Lack of support around teacher mental health
The stigma around discussing mental health is still very much present, and the majority (80.3%) of education professionals agree that not enough is being done to support mental health at work. In fact, half (50.1%) have considered resigning from a job due to lack of support. That’s according to the latest data from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site. The survey of 1,100 UK workers sought to explore the topic of mental-health in the workplace and how well employers support their staff. With 45.4% of education professionals revealing that aspects of their job can cause them to feel anxious or depressed, it’s clear that something must be done. When asked what measures employers can introduce to help support their staff, respondents said: Promote a healthy work-life balance – 32.9% Refer employees to a counselling service – 19.7% Create an environment where mental health is not stigmatised – 15.8% Have an internal counselling service for staff – 14.5% Allow them to take time out when they need to – 8% Furthermore, the majority (81.6%) of professionals in the education sector believe that employers should offer mental health days for staff, with 80.3% agreeing that they’d be more likely to work for a company that did. A staggering 92% also said that they believe that employers should be given training to help them understand mental health and how to help employees who may be suffering. Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments: “It’s concerning to learn that education professionals aren’t feeling supported by their employers when it comes to their mental health and it’s clear more needs to be done to tackle this. It’s a sad reality that mental health problems can affect all areas of life. But if you’re struggling to cope at work, it’s important that you don’t suffer in silence.” Worryingly, the majority (81.8%) of education professionals confessed that they would be too embarrassed to disclose information about the state of their mental health to their employer. What’s more, a huge 81% feel guilty for taking time off for mental health reasons. Biggins concludes: “From our data, it’s obvious that there is a deep-rooted stigma around talking about mental health, particularly at work. And it’s clear that education professionals are reluctant to take days off to look after their mental wellbeing. But the truth is, you wouldn’t feel bad leaving the office because of a migraine or stomach bug and your mental health shouldn’t be any different. “If you are comfortable enough with your boss, it’s important to let them know what’s going on. They may be able to offer you support in the way of counselling, reduced or flexible hours, or time off to recharge. If your employer is very unforgiving and you feel that you are not supported, it could be time to look for a better opportunity elsewhere, in a company where your wellbeing comes first.” For more tips on taking care of yourself, check out our guide on looking after your mental health in the workplace or search over 174,000 jobs today.
Eleven thousand volunteers go back to school to broaden students’ jobs horizons
More than eleven thousand former students across Britain have this year volunteered at their old state school in partnership with Future First, an education charity. By volunteering, these alumni have helped to broaden students’ jobs horizons and boost their aspirations for the future. Their contribution represents more than 20,000 hours of free volunteering time, an invaluable boost for state schools currently grappling with limited budgets. Future First has helped these state schools to tap into the time, talent, and resource of their former students, bringing them back to school to act as career role models for the next generation. 4,500 different employers have been represented as part of the initiative. And more than 110,000 young people have benefited. Future First’s work in more than a thousand state schools has been backed by celebrities including actors Julie Walters, Stephen Fry, Craig Parkinson and Jodie Prenger and the DJ Nick Grimshaw. Since 2009, the charity has worked with more than a thousand state schools from Plymouth to Glasgow enabling them to harness the skills of former students by building supportive networks of alumni volunteers around the school. Former students return to their old school, opening up new worlds of opportunities for current students, to act as career and education role models, mentors, governors, providers of work experience and much more. They help to equip the current generation of students with the soft skills they need to succeed in the world of work and to boost their confidence to achieve academically. Future First research shows alumni can transform students’ motivation by acting as relatable role models grounded in the community, showing current students that ‘people like me’ can succeed. Matt Lent, CEO of Future First said: “This is an astonishing number of volunteering hours and shows the willingness of former students to support current students at their old state schools. Students can’t be what they can’t see and it is vital that we equip them with a broad knowledge of available careers and give them the skills they need to achieve.” “Private schools have always understood the value of linking students past and present and now state schools are realising this too. Alumni are an untapped resource of talent and skills. It’s inspirational and very motivating for students to see that if someone who sat at the same desk as them has gone on to succeed, they can too.” Charlie Pullen, a PhD student who volunteered at his old school Varndean School in Brighton, said: “These students were having dedicated time to learn how to be confident. I wish I had had classes that taught me how to look someone in the eye and speak with assurance when I was their age.” For further information on Future First, click here contact Press Officer Sue Crabtree or call one of the Future First team on 0207 239 8933
Reducing exclusions through behaviour management placements
Gill Bullock is the Director and one of the founders of Aspire Behaviour Management Ltd, which is based in Lancashire. Here, Gill talks to QA Education editor Victoria Galligan about working with children who are at risk of exclusion… Can you describe what happens during the placements at Aspire, and during the transition period? Children aged between three and nine can access placements at The Aspire Hub. All those children who come to us have exhibited Social and Emotional Mental Health and are at high risk of exclusion. Prior to a child starting at The Hub we may have already been working with them in their school. A multiagency meeting is called so we can discuss the provision and the expectations of all parties working together to find the best outcome for all. If school feel that the child’s behaviour is too high risk to return from an exclusion school can use the Notices of Direction to Attend. School staff need to commit to see the child every week to continue or rebuild relationships, the child needs to wear their school uniform. Parents should attend stay and play and take part in the parenting support. The day has a structured timetable giving children access to both structured times and free play. Children are taken out in identified small groups that targets their scores from the Beyond the Boxall. We believe that children are unable to progress with their learning if they have not been able to secure the foundation of life learning. Learning is recorded in the learning journey and progress is tracked using the Boxall profile. The Hub has regard to the National Curriculum and the Early Learning Goals. We are aware that children in mainstream and other settings will cover more quantity of work than the children attending The Hub however, these children are currently unable to meet the developmental norms of the EYFS/NC. We believe that by revisiting early life experiences with the quality and intensity of provision help to build the foundations of secure learning. We constantly review progress and every four weeks using a School Readiness Scale we can then consider if a child is ready to return to school. The readiness tool helps us to judge whether the transition is likely to be successful and helps us focus on the areas for further development. When appropriate the transition takes place, a timetable will be discussed with school and parents. When a child returns we want this to be a fresh start, so the child will access the classroom on a phased return. School and Aspire will share strategies and identify appropriate provision and an action plan to ensure success. Aspire keyworker will escort and support the child back to school. As school staff and Aspire will have both worked with the child in The Hub setting this helps for a smooth transition. Over a period the Aspire keyworker will step back, and the school support will take over if and were appropriate. What can mainstream schools do to help reduce exclusions? There are actions schools can take to make exclusion far less likely, and there are some incredible examples of really effective practice. The earlier behavioural challenges are identified, along with effective action being taken to minimise the impact of them, the better chance a child has of succeeding in school. Too often identification of the true cause of behavioural challenges are not discovered until the child’s behaviour has deteriorated to a state where exclusion is the only avenue school feel is left to them. Further, some challenges require specialist intervention which many mainstream schools cannot easily access. One thing which can be done to reduce exclusions is for school staff to be trained to be able to identify behavioural challenges sooner, to know what to do to try and support children more effectively, and to know when to call for expert help. This does not require huge amounts of funding, simply a willingness for the education sector to develop a culture of “how will we never exclude” as a whole-school concept. The culture of mainstream schools to both exclusions and pastoral support also plays a key role. Creating a culture where the school seeks to understand the needs of each child, and has the skills to either support them, or to know where to go to do so, has been demonstrated to be incredibly successful. Can you give an example of a successful case? We supported a child, his family and school. from a local Primary school. The child was at risk of permanent exclusion because of persistent disruptive behaviour, including incidents of throwing chairs, climbing on furniture and showing aggression towards staff and other pupils. After receiving a short period of in-school support from Aspire, the child was given a placement for 11 weeks at The Hub. When he arrived, using the information we had gathered from school and our time with the child, we then put a plan in place to ensure the child received the nurture intervention and support he needed to enable the successful transition to mainstream school. Adopting a nurturing approach and following our well-defined processes, we carefully put the building blocks in place which the child needed to establish appropriate relationships with other children, building resilience, and strategies to enable them to deal more effectively with the behavioural issues they faced. At the same time we worked with his parents, building relationships and positive behaviour management strategies, as modelled by staff, through time spent with their child at The Hub. They also received support from our Family Liaison Officer and attended parenting groups hosted at the Hub. All this had the impact of helping the parents better understand the nature of their child’s challenges, and to give more effective support to them when required. Whilst the child was with us at The Hub, a member of staff who worked with him at his mainstream school spent time with him, again to see the strategies and learning being modelled, and to receive coaching
Questions about teaching apprenticeships?
Qualified Schools has launched the new Teaching Apprenticeship Programme to help schools recruit and train new graduates. Here, programme director Neil Gamewell explains why the programme provides a simple, fee-free and paid route into teaching. How can the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme help alleviate the shortage of STEM teachers? There are a number of reasons for the persistence of recruitment and retention problems across the teaching profession, which occur most acutely in STEM subjects. Worryingly, a Public Accounts Committee Report, published in January 2018, found 67% of those surveyed cited workload as the barrier to teacher retention. There are significant and well documented issues around teacher pay, working conditions and workload – but the lack of ease by which graduates can enter the profession is a major issue too. The teaching profession over the years has made it way too difficult for schools to attract talented graduates. In my experience, existing routes to Qualified Teacher Status are seen as tortuous and unclear by many graduates. This issue is particularly acute for STEM subjects, where desperately needed high-skilled graduates are being tempted into other comparatively well-paid professions and industries. This puts the onus on the teaching profession to create the right environment for these graduates to pursue a career in teaching. In particular, it needs to highlight the accessibility of teaching roles. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programmes breaks this cycle by offering a simple to understand, fee-free and salaried route into teaching. After 9 months, graduates will achieve Qualified Teacher Status and within a year, have completed their End-Point Assessment to complete the apprenticeship. For this, they will receive a salary in line with the unqualified teacher pay scale. Through grant and apprenticeship levy funding, the cost-burden for schools is very small in comparison to other routes. Is the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme available all over the country? Are LA schools able to take part as well as free schools/academies? Yes, all schools across the country can take advantage of the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme. Access to grants may differ depending on the area or local authority, but access to apprenticeship levy funding is universal. Local authority maintained schools should speak with their local authority about accessing funding from their centralised levy account to train teachers. Following Damian Hinds’ announcement on QTS, how will the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme ensure high-quality candidates are recruited and retained? The Education Secretary’s recent speech on the issue of teaching apprenticeships and QTS was encouraging mainly because it explicitly recognised the challenges facing trainee teachers. His confirmation of Government support for teaching apprenticeships was also encouraging. With Government backing I believe that teaching apprenticeships could become the flagship apprenticeship of this generation. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme only accepts graduates and the training is provided by a Department for Education approved Initial Teacher Training provider. Our principles are very much in line with the vision set out by Damian Hinds, namely to provide trainees with a clear structure and support in early career development. The core idea of simplifying the teacher training process and providing clarity for new recruits allows them to strip away the unneeded extras and focus on reaching QTS. The benefit for schools is that they can grow their own staff organically – they can pay graduates an unqualified teacher pay scale salary and develop them into the culture of their school. Are schools using their apprenticeship levy funds effectively? No, but the apprenticeship levy is still relatively new and many professions, not just teaching, are still getting to grips with the system and how to access funding. In my experience, school leaders often have a limited understanding of the apprenticeship levy, what it means for them, and how they can make the most of it. What should concern them most about this situation is that if the money is not spent each year, it disappears. Schools must plan to ensure they spend levy funds at the right time and on teachers, rather than lower skilled labour. If decisions are taken at the right time, many will be able to take advantage of grants as well as levy funding in order to minimise the costs of recruitment and training high quality candidates. We recognise that the teaching profession is currently under significant pressure, so the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme guides schools through the process of accessing levy funds, step-by-step. What advice do you have for people thinking of going into teaching, but are put off by the workload? Teaching is a challenging, but immensely rewarding profession. This should be embraced. The road to becoming a qualified teacher is shorter and simpler than it may often seem. If you are passionate about a topic or subject area, teaching is a profession that allows you to entertain these passions and grow them further. You get to work in an area that you enjoy and share your knowledge with others. Seeing young people learn and develop into young adults ready for the world of work and life is an enriching experience, one that is unmatched by most professions. There are stories in the media every day about workload pressures in teaching. The profession must grapple with this issue if it is to stand a chance of hiring great people, but such stories can also mispresent the very many positive aspects of teaching that go unreported. For more information about the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme please click here
A Coaching Revolution: why schools need extra help
Annie Boate, author of A Coaching Revolution, discusses why schools need extra help when it comes to improving the skills of existing staff, and details the impact of her work: How did you first get into the world of education and coaching (which one came first)? I began my teaching career in a very challenging school in a deprived area. I quickly realised I had skills in motivating some of the most disengaged children with low prior attainment, low aspirations and low self-esteem. I desperately wanted to help these children escape the poverty trap and believe in themselves so they could have a better future, so I learnt some basic coaching strategies to boost their confidence and help them recall things easily, ready for their GCSEs. When I realised the success of these basic coaching techniques I knew that I could use them to develop the sixteen members of staff I line-managed, having been promoted again in my new school. I knew they were under pressure and I wanted to help them to overcome their challenges, to do better, and to feel better. The more I experienced the power of coaching the more I wanted to learn. I invested my personal time and money to learn from the best coaches. I then became a coach in the corporate world. Despite my lucrative earnings from coaching CEOs, I soon realised that my passion for making a difference to people in schools was far more important than my bank balance. That’s when ‘Coachinginschools’ was born. Why do you think there needs to be a coaching revolution in education? There are three main reasons: One – because ‘coaching’ is too often done badly in schools. People call things ‘coaching’ which aren’t really coaching. They use old, inefficient models (like GROW) and don’t understand their limitations. These models take up way too much time so they aren’t practical for busy educators, and they don’t deliver anywhere near as much impact as my 12-Step Model. Two – because when people adopt the coaching strategies shared in my book they’ll instantly get better outcomes and take the pressure off themselves and others. And three – because coaching impacts positively on all aspect of school improvement, which saves schools a lot of time and money. School improvement is such an incredibly complex issue, and there are so many aspects and strands that interconnect. Each school context is different, and it’s difficult for school leaders to be confident that they’re adopting the best school improvement strategies for their school. It sometimes seems that you need a different strategy for each area, leading to ‘initiative overload’ and workload issues. That’s why strategic Headteachers have realised that coaching is the answer. Not only does it impact positively on all aspects of school improvement (whether it’s leadership and management, teaching and learning, pupil progress or mental health) but it also saves a vast amount of time and money. How long have you been working as a ‘coaching in schools’ expert? Over 18 years. What are the top three challenges facing headteachers and school leaders in the UK today? 1) Staff recruitment & retention (including wellbeing in view of workload issues, pressure to get results and constant policy changes!) 2) Financial pressures owing to budget cuts 3) Pupil progress and wellbeing What is the biggest success story of your career? Developing the 12-Step Coaching In Schools model which has made a difference to thousands of people worldwide, and is frequently described as “life-changing” and “transformational”. It’s easy to follow, simple and powerful, and as long as people do it correctly they can’t fail to get results. It’s also been tested and proven to outperform other coaching models and deliver far better impact/results. People who have been coached using my model report faster progress, greater success and huge increases in confidence and motivation. For example: • One reception class went from just 13.79% to 72.41% of children writing through choice when their teacher was coached • Combined reading, writing and maths at Whitefield Primary School went from 37% to 64% in one year and their Ofsted judgement went from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ • All three schools supported by a ‘National Support School’ increased their GCSE Results, going from 37% to 60%; from 40% to 55% and from just over 20% up to 55% Although I originally developed my coaching model for schools I’m always delighted and excited to know that people are using it on a daily basis with colleagues, pupils, friends, family and on themselves. Not only has it transformed teaching, learning and leadership, it’s also been successful in helping weight loss, work-life balance, depression, and even helping someone escape from a dreadful domestic violence situation. Once someone has read A Coaching Revolution and they want MORE – how do they get that and what else can they get from you and your business? If someone wants more they’re welcome to contact me directly for a chat so that I can see what would work best for them. They can also: a) Apply for a place on one of my online training programmes to learn the 12-Step Model and advanced coaching skills b) Request face-to-face training for a group of staff c) Order the ‘dual factor’ 360 Diagnostic Tool to take a more forensic and effective approach to staff development and school improvement planning, leading to more rapid improvement. May is notoriously a stressful time of year for students, teachers and parents as it’s exam season. What advice would you give to each of those ‘groups’ in terms of navigating through the month of May and coming out the other side? Use my 12-Step Model to coach students to success. This will keep them focused on the positive outcome they want and they’ll work out the best way to get there. It will help them to break overwhelming revision down into bite-size chunks, and
Holistic Healing approach empowers children with emotional issues
Jacqueline Gray, the co-founder of Holistic Healing 4 Children along with Terri Allen, talks to QA Education editor Victoria Galligan about the work her team carry out with pupils and their families, as well as schools, to provide a holistic approach to empowering pupils to control their emotions. What is Holistic Healing and how does it help children? Holistic Healing 4 Children works closely with the family to bring about a positive change for pupils. As we are holistic we look at the whole child including their environment, diet, exercise, how much TV they watch, how much sleep they get etc. We have a questionnaire that we ask the parent to fill out initially and we generally have a talk to the parent before seeing their child, to get a good idea of the issue from their point of view. The pupil has a minimum of three sessions (this is usually enough to make a desired change to the situation) and the sessions are totally non invasive and very creative. We get a lot of information from the child through their drawings and guided imagery. Once we have got an idea where the problem lies and where they are out of balance, we then make recommendations to the pupil and the family. Sometimes an adjustment in the family is needed in order for them to become back into balance. They are given suggestions, recommendations, tools and strategies as to how they can make positive changes and we send a write up report with these suggestions after the initial consultation. We believe that working closely with everyone really benefits the client. This can even involve going to the school and doing observations and making recommendations for the teacher where necessary. What different types of services do you offer? We work individually with clients and we offer emotional wellbeing workshops in schools and training for teachers and parents on how to use our resources to get the very best out of them. How does the crystal healing bed work? The Crystal bed is something that we offer our individual clients, including members of their family. It helps to balance and harmonise the body as well as the emotions. Can you give some examples of how holistic healing has helped mainstream schools? We go into schools and deliver emotional wellbeing workshops using our books My Magical Garden and My Magical Tree. The workshops help the children with emotional expression and regulation through the use of their imagination.. We also offer teacher training to give the teachers the tools to access the child’s imagination and through this approach, which when used regularly, it can help a child/teenager to transfer a physical safe place to a mental safe place, giving them a new skill to cope with difficult situations. We have had great feedback from our workshops and they are always very well received. The children connect to the approach very quickly and when encouraged they use it to help them through negative moments. The books also offer advice in the back which teachers have found very informative and a way of encouraging their pupils to communicate their feelings. If you see our YouTube channel, you will see interviews that we have had with teachers who give their feedback after attending the workshop. It’s all about giving the children and teachers a strategy to use when there are emotionally challenging moments. What advice can you give to headteachers of mainstream schools re holistic healing? We totally recommend trying our workshops and learning about our approach. It is simple, enjoyable and yet very effective and in particular for children who present with challenging behaviours. When the strategy is fully embraced by the whole school it becomes a powerful tool to help develop emotional wellbeing in schools; a great resource for PSHE and an opportunity for cross-curricular activities in creative writing and art. It can have a significant impact, especially for the children who are more emotionally challenged, allowing them to flourish. Can children with severe SENDs benefit from holistic healing? Absolutely. Everything we do can be adapted to whoever we are working with. Holistic Healing 4 Children offers a non-threatening way to communicate and it offers a strategy for children who struggle with their emotions. Does holistic healing help families as well as schools? Yes we work with both schools and families. With schools we generally go in for a full day of workshops and at the moment we offer these for free (we do need to ask for travel expenses where necessary). We train the teachers and offer a workshop for the parents too so that everyone is onboard with the approach. We run workshops for parents and we offer individual sessions. The idea is to empower the child. We give tools and strategies so that they can learn to regulate their emotions without becoming reliant on us. We recommend a minimum of three sessions and usually that is enough but if more sessions are needed then we go with what feels best for each client. For more information, see the Holistic Healing 4 Children website.
Serving up school food buying efficiencies
Daniel Ball, director of Wax Digital spending management solutions, discusses efficient and cost-saving approaches to school food buying… Purchasing for school catering is never an easy task. Under pressure to feed hungry mouths a range of nutritionally-balanced meals on a daily basis, while at the same time accommodating government standards and compliance with food safety guidelines, there’s a lot to consider when planning menus for a new term and placing orders with the supply chain. And then of course, there’s the small matter of trying to meet all the above criteria on tighter than ever budgets. Many schools benefit already from the bulk buying efficiencies of collaborative procurement. This approach sees many academy trust procurement teams looking after the catering needs of a number of schools and tasked with menu planning and ordering for two or more thousands of children per day. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important to schools, and catering teams are being asked for locally sourced produce from suppliers who use minimal packaging to deliver their produce. Working within strict budgetary guidelines and under pressure to meet nutrition, sustainability and other government standards, it’s essential that school food buyers have the right ingredients in place for quick, cost effective procurement. Here are my top three suggestions for easing school food buying challenges: 1. Simplifying ordering processes Schools need quick and efficient ordering processes. However, having to place orders with a variety of suppliers who meet cost, sustainability, dietary and government standard criteria can be a tricky process to manage. To do this, schools need fast access to this supplier information and certifications to prove that they are compliant. The quickest and most effective way to place orders with suppliers that meet your criteria is via an electronic purchasing system that is integrated with the food supply chain’s ordering channels. Schools can choose to place orders with specific suppliers that meet their criteria; orders are quick and immediate; and a clear and detailed record of what’s ordered can be maintained. 2. Make budgeting and menu planning easy Menu planning and ingredient costing software tools can help caterers to budget more effectively by giving them immediate access to an up-to-date view of all food purchasing activity and allowing them to cost and plan menus in advance of placing an order. And as these tools can be integrated into an electronic procurement system it enables food buyers to effectively manage all purchases and payments for the new menus aswell as plan for budgets in advance. 3. Pre-agree school food pricing with suppliers Lots of different factors can have an impact on the cost of food including bad weather, exchange rate volatility, inflation or a poor harvest forcing suppliers to increase their costs. However, it is possible for school food buyers to pre-agree prices for key ingredients and produce in advance with key suppliers. Pre-agreed pricing structures, together with any current supplier discounts and promotions, can be automatically applied within today’s food and drink purchasing systems, as well as terms and processes for emergency last minute ordering. To make procurement efficiencies and ensure catering needs are effectively met, it could be time to review all your school food buying processes and systems in order to secure better buying outcomes. After all, school catering teams are busy enough, so alleviating ordering and stock control pressures leaves them free to do what they do best – serving up healthy, nutritious meals that meet cost, nutritional and sustainable agendas. For more information on school food buying and other budgeting advice, see Wax Digital
Grow your own teachers
Qualified Schools has launched the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme (TAP) to help schools recruit, train and retain the best graduates into teaching roles. The TAP handle the whole process, from sourcing, screening and recruiting graduates for shortage subjects (including STEM), supporting schools to access available apprenticeship levy funding and delivering a 1 year programme which guides apprentices towards Qualified Teacher Status. Teaching Apprenticeships are proving to be very successful in attracting graduates compared to other Initial Teacher Training programmes, which have failed to meet recruitment targets for five years running. They also provide schools with useful benefits, for instance, Inner London schools can access grants up to £17,400 to support the recruitment of graduates to teach subjects with staff shortages. Graduates value Teaching Apprenticeships because they are simple to understand and provide a fee-free, route to achieving Qualified Teacher Status. Trainee teachers will be paid in line with the unqualified teacher salary scale starting at £20,909 in Inner London and £16,626 across the rest of the country, alongside a valuable training package leading to QTS. According to UCAS figures, applications for teacher training courses fell by one third last year – from 19,330 in December 2016 to just 12,820 in 2017. Schools are also struggling to retain staff, with the National Audit Office figures stating 8% of qualified staff left the profession for reasons other than retirement in 2016. With workforce issues persisting, it is vital that new, simpler routes into teaching are explored and sources of funding are fully utilised. Given the complex nature of the numerous routes into teaching, the programme provides a simple way for schools to tackle workforce gaps and for talented graduates to enter the profession. Most academies and local authority maintained schools are impacted by the apprenticeship levy and public sector apprenticeship target, but many are unclear of how to access apprenticeship levy funds available to them. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme will guide schools through every step, ensuring they access and use funding to hire and train teaching apprentices before it runs outs. Commenting on the launch, Teaching Apprenticeship Programme Director Neil Gamewell said: “Data shows us that existing pathways are not doing enough to attract high quality graduates into the teaching profession. “The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme is a highly attractive option for both graduates and schools. It is simple and fee-free for graduates, offering them security and a clear route into a respected profession. “For schools it is cost-effective in the short and long term. They can pay for it in-part through apprenticeship-levy funding and limit future retention issues by growing their own teachers. Schools should not miss out on this opportunity.” For more information about the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme please click here
Damian Hinds announcement on tackling teacher recruitment and retention
Secretary of State Damian Hinds has announced the DfE’s initial response to the report ‘Strengthening Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and Improving Teacher Career Progression’, at Friday’s National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) annual conference. Changes include extending the induction period from one to two years, while he blasted Mocksteds and triple marking as “costly distractions”. The Department for Education (DfE) launched the public consultation in December 2017, and it set out a range of proposals for ensuring teachers have the right support in place at the beginning of their careers, improving access to high-quality professional development, and improving progression opportunities for all teachers throughout their careers. At the NAHT conference, Mr Hinds also announced a £5million sabbatical find for teachers with over 10 years’ experience, allowing them to take between a term and a year out of school to further their professional development. ‘I think it an utter travesty that so many NQTs end up losing their early enthusiasm’ Damian Hinds And he vowed to focus on cutting teacher workload, adding, “When I see NQTs brimming with passion to change young lives for the better, I think it an utter travesty that so many end up losing their early enthusiasm, because of the pressures of the job. Especially when so many of those pressures are entirely unnecessary. “Because that’s what endless data cuts, triple marking, 10 page lesson plans, and, worst of all, Mocksteds are: a distraction from the core purpose of education. And a costly distraction at that.” Mr Hinds previously made a statement at the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference, backing more freedom for teachers so they can focus on the tasks which will make a real difference to learning. In his speech, Mr Hinds said, “We need to get back to the essence of successful teaching; strip away the workload that doesn’t add value and give teachers the time and the space to focus on what actually matters. Trust teachers to teach. That’s in the interests of teachers but it is also in the interests of children.” The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) was one of the 2,033 respondents to the QTS consultation and their response, submitted in February, is here. Giving her reaction to the publication of the DfE’s initial response to the consultation, NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis said, “We are particularly pleased that the government is seating these proposals within a wider strategy around recruitment, retention, workload and professional development. This is demonstrative of the joined-up approach that NASBTT has been advocating. We are also exceptionally pleased that the DfE plans to continue to work with the sector as the proposals set out in this consultation response evolve. As a profession, we have long been asking to be done ‘with’ rather than ‘done to’, and it seems that these proposals are taking this approach. “In terms of the details of the response, we are thrilled to note that QTS will remain where it is, as the end of the ITT year and it is the induction period which will be extended to include a greater entitlement to professional development and support, including additional time for early career professionals to access these. From the first launch of this consultation, we have strongly advocated for this result and the proposal rightly recognises the strength of the ITT sector and seeks to improve the quality of induction, which is where we believe the greatest gains can be made. We are fully supportive of the development of the Early Career Framework for the induction period and look forward to working closely with the expert team to help shape this. We are also pleased to note that the DfE is ‘attracted’ to our suggested alternative to QTS(P) and QTS. We advocated strongly for QTS and Endorsed QTS and this has been recognised in the consultation response. “We welcome the proposals around recognising the importance and status of mentors and the review of mentor training needs. We have seen with the development of NASBTT’s Teacher Educator Programmes, launched earlier this year, that the appetite for additional support and training for mentors is there and we are pleased the government is recognising this important role. Similarly, we welcome the commitment to the development of specialist qualifications and will continue to work closely with government to champion a career path for teacher educators as part of this development work. “We also note with pleasure the willingness to consider our proposal that the appropriate body market should be opened up to ITT providers and are also very supportive of the plans to strengthen the appropriate body function and to introduce an accreditation and quality assurance process for these bodies. In particular, we are pleased that the proposal sets out clear aims to approach these changes in a joined up, iterative manner which ensures that each element is considered in conjunction with the other and will not lead to stand-alone strategies which conflict. We recognise that this means the process will take time but are very supportive of an approach which takes a measured, considered approach to these fundamental changes, ensuring they are done properly with adequate thought and consideration. In involving the profession along the way, this will lead to greater buy-in and longer lead times for schools and other stakeholders to adopt and implement the changes. “However, the issue of funding remains unanswered. Whilst we fully understand that this is a matter for the next Spending Review, we must not lose sight of the fact that for these proposals to be successful, they must be properly funded and fully resourced. More funding is needed.”