£18m school opens its doors after successful lobbying of parliament
When the roof collapsed just days after a condition survey carried out by the Department for Education concluded the building was in A1 condition, High Tunstall College of Science Headteacher Mark Tilling, headed to Parliament to lobby for a new school. With the help of the previous Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, Iain Wright, Dean Jackson, the former assistant Director of Education for Hartlepool Borough Council, Mark was able to secure a meeting with Minister of State for Schools at the time, David Laws, and his assistants. Mark Tilling said: “The College has been an important part of Hartlepool for over 47 years, but the building was old and tired. The facilities and the resources for our young people were nowhere near up to the standard they should have been. “We took a portfolio of this evidence down to Parliament as we felt it was important to put forward a strong case as we’re just one of thousands of schools across the UK and everyone wants a new building. “We were lucky enough in arranging a meeting with the Minister of State for Schools where we explained the situation the College was in and presented to him our evidence.” Six months later Mark and High Tunstall were successful in being placed on the Priority Schools Building Programme 2 (PSBP2). The PSBP2 came into effect in 2014 and was the replacement of the previous Building Schools for the Future programme implemented in the 2000s by the previous Labour Government. This meant the College would be allocated a portion of the £4.4 billion fund specifically set aside by the Government for the renovation and development of new schools across the UK. Mark was initially allocated £17.1m from the programme but when the local authorities increased the number of pupils at the College from 240 to a 270 intake, Mark was allocated an additional £1.3m from the Local Authorities Basic Need Funding. Contracts were then put together and the design for the school began in 2016 with key contractor BAM and the Department for Education working together. Mark continued: “The team came up with six or seven different models for the new College and eventually came up with a design that was functional and aided in movement and navigation for our students. “All the way through the process, the Department for Education was very much in agreement with what we were doing with the new building and worked hand-in-hand with ourselves and BAM.” Facilities in the new 3-storey building include 10 new science rooms and one demonstration laboratory, creative design rooms, design technology and one food technology classroom and a food demonstration room. The College has also benefited from a brand-new learning resource centre where students can learn independently. The four-court sports hall features solid wood sprung flooring and the ground floor features a theatre and dance studio as well as a large open plan cafeteria, which is the heart of the College. Classrooms in the new college contain interactive televisions. There are currently 4,188 secondary schools across the UK. A recent report from the National Audit Office has stated that 35% of these school buildings require substantial repairs costing more than £1 million to return to satisfactory condition. The report also states in order to get all schools into an acceptable state of repair it would cost £6.7bn. Mark said: “Projects like this show students they are cared about, are invested in and they can come to a school that they can be proud of. “We’ve always been proud of the High Tunstall name and now we have a facility that is befitting the name, befitting the College and makes students feel proud. Also, teachers come into work to a nice environment. With their well-being being looked after, they’re going to teach better and everyone is going to achieve better in the long run.” “High Tunstall College is set for a very bright future.”
Education Professionals Only Getting Six Hours Of Sleep
Majority of the education professionals are up and planning their day at 6am, with two-thirds only getting six hours of sleep a night before catching up on emails, spending time with loved ones and reading the latest news. What time do you wake up in the morning? According to the latest study from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, the majority (83.1%) of education professionals wake up at 6am for work every day, with a further 63.5% stating that they get just six hours of sleep a night. The study of 2,000 UK professionals found that only 32.7% of workers in the sector get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, with 37.8% even admitting that they wake up as early as 5am every day. The study went on to ask respondents what they like to do with their time before work, with the average morning routine including the following: Planning the day ahead (35.3%) Catching up on emails (33.3%) Reading the latest news (29.4%) Checking social media (27.5%) Spending time with loved ones (21.6%) Networking over coffee (18.1%) Texting their partner (11.8%) Texting family (9.8%) Working out (5.9%) Walking the dog (5.9%) Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library comments: “Let’s face it – not everyone can be a morning person – and for some people, the prospect of doing anything but eating your breakfast before work can seem a bit much. However, our research suggests that ‘successful’ people tend to wake up earlier, despite getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. “Naturally, you’re going to pack a lot more into your day if you make the most of the early hours, but only if you’re fully awake and ready to be productive. Tasks like working out or meditating can set you up for a great day ahead, but there’s no use trying to start a routine that’s not sustainable in the long run.” Interestingly, just over half (50.9%) of education professionals think that waking up early benefits your career. When asked why they think this, 48.1% said it helps them to get ahead with their tasks, 40.7% said it helps to improve their work-life balance and 11.1% said it teaches them a good work ethic. Biggins continues: “Getting the right amount of sleep can help you to stay healthy, alert and ready to tackle the day ahead. You’ll naturally feel happier, stay calm under pressure and forge positive relationships in the workplace. If you’re thinking of shaking up your routine, make sure you’re waking up early for the right reasons; if you’re doing it to crack on with your work before the day has even begun this might be counter-productive and could suggest it’s time to find a new job altogether!”
Can mindfulness training help improve mental health in schools?
What is mindfulness? Is there an activity in your life that you love and find absorbing? Do you ever notice moments of contentment and wellbeing? These experiences give us an idea of the ‘flavour’ of mindfulness; the capacity to be calm, open and aware in the present moment. Mindfulness is non-judgemental and always curious about experience, fostering a life lived consciously. Secular mindfulness practice is an evidence-based technique shown to be effective in improving wellbeing and reducing stress and depression. It is now used in a wide range of settings. Why offer mindfulness training in your school? A good foundation in mindfulness within the school environment actively combats problems such as anxiety, stress, and low mood. Practising mindfulness also promotes greater wellbeing and is a cost-effective way of supporting mental health. Children and young people have a natural capacity for absorption and positive emotion which mindfulness training can help to cultivate. Learners in your school can increase their ability to remain calm and focussed, and show greater emotional intelligence. The simple quality of enjoyment of experience that can result will set them up to engage more fully in the learning process. As members of staff, our states of mind can have an impact on the people around us. Mindfulness training is one proven way of helping staff to effectively manage stress, allowing them to maintain a calm perspective that can positively affect their children, students or colleagues. Research shows that well-conducted mindfulness training can result in: For staff: • increased job performance, problem-solving and ability to focus • reduced stress, burn-out, and anxiety • reduced days off work • better mental health; less distress, negative emotion, and depression • greater empathy and attunement to students’ needs For children and young people: • improved mental, emotional, social and physical health and wellbeing • reduced stress, anxiety, reactivity, and bad behaviour • greater calmness, the ability to manage behaviour and emotions, self-awareness and empathy • Improved focus, cognitive and performance skills, and executive function For more on the research, please see under ‘Resources’ on our website. Who we are ’Love Mindfulness’ is a training partnership of Dr Carolyn Drake, neuroscientist and former primary head teacher, and Annie Akasati McAuley, an ordained Buddhist and secondary/SEN specialist. We are based in Sussex and offer training in London and the South East. We are fully qualified, with extensive experience, and have enhanced DBS checks. We have been delivering mindfulness training since 2014 to a wide range of schools and colleges (staff and pupils), as well as sessions and courses for organisations and the general public. What we can offer you For staff: We provide INSET, single sessions, and courses. These are all practical and interactive, including guided mindfulness practices, relevant themes and science, with opportunities for discussion and questions. While we recommend up to thirty participants as an effective group size for INSET and twilight training with staff, we also have experience of working with larger groups. Courses are usually arranged for smaller groups of up to 15 people. For children and students from key-stages one to five: We offer age-appropriate and engaging single sessions and courses. We work with full class groups, providing some differentiation to accommodate different needs. We also provide bespoke events for Health Weeks, Enrichment days and other special events in the school calendar. All sessions are practical and interactive. As with the staff sessions, we include guided mindfulness practices, relevant themes and science, with opportunities for discussion and questions. Testimonials from staff • “Annie’s visit to our school left our staff with a very powerful message about the importance of mindfulness. Her mindfulness training sessions allowed all staff, with a wide range of previous experience, to access the course. There were an appropriate amount of links to theory and some excellent examples of sessions that were designed for students of all ages. We will continue our focus on mindfulness training for staff and students …” Duncan J Stonehouse, Head of School, Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School • “The whole school is calmer.” Catherine Allison, acting Head Teacher Testimonials from learners, key stages 2 to 5 • “I absolutely loved all the lessons” • “When you get stressed out, do one of the practices” • “I’ve learned more about my mind and how I can train it” • “I used the hand practice for my times tables and tests” • “I learned that if I am worried I can take a minute to breathe and it helps me calm down” • “I learned how to keep calm and relax. I will keep doing the petal practice, it makes me feel happy” • “…a massive thank you for all your help… I am back in practical lessons thanks to everything you’ve taught me… still practicing the mindfulness activities every day, and will continue to do so.” • “It is really helping me in difficult situations in my life.” • “It’s relaxing, calm and it helps you to be yourself.” LOVE MINDFULNESS Visit our website to find out all about us. Contact us to discuss training opportunities for your school or telephone on 07795 562483.
Mindfulness in Schools
Since 1967, the average age of onset of major depression has slipped down from 31-33 to 13-15 years of age, starting now as young as 4 years old (N=4041; Zisook, 2007, American Journal of Psychiatry). School teachers are noticing a gradual growth in the number of children with personal, social and emotional needs. There is clearly a need to provide support for the physical and mental wellbeing of young people, as well as support for head teachers and school staff, undergoing high work pressure. Randomised control trials have shown the effectiveness of mindfulness in reducing a wide range of physical and mental health conditions in adults and young people. MRI scans studies suggest that mindfulness meditation alters the structure and function of the brain in key areas involved with concentration, empathy, thoughts and feelings, and decision making. “There are many reasons why the development of mindfulness for teachers and school staff is a welcome move. Mindfulness has the capacity to improve staff occupational wellbeing and job satisfaction, improve performance, and reduce the wasted expenditure and human misery represented by the many days of stress related sickness and attrition from the teaching profession. The evidence base for the beneficial impact of mindfulness on the young is growing rapidly and students clearly need teachers skilled in mindfulness to teach it.” Katherine Weare Evidence for Mindfulness: Impacts on the Wellbeing and Performance of School Staff Mindfulness Midhurst specialises in delivering evidence-based mindfulness courses to the general public, in the workplace and particularly involved in the implementation of mindfulness in schools. Each school is different and the implementation will therefore start with an initial consultation to assess the context and needs of the school. We will then offer a package which includes courses for school staff, pupils and parents, as well as ongoing support and interventions until mindfulness is embedded in the school. All courses are evidence-based and secular: – The adult course is based on ‘MBSR’ (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). It has been carefully designed, using a combination of classical mindfulness teaching and modern psychology. – The ‘Paws B’ curriculum for children is a six to twelve session mindfulness course taught to 7-11 years old. It is taught with striking visuals, film clips and activities. This course was designed by experienced classroom teachers and senior mindfulness teachers at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University. Mindfulness in Schools Project is the teacher training provider for this course. Mindfulness can support a sense of well-being and give children essential tools to navigate skilfully through adolescence and adulthood. It has been shown to help with self-esteem, emotional self-regulation, metacognition, compassion, coping with stress, wellbeing and concentration. Sandrine Cranswick Founder Mindfulness Midhurst Mindfulness Teacher and Supervisor www.mindfulness-midhurst.co.uk |sb.cranswick@gmail.com |t.07976 751559
Mengage: practical work with boys and men on health concerns
Mengage is a not-for-profit company working with males on their health and the issues that affect their health. The services we provide include direct work with males, accredited male health education courses –with internal verification, resources, workshops and training, consultancy and research-based solutions from both national and international practice, backed by years of experience of practical work with men and boys. Mengage has a primary focus on practical work with men; it is founded by and run by practitioners who use their extensive knowledge of ‘what works’ to deliver and implement practical work that makes a difference. As practitioners we are aware that all too often males fail to present themselves at health services because they are not aware that they could be affected by a health concern, or that they don’t realise the implications of their actions or behaviour; that they had not been given health advice and information delivered in a way that was appealing and accessible to them – in environments that they were comfortable in, and in a language or manner that they could readily understand. Mengage acknowledges that men’s health encompasses a broad range of theories and disciplines. We seek to acknowledge this in our work; we do not promote any work on a rights-based or ideological basis. We promote a social determinants and ‘salutogenic’ approach that has identified key factors likely to enhance male health. Complementary to this we use social marketing methodology to construct our services to ensure that our products are suitable for males to invest in and consider taking up healthier lifestyles. Our main practitioners are Liam and Paul. Liam trained originally as a teacher. He has worked in the teacher and training field for 23 years and has a wealth of experience of leading subjects at secondary level, and drugs/alcohol, Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, Sex and Relationships, and segueing into male health for the last ten years. He has recently gained a counselling qualification and operates Mengage Therapy; a service just for men. He adopts the Carl Sagan mantra of, “If we aren’t laughing, we aren’t learning!” Paul trained as a nurse. He transferred into Public Health practice around engaging with men, which is where his interest in this area was first spawned. He has completed a Masters in Men’s Health, where he established his credentials in this field and championed the social determinants and salutogenic approach, discussed above. The combination of these two practitioners and their varied experiences lends itself well to delivery leading to the following types of comments being made: Paul/Liam overall – the balance between the two facilitators, lots of information delivered with aplomb and humour; nice style and pace; interaction of the presenters, the succinct style of the presentation with the facts being presented; good combination of learning and fun, academic concepts, practical exercises; pace and delivery of training, good balance between structured learning and group based/activity work. good chemistry, very well presented by both, catered for all learning styles; I love your delivery, the language you use and how you get things over. You both work well together, bouncing off one another; it was very engaging and interesting, got a lot out of the 2 days; Various participants, Men’s Mental Health Champion Training, North Somerset October 2019 Mengage can write bespoke training events around positive approaches to preventing suicide, accredited Mentoring, Raising Boy’s Achievement, Boy’s Mental Health, Therapeutic Approaches to Pastoral Work – and any combination of the above. Get in touch to discuss your specific requirements and Mengage will be happy to help. info@mengage.co.uk 01905 570180 07788725318 www.mengage.co.uk
The School Breathe Online Programme
The School Breathe online programme provides over 40 breathwork and mindfulness techniques, in video and audio format, to help children learn healthy effective and healthy ways to manage stress and anxiety. The programme includes a full variety of scientifically proven techniques, including breath count exercises for improved concentration, breathing meditations to encourage a calmer state of mind and breath-led techniques to manage emotions, along with audio visualisations to help develop confidence and help alleviate stress and anxiety. The School Breathe online programme can help both children and their teachers to feel more present and focused in the classroom, thus enhancing both the learning and teaching experience. Presented by one of our School Breathe experts, you will receive a different breath-focused exercise to practice each week throughout the school year, accompanied by printable tips and advice to help you integrate breathwork into your school day. Teacher training A full 1-day inset training day for your staff to experience the power and benefits of a full healthy breath. Teachers and teaching assistants will have the opportunity to learn breathing techniques to help manage their own stress levels, experience breath exercises to manage emotions and adopt a more mindful approach to their teaching day. You will learn quick and effective techniques to help calm your classroom and learn and practice techniques to help children pay attention, concentrate and co-operate. Teachers will be introduced to the comprehensive online programme and learn how this can be easily integrated into the classroom on a daily basis. About Us Passionate about sharing the benefits of conscious breathwork, we are a team of certified breath workers, meditation teachers, children’s yoga teachers, psychologists and empowerment coaches who believe children should learn and experience the life-enhancing effects of breathwork at school. We are committed to developing the highest quality training and creating effective and practical online programmes for pupils, parents, and teachers to enhance the lives of future generations. With the reported increase in stress levels amongst schools, the programme, can help children and teachers develop healthy habits to enable them to manage stress and anxiety and learn the invaluable lesson of learning to breathe well. Conscious breathwork has a plethora of benefits for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, which can help children feel more relaxed, focused and happy.
Pupils Get Mental-Health Boost Thanks To New Wellbeing Workshops
SCHOOL-AGE children in England are benefiting from a mental-health boost thanks to a new initiate delivering confidence and wellbeing workshops into schools. Tackling the rise in anxiety across all ages, these workshops and courses teach children a range of strategies and skills to be more confident and resilient to new situations. Happy Confident Kids is offering schools across the country a specialised programme of play-based therapy workshops, designed to help children tackle emotional wellbeing issues such as anxiety and low self-esteem. Delivered by qualified practitioners, the workshops use a variety of neurolinguistic (word-association) exercises and games, to teach children confidence-building techniques that they can take away with them and use in the classroom and at home. Co-founders, Nikki Emerton (48) and Laura Dumbleton-Jones (38), said: “We noticed we were seeing more and more children and teenagers in our individual practices presenting with anxiety, low self-esteem and low confidence. This was preventing them from learning and limiting their ability to experience life, grow, learn, and be happy. Being mums ourselves, and drawing on our skills and personal experience, we got together and created Happy Confident Kids. The positive results we’ve seen so far have been amazing. The children who took part in a recent course all said they felt calmer and more confident, and nearly all said they felt better able to resolve their anxieties. We’re teaching children the life skills they need to be confident, resilient and self-reliant, and to be able to manage their own emotional state, all while making friends and having fun.” Recent NHS figures have shown a record 42% increase in cases of anxiety among school-age children in the last five years, prompting the government to address the way in which emotional self-care is taught in schools. Ofsted incorporated the impact that school life and the curriculum have on pupils’ mental health when it developed its new framework last year, and proposals are already in place to make mental health a compulsory part of the curriculum by September 2020. ***The workshops taught the children a variety of easy to use skills that enabled them to be more confident in their own abilities by learning strategies to manage anxieties and worries and feel more capable. This helped build their self-esteem with strategies to implement in any situation. The feedback we have had from the parents of these children has been very positive, and some of the techniques taught have been used in real life situations. Chafyn Grove School*** Nikki said: “Our aim is to help schools meet the new government directives and free up valuable time and money. Children who are able to manage their own emotional state are more open to learning, which in turn allows teaching staff to allocate their time more effectively. Our vision is to buck the current trend of anxiety and poor mental health in young people by intervening before these issues become a problem. We’d like to see a world where all children are able to fulfil their full potential.” Happy Confident Kids co-founders Nikki Emerton and Laura Dumbleton-Jones are experienced Master Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners, clinical hypnotherapists, Life Coaches and Lightning Process® practitioners. Happy Confident Kids currently has practitioners based in Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, North Dorset, Bath, South Gloucester, Co. Durham, London and Switzerland with plans to extend the programme both in the UK and abroad. To find out more, 0333 358 0390, email happyconfidentkids@gmail.com or see www.happyconfidentkids.org.uk for bookings and more information.
Unravel – A holistic psychology service which supports pupils, school and families
Andrea Chatten is the Managing Director & Lead Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychologist at Unravel. She is also the author of The Blinks novels supporting children’s well-being. Here, she discusses the work that psychology service Unravel does with children, their teachers and their families… How long has Unravel been practising? Unravel – a Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychology Service was borne in September 2014 and was quickly embraced by schools and parents who were in desperate need for bespoke intervention during highly emotional and challenging times. I knew that there was a service missing in Sheffield and the UK in order to translate and transform the behaviours that children present and to help recognise the needs to help each young person develop positively. Working with ages 5-16 has given us a deep understanding of developmental psychology and the expertise to help children and their families when behaviours are becoming a problem. Unravel recently celebrated its 5th birthday. Over this period, we have grown into a team of 14 amazing staff who are passionate and committed to improving children’s emotional well-being. Who needs Unravel? Unravel is for any child, family or school whereby negative emotions are impacting on well-being and quality of life. Growing up is hard but unless we interrupt the emotional cycle, these issues gain momentum across the lifespan and transcend into cross-generational concerns. The issues children are presenting with now, are more apparent and due to increased awareness, and lack of available services, we are dutybound to help them and as soon as possible. At Unravel we work with the whole child and help them to name and claim emotions, interrupt negative thinking patterns, gain invaluable insight and learn essential strategies to drive positive change. We work with any emotional issue that are causing problems to self-esteem and positive childhood experiences. How do headteachers get in touch with Unravel? Visit our website and have a look in more detail about the impact we have and what others have said about us. We pride ourselves on adapting to every school’s individual need so can create and tailor packages to meet logistical and financial restraints. Once we have fully discussed the way we will work together, we can begin getting the practical things in place to ensure our time with the children and young people in your school runs as smoothly as possible. We will also provide an impact report at the end of each academic year or intervention which feeds into your evaluation of the service and into correlated data to provide to Ofsted. Can anyone access Unravel? We are moving slowly and steadily across the country. Although we are based in Sheffield, private clients have travelled from as far as Edinburgh and London to access our services. We have also worked with children and young people internationally via skype. We aim to have Unravel available to wherever needs us, so get in touch and we will see what we can do. Mental health is becoming more widely understood by pupils, parents and teachers – but is there still more to be done? We haven’t even started yet. Accessing services to support children’s emotional well-being shouldn’t take 18 months but it often does and that is being optimistic. We term this as societal child abuse. No child should feel distressed or suicidal for half an hour longer than they need too. We need to get to children whilst they are psychologically “ripe” in order to prevent greater problems arising on top of the original issues causing emotional imbalance. What could school leaders do to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of pupils is really a priority in school? School leaders know that mental health is a priority in school as it presents many challenges every day. The knock-on effect also impacts on staff well-being, learning outcomes, costly permanent exclusion penalties and ultimately exam results and future prospects. Often, the schools we work in not only feel a benefit because of the work we are doing with the children and young people, but they also are able to feel a sense of relief as someone is doing the work that they feel out of their depth with. Schools are educational organisations but the demands to become experts in such a complex and sensitive area often brings heightened stress and concern. Schools are in safe hands with Unravel we will take that burden and pressure of you. Could you give a short case study of a pupil, their school and family who have been helped by Unravel? I once worked with a Y9 pupil who tried to commit suicide in school. This person had over many years masked what he was really feeling and tried to be what he thought he should be. Luckily, I was able to work with him straight away. This young person was in severe emotional distress and had many undiagnosed conditions that complicated the situation further. We worked together every week, sometimes twice a week for just over two years. Over this time, he began developing possible psychosis and so I was able to contact CAMHS and explain what was happening and find out where he was in the referral system since his suicide attempt. He was still 6 months away from being seen but they understood my concern and fast-tracked him through. Sadly, this young person’s parents did not want to accept the reality of the issues and so avoided appointments and he was consequently struck off. The young person and I were on our own, but we just kept going. Over time, he learned many strategies, which he tells me he still uses today. We challenged bias thinking patterns, engaged in mindfulness, relaxation. Applied neuroscience to help him understand his brain which also gave him the “why’s” which he needed to stick at things on more difficult days. By the time he left in Y11, he received the most outstanding pupil award. This intervention cost the school just over £4000 over two
How will Brexit impact the recruitment of teachers
For the past 20 years membership of the EU has been at the forefront of the political debate, whether it be parliamentary sovereignty, open borders or bendy bananas. However, one side of this debate that has gathered less fanfare has been how leaving the EU will affect the teacher shortage and as a result how education recruitment agencies will evolve their businesses and business practice. One response is to branch out into countries where demand for teachers is high for example, UAE Asia pack region where the demand for teachers and especially those trained in the UK is extremely high. On average a UK teacher will earn £10,000 P/A more (tax-free) than their UK based counterpart would. Dubai specifically aims to promote development by investing in education and the development of knowledge in the region. In a statement H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said: ‘’We must believe in people. Human beings – their ideas, innovations, dreams, and connections – are the capital of the future. In this sense, the ‘brain regain’ is not so much an achievement in itself as it is a leading indicator of development, because where great minds go today, great things will happen tomorrow’’. This investment in people-to-people exchanging doesn’t end in the Middle East. In a phone call between Hwag-Kyo-Ahn prime minister of the Republic of Korea and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on the 12th of January to discuss their 25th year of bilateral ties they also discussed how to expand on their free trade agreement into education and culture; a rather different position to the one Britain is pursuing with Brexit. With other nations seemingly moving forward with bilateral education investment EU teachers in the UK and vice versa are left in the dark until a decision is made between the two during the divorce-like proceedings. Here are some numbers that illustrate just how many teachers are currently in limbo • 5,000 teachers from EU countries qualified to teach in 2015 a big increase from just over 2,000 in 2010 • 1 in 6 new teachers in England qualified overseas • The largest numbers came from Spain, Greece, Poland and Romania. • The number from Greece has shot up more than six fold – from 88 to 572 – since 2010 Department of Education Failings In my 17 years of experience of providing quality staff, we are inundated by schools with vacancies they can’t fill. Prospero would love to be able to fill every position but the UK just lacks the necessary number of qualified teachers. As a company, we have had to look further afield. Australian and Canadian teachers have become almost a regular feature of our UK schools. These overseas teachers are very happy to travel to start and develop their careers and use this opportunity as a temporary working holiday. In fact, 30% of Prospero’s London teachers are originally from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone involved in education knows that there is a chronic teacher shortage and issue that has been insufficiently addressed over many years, so much so that a recent national audit office report. “Public Accounts’ Committee stated in 2016 that ministers have “no plan” to meet the growing teacher shortage” and “assumed that headteachers will deal with gaps,” Furthermore it also states: • The Department has missed its targets for filling training places over the last 4 years with secondary training places particularly difficult to fill. • The Department finds it difficult to recruit enough trainees in most secondary subjects. • The Department’s short-term approach means providers do not have a clear, stable basis on which to plan for the long term Despite the £40 billion investment in education this still falls short bearing in mind growing population bigger classes and demand for more schools the impact of this means there is additional demand on EU teachers. One of the many things this does is put additional demands on teachers, increasing the pressure on them and their stress levels which is leading to increasing numbers of them leaving the profession. This in turn leads to lower pupil attainment and the increased need to find teachers from overseas. Brexit Delaying Policy Change UK government action in recruiting UK teachers may remain stagnant throughout the next few years due to focus on Brexit negotiations. Therefore the UK must remain to hire as heavily from overseas as possible. UK Teachers Abroad Compliance is a huge part of the education recruitment business process and agencies are used to incorporating new legislation into their practice. We believe that this experience will be hugely valuable to the sector as and when it has to deal with the new visa arrangements that will undoubtedly arise post-Brexit. Conclusion Both business and political spheres will remain unsure of the effects of Brexit until the final details are hashed out. The current UK teaching shortage may not be fixed anytime soon due to political emphasis placed on negotiating Brexit and in the short run the status quo will likely carry on. For now, UK schools must take advantage of saturated markets abroad. In the long run Brexit may prove advantageous on the proviso that EU national teachers are granted the same rights as before. Leaving the EU we are no longer beholden to EU’s immigration and working policies. Upon leaving, the British government should look to establish further inroads and freer movement with Commonwealth countries. Thus making it easier for teachers to move to the UK and take further advantage of these saturated markets. Early reports suggest non-EU governments are very willing to discuss formal trade deals with the UK upon our departure from the bloc. This is promising as it will open further markets to help fill positions in UK schools. We hope a Brexit government moves to make inroads with countries with a hunger for British teachers in the ever-growing number