Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 29; Flight Crew Total 296; Flight Crew Type 78
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
When flying into the pattern; there were 3 aircraft all coming in for a left base for runway 28 at ZZZ. We broke off our VOR A approach and started heading for the left base for runway 28. There were also 2 other aircraft converging for a left base for 28 as tower told them to fly there and report when there. There was a period of time (maybe 30 seconds) where 4 radio calls were made and the tower was not responding to us and the other pilots. These radio calls required responses as well as we were reporting that we were on the last base and other aircraft were making position reports. All 3 of us altered our courses which involved my student and I climbing over final where traffic was located below us and sidestepping to the left to avoid another aircraft. We weren't extremely close to this traffic and the traffic was other 172's like ourselves. There was safe separation here. Evasive action was not taken but it was closer than I would have wanted it to be. I believe tower had a new employee in training or they were doing a shift change. Either way; we altered course and avoided the other aircraft or then asked tower were we should go and they then responded to us. They gave us a right downwind for runway 28 and I believe we were #5 for that runway.
Cessna pilot reported 5 aircraft coming in from various directions to one runway;the pilots took it upon themselves to separate from each other since ATC did not separate or sequence the traffic.