Changes occurring in the UK Education system have been hitting the news and this week it seems to have gone into overdrive.
Changes occurring in the UK Education system have been hitting the news and this week it seems to have gone into overdrive.
This month the government announced that the controversial KS1 SATS are to be scrapped from 2023 (http://tinyurl.com/y7zd9lfs). There was also the announcement of the new funding formula (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41269926). Geoff Barton of ASCL also wrote an article saying that Ofsted should be treated as like a 'food hygiene inspector' rather than the all encompassing fear inducing body designed to tear schools apart (https://tinyurl.com/y9c588v6) by having an outsized influence on SLT decision making. We also heard that according to the OECD teachers with 15 years experience had seen a 12% drop in salary in real terms (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41229043).
The pace of change and information can almost be overwhelming.
There is a lot to process for those at the chalk face of these changes. There will be schools with Ofsted inspections this week feeling they are walking on ice in relation to how their GCSE results from August will affect their grading, given that the two marking systems were designed to not be compatible. There will be schools worried about losing out because of the new funding formula, that new innovations they have made might be stripped away. Conversely, there will also be other schools desperate to find out if they are about to receive much needed extra investment. There will be teachers or potential teachers of the future concerned about the financial implications of staying in or joining the sector.
I am not a trained teacher and do not work in a school. I would not press to impose any ideas or thoughts of my own into the debates around these issues. However, I speak to teachers every day. Over the past 7 years I have spoke to literally thousands of teachers as a Resourcing Manager. Many I speak to are frustrated with the changes and pressures from above but the one thing I can say is that the passion and determination I hear is as strong as ever. On the tube yesterday I overheard two Primary teachers talking about their new classes for this year, full of enthusiasm for the challenges ahead. The fundamental driving force of helping pupils is as strong as ever which is fantastic.
In my conversations however, it feels that teachers are walking along a windy seafront, not knowing when they will be battered by the next wave and what damage it may leave. With recruitment and retention a real issue, everybody needs to do everything they can to keep teachers teaching, even if it working in different teaching environments for a short while before returning to the classroom. At Classroom we have changed our approach in order to help teachers looking for different options.
Over the past 18 months, Classroom has been working with different London boroughs offering Home Tuition work and the interest in these roles from hugely experienced teachers has increased dramatically in this time. Sometimes this fits in a desire for part time work, sometimes it fits around additional study (we have teachers starting SENCo courses or Masters courses) or we have teachers who simply feel they are better placed currently to help pupils on a 1:1 basis.
Stepping away from a classroom teaching role for a short time can have incredible rejuvenating qualities. Going back to a scenario that you can control, working to help a pupil who badly needs it and seeing the immediate progress that they make has made a huge difference for many teachers. It has given them the courage and resilience to deal with whatever it thrown at them, inside or outside the classroom. Many have returned back into the classroom with new resources, renewed passion and different strategies. More importantly, they have remembered why they love teaching.
So if you are looking for different options or have any thoughts on the rapid changes going on, please leave a comment. Or if you are a teacher in London and want to try different settings give me a call on 020 7636 0600 or email michael@classroomteachers.co.uk so we can discuss options.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and have a great weekend!
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