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 [...]
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably sick to death of people outside the profession telling teachers how to teach. If everyone’s an expert, then the craft is debased into non-existence. That’s why it's always exciting when someone who know education from the top and bottom offers their guidance. Teacher Booker were honoured to be [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Rightly, background and compliance checks for teachers are very stringent. The process can seem complex and confusing and often there is a lack of comprehensive guidance. So we put together this guide to explain what’s required and why, and how you can help the process. Interview What happens We’ll go through your experience [...]
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 [...]
What keeps a professional relationship healthy? Much the same as a personal one, as it turns out. But in a crisis, desperation can cause us to forget our values in favour of ‘sticking plaster’ solutions. For maximum benefit for pupils, relationships between schools and teachers ought to embody certain core characteristics. They should be: 1. [...]
Bzzz bzzz bzzz. I’m sorely, sorely tempted to bash that snooze button again. But this time it’s the phone, and one of my teaching agency consultants. She’s reeling off a jumbled list of instructions and information that it’s far too early for and which is consequently only sort of half going into my brain all [...]
