Older teachers face discrimination
Discrimination against older teachers in schools has become an increasingly serious problem, representatives at the Annual Conference of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, have argued.
The NASUWT is concerned by growing evidence that older teachers, particularly women, are increasingly being singled out for redundancy or subjected to the abuse of capability procedures.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“Older teachers often have a wealth of experience and expertise. They should be viewed by schools as an asset.
“It is disturbing to find, however, that all too often older teachers are being targeted for redundancy, threatened unjustly with capability procedures, denied access to professional development, or subjected to excessive monitoring in an attempt to force them out of the school.
“They face this harassment and discrimination often for no other reason than they are older and more expensive.
“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.
“Children and young people are losing access to good, experienced teachers as a result of these unacceptable practices.”
NASUWT press contacts
Ben Padley 07785 463 119
Lena Davies 07867 392 746
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