Increase in service use across all charities
The total number of interactions handled across all charities between April and June 2008 was 26,569. This is compared to 22,817 interactions between April and June 2007 and 23,032 in the last quarter. InfoCentre factsheets made up the largest number of interactions (82 per cent) while telephone calls represented 16 per cent. Online Coaching, although in use more than last quarter, still accounted for 2 per cent of all interactions.

Highlights:

Rising class sizes but more time spent on admin than students or research – life as a 21st century lecturer
Polling conducted by the College and University Support Network (CUSN) and UCU revealed that administration dominates lecturers’ workloads.

Education professionals still feeling the credit crunch effect; money, grant and loan enquires make up 26 per cent of calls
The rising cost of living has contributed to the number of callers seeking money and debt advice. This applies across all age ranges and job roles. The whole sector seems to be feeling the effects.

Dame Carol Black visits Teacher Support Network Contact Centre
Dame Carol Black, the Government’s National Director for Health and Work, visited Teacher Support Network’s Contact Centre in May. This follows a visit earlier in the year by Government Minister Lord McKenzie.

Telephone coaching helps teacher gain control of work-life balance
Caroline is a secondary school teacher in her 30s and is having problems with her work-life balance owing to a change in her teaching responsibilities.

Nearly 40 per cent of calls from NQTs and trainee teachers concentrate on career issues
A majority of the calls concerned career difficulties. Calls on teaching, continuing personal and professional development and getting a job also featured highly.

Headteachers feel the force of the credit crunch; grant and loan enquiries reach new high, up 16 per cent
Grant and loan enquiries became the most popular reason for calls from headteachers, with 34.3 per cent of all calls, up 16 per cent on this time in 2007.

DOWNLOAD: You can read the report in pdf format by downloading a copy here.

Attached file(s):
• QR2-tsn-08.pdf