麻豆约拍

Nearly 50 Kent schools do not have a dedicated head teacher, with some having to advertise up to five times to fill vacancies.

That is according to a Kent County Council report which also warns teachers lower down the pay scale are leaving the profession - a third citing bullying by management and poor pupil behaviour.

The National College for School Leadership says that across the country there will be a head teacher and deputy head teacher recruitment crisis within 10 years, if something is not done.

Whilst recruitment is healthier further down the pay grades, retention is a real problem, with teachers leaving the profession just a matter of years after they have joined.

Recent research shows low morale and poor communication by senior management are the two top reasons for that. But teachers also cite stress, poor work-life balance and managers not acting in the best interests of staff.

Education chiefs at KCC meet today to agree a plan to tackle the issue of recruiting and retaining teachers.

Also on the programme, measures to prevent a terrorist attack from the skies on this summer's Olympics could damage Kent businesses.

That is the warning from Kent's light aircraft industry after the government imposed tight restrictions on the airspace above the Games.

For five weeks this summer, the government is restricting the number of aircraft which can fly in a massive area over the capital and west Kent, stretching 4,000 square miles. Flight schools say they'll be all-but grounded.

And the latest unemployment figures for Kent make grim reading. Across the county nearly 1,500 people joined the dole queue in the last month, pushing the total in Kent up to 39,000.

Across Kent the number of women claiming Job Seekers Allowance went up by nearly 300.

Youth unemployment is also up. Across the south-east there are nearly 43,000 young people out of work, with nearly 4,000 of them unemployed for a year or more.

We hear about the experiences of those suffering in these tough economic times and find out how you can improve your chances of gaining employment.

Show less