"At a time when our schools have to ask parents to give extra money for books and classroom essentials, it’s crazy we’re spending half a billion pounds a year just on agency fees. That money should be spent on teachers and the badly needed resources our children need to get a world class education" [...]
Introduction Outrage at public sector cuts is now so routine, that it’s hard to feel any authentic anger towards the government. But ire, in this instance, is appropriate. With school funding set to remain flat for the next two years despite inflation, schools are fated to have to make their own cuts – most worryingly, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The education recruitment crisis has been on everyone’s mind for some time. Blame for it is loudly thrown around in all directions with the unions and the government blaming agencies, schools blaming the government and agencies, and agencies and the government blaming schools. All this noise is unhelpful if we’re really looking for solutions. Pressure on school funding is applied from the top down. The [...]
