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Blog

Update yourself with the latest news for both job seekers and recruiters alike.

  • Is it time to change curriculum?

    By Alan Peters, 24 Jan 2020

     (How curriculum change in the independent sector might improve maintained schools)

    1. Christmas over. New year, new resolutions.  Out with the old and in with the new.  Please can we add the word ‘curriculum’ after the adjectives in that last sentence? ...

  • Top tips to help you minimise your marking

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    Marking is the bane of many a teacher’s life. Indeed, it’s marking that seems to takeover many teachers’ lives too. Look around a staff car park at a school at the end of the day and chances are you will catch sight of a flustered-looking individual filling up their car boot with a...

  • More win-win New Year’s resolutions for teachers

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    When it comes to New Year’s resolutions for teachers, the focus is often on major changes that will bring about a more positive work-life balance. However, sometimes success is best achieved by making a series of small changes. Try these easy-win/win-win ideas for size. Make time work for...

  • Key findings from Ofsted’s Annual Report

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    Each year Ofsted publishes a report – a ‘state of the nation’ summary about education in the country. The inspectorate’s annual report is a useful barometer that shows what Ofsted is thinking and feeling. It’s often a strong indicator about what schools need to be mindful of if they face an...

  • How to boost teacher recruitment and retention

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    Not to put too fine a point on it, at present we are failing dismally both to recruit the number of teachers needed or to retain them for any decent length of time. This constitutes an awful waste of talent – and the consequences for education in this country are massive. Recruitment and...

  • The future of music education in schools

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    A recent survey conducted by Sussex University has painted a bleak picture of the place of Music in the school curriculum. It found that the number of schools offering Music A-level has dropped by 15% in the last two years. The situation for Music Technology A-level looks even worse, with a 32%...

  • Unions unite to tell the government: Enough is enough

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    There have been occasions in the past when the various teaching unions have shown solidarity and displayed a united front on certain issues. However, there is a real sense right now that unions are finally prepared to join forces and to genuinely unite like never before to send a clear and...

  • Why teaching is still the best job in the world

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    Teaching has become a battered and embittered profession in recent years. We are now expected to work for longer into our 60s, pay more into our pensions (and receive less back in retirement). Pay has been frozen – in real terms, cut – for years. The workload issue is getting worse rather...

  • 5 New Year’s Resolutions for teachers

    By Mark Richards, 24 Jan 2020

    The new year is, of course, the time for the annual tradition of making resolutions. Every year millions of people do this and teachers are no exception. Although it might well be the case that the vast majority of new year’s resolutions have gone by the wayside by the end of January, this need...

  • How balanced is your school teaching staff?

    By Alan Peters, 24 Jan 2020

    Search online for information about a balanced economy, or a balanced diet, and page after page is listed.  Look for a balanced teaching staff, and the options are somewhat more limited.  Because, like everything that is best, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. What constitutes a...