ABSTRACT
This chapter examines variations in the teaching forces at different schools in Coventry, considering the effects of Social Priority designation, location in the inner or outer city and the characteristics of catchment areas. A survey of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) revealed a turnover rate among teachers more than twice as high as the UK average: of permanent teachers who resigned, 77 per cent of the men and 87 per cent of the women had been teaching in their last school for less than five years. The study area constituted Coventry LEA, which administers 16 comprehensive schools. The sample consisted of eight comprehensive schools differentiated by their location and Social Priority designation. The survey was carried out between October 1985 and March 1986 and was coincident with a period of industrial action by teachers in schools. The results reveal strong homogeneity within the urban teaching profession, contrasting sharply with the American experience.
