48%	67%	43%
Student attendance	73%	47%	71%	45%
Insufficient classroom support, e.g. no teaching assistants	57%	46%	57%	46%
Insufficient classroom equipment, incl. textbooks	34%	33%	34%	32%
No technician/not enough technicians	28%	23%	28%	21%
Insufficient lab access	20%	18%	21%	20%
Inadequate teaching resources (lesson plans/scheme of work)	17%	14%	14%	14%
Teaching outside of specialism	14%	14%	18%	15%
Lack of confidence in the subject area	5%	5%	5%	6%
Not enough classroom time to cover the curriculum content	4%	8%	0%	2%
Not enough time outside of classroom (for planning/marking and/or assessment)	1%	1%	0%	1%
Other responses	1%	4%	3%	8%
There are no challenges	0%	2%	1%	4%
Don't know/Not sure	0%	0%	0%	0%
Total	235	1294	203	1046

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1593

*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.

Challenges across the school

Teachers across mainstream schools told us that insufficient funding, insufficient non-contact time and understaffing of support staff were challenges that their schools faced.

In areas of high socio-economic deprivation, teachers were more likely to report:

higher staff turnover
inadequate support from parents, family, or guardians
poor pupil attendance
understaffing of teaching staff
high staff absence.

Challenges faced by school (UK only)

Challenges faced by school (England only)

Table 2. What challenges does your school face? (Mainstream state secondary schools. By nation and percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals in the UK and England*.)

	UK		England only
	Mainstream state secondary schools
	FSM%		FSM%
	30% or above	Less than 30%	30% or above	Less than 30%
Insufficient funding	55%	58%	54%	59%
High staff turnover	42%	25%	42%	26%
Insufficient staff non-contact time (encroachment and reallocation)	39%	42%	37%	43%
Lack of support to students from parent/family/guardian	63%	37%	61%	37%
Poor pupil attendance	63%	34%	60%	31%
Understaffing of teaching staff	43%	35%	45%	36%
Understaffing of classroom support staff	49%	47%	48%	46%
High staff absence	39%	22%	38%	22%
Insufficient support from leadership	29%	25%	26%	23%
Negative working environment	24%	18%	22%	17%
Lack of collaboration/teamwork amongst staff	17%	14%	16%	13%
Not enough support for inexperienced teachers	20%	15%	19%	14%
There are no challenges	1%	4%	1%	4%
Other responses	5%	6%	4%	5%
Don't know/Not sure	0%	0%	0%	0%
Total	235	1294	203	1046

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1593

*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.

When asked why they regard their school as being in challenging circumstances, some teachers said:

Very deprived area; having to teach multiple levels in same class due to budgetary restriction not allowing separate class for each level; current Scottish government and council policy of how behaviour is managed in schools and instruction not to exclude very disruptive or aggressive pupils causes major behaviour issues which are escalating and resulting in problems for rest of pupils.

Very deprived area. Incredibly low attendance of students. Low aspirations for many. Very challenging behaviour from a significant minority. Lack of parental expectations for high attendance, homework, revision, etc.

Job satisfaction and well-being comparisons

There is, however, a positive narrative that comes through in the survey responses.

Despite the challenges, job satisfaction and well-being among teachers in areas of high socio-economic deprivation are the same as those in schools in less deprived areas. They also have a strong sense of social responsibility and want to impact their community positively. In our survey, half (51%) of this group of teachers cited ‘I want to give back to the community’ as a reason for choosing their school.

Reason for choosing current school to work in (UK only)

Reason for choosing current school to work in (England only)

Table 3. Thinking about where you currently work, why did you choose this school to work in? (Mainstream state secondary schools. By percentage of students eligible for Free School Meals in the UK and England*.)

	UK		England only
	Mainstream state secondary schools
	FSM%		FSM%
	30% or above	Less than 30%	30% or above	Less than 30%
Convenient location	57%	63%	57%	65%
I want to give back to the community	51%	18%	54%	19%
Supportive culture	37%	32%	40%	35%
Career opportunities	20%	20%	22%	21%
School leadership	17%	17%	19%	18%
Post-16 provision	15%	23%	17%	26%
Perceived student behaviour	12%	32%	13%	34%
I attended the same /a similar school	11%	15%	12%	15%
Workload policy (marking/afterschool interventions)	11%	11%	12%	13%
Status/reputation of the science department	10%	25%	10%	26%
Lack of options/I didn’t choose/I didn’t have a choice	10%	8%	8%	5%
Pay	9%	6%	10%	6%
Other	9%	15%	9%	15%
Student outcomes	7%	17%	8%	18%
Inspection rating	5%	8%	5%	10%
Don’t know/not sure	3%	1%	3%	1%
Able to teach/work in my native language (e.g. Welsh/Gaelic/Gaidhlig/Gaeilge)	1%	1%	0%	1%
Not applicable	0%	0%	0%	0%
No response (Missing data)	0%	0%	0%	0%
Total	235	1294	203	1046

Filter: Teachers (including Heads of Department); base n = 1593

*The sample sizes for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland were not large enough to generate statistically reliable results.

Thinking about where you currently work, why did you choose this school to work in?

I am passionate about the subject and helping students achieve their potential. I wanted a job that made me feel I can make a difference not just in my classroom.

Illustrated people helping each other over blocks.png

What we are doing

Supporting teachers in areas of high socio-economic deprivation is a priority because we believe that everyone should have access to an excellent chemistry education. The survey insights and our additional research are helping us to address the specific needs of these teachers. We continue to review and modify the support we offer, developing new areas of support where they are needed.

Our Chemistry for All research revealed the barriers to participation in UK chemistry undergraduate study. This longitudinal study stretched over five years and was targeted at students from less advantaged backgrounds. The findings led us to set up a dedicated fund to help outreach providers modify their delivery approach. For example, we support outreach providers to build relationships with school leaders rather than rely on the enthusiasm of one or two engaged teaching staff.

We support external research, such as ASPIRES, which studies young people’s science and career aspirations.

Creating a more inclusive chemistry education for learners is a core focus of our policy work. All students – regardless of where they live, what school they go to, or their personal circumstances or characteristics – should have access to an excellent chemistry education. We communicate our messages in this area through our education policy positions and campaigns.

Some of the resources that we encourage teachers and technicians to use include:

curated articles on behaviour management, which are available through our free magazine for teachers, Education in Chemistry
differentiated teaching resources to maximise the learning of all students
teacher professional development like our free Sustained Professional Development courses. We offer priority places for schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation.
our Leadership Mentoring programme connects teachers (prioritising those working in areas of high socio-economic deprivation) with RSC members who are experienced leaders in other sectors. It’s an invaluable resource for educators with departmental responsibilities.

Are you teaching in an area of high socio-economic deprivation?

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