Let me start with a confession: for the past few years, I’ve felt like something of a fraud. In spite of my open endorsement of teachers becoming better informed about educational research, I’d never attended a ResearchED event. Sandbagged with shame I decided enough was enough and made the pilgrimage up north to Birmingham for [...]
Pre-pandemic, every time stress in teaching came up in the press, the same claims about causes were fired off: Workload – rigorous marking policies, the relentless need to document all decisions, differentiating for all learners in planning as well as endless data entry Correspondingly long working hours, much of which is unpaid Greatly increased top-down [...]
As the festive season ebbs into distant memory, accompanied by all of its good cheer, people are once more ready to feel bad about things. Cue a slew of articles last week once more highlighting the stress epidemic gripping the profession. What’s new here? Not much, except that stress is spreading. Metastatic, its migrated to [...]
With both pupil numbers and demand for teachers set to rise in the near future, it will become increasingly important for school leaders not just to recruit, but to retain good staff. New models for better retention are required. The number of teachers joining the profession has roughly counterbalanced the number leaving it in recent [...]
Teachers always know when its close to Christmas. Even if they’ve somehow managed to avoid being carpet-bombed with seasonal adverts, they can sense the change in air pressure around school. The machine is slowly grinding to a halt, ready to power down for the holidays. In such a climate of school plays, Christmas jumper [...]
Over the weekend I was delighted to spy this brave blog post on Teacher Toolkit, the UK’s most followed education blog. Titled ‘Why Supply Agencies are the new ‘Del Boys’’, it is as forthright as it is faithful to the facts in summarising the current state of play in how agencies and schools interact. Numerous issues in this dynamic [...]
A great spectre haunts teaching - the spectre of challenging behaviour. It's a terribly powerful force, leaving many terrified of their own classrooms and spooking many out of the profession entirely. Yet many insist the problem is trivial and that proper lesson planning and arbitrary CPD can ward against it. Some disagree and believe [...]
Teacher Booker were pleased to attend the recent 2017 MATs Summit, and delighted at the overwhelmingly positive response to our vision and approach to changing the landscape of educational recruitment. Marooned by a placid lake in the Cotswolds, the 200 strong delegation featured MAT CEOs, business managers and head teachers alongside industry experts from [...]
The recruitment crisis looms large over the whole profession of teaching. Most simply bemoan the situation; others choose to do something about it. Professor John Howson is probably the sagest example of an individual working to understand and reverse this current crisis. In an illustrious career spanning 40 years, Howson has played many parts. [...]
Technology is a divisive subject among teachers. Some are ardent acolytes, fully persuaded of its ability to change the educational landscape, introducing students to new experiences and dissolving the orthodox approach to schooling that remains dominant in Anglo-American schools. Others are deeply sceptical, sensing a fad in full flow – tech will never [...]
