Mental Health – How You Can Help

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With mental health awareness becoming an ever-pressing issue in our day-to-day lives, it seems fitting that each year we dedicate specific time to addressing the subject. An issue that extends past one day or awareness week, we discuss what you can do as a teacher to help both colleagues and students alike to raise awareness and help to improve well-being within schools.

World Mental Health Day

Ask The Questions

The stigma around mental health is slowly diminishing, however people are often still too afraid to ask. Get to the root of wellbeing issues in a school by asking the questions, whether that be through online surveys or 1:1 sessions with individuals. Resist the urge to simply ask how you can ‘fix’ the issue and focus on guiding conversations and ask instead how you can improve circumstances or make things better.

This can help pinpoint specific issues and often enables you to resolve them more efficiently than dancing around the subject. From this, you can take the time to talk and utilise school therapists to help get the best out of staff and pupils. For the majority, mental health problems are treatable should they be detected early, so take a time out and make this a priority.

Make it normal to talk

Its often difficult for children to express exactly how they are feeling, so make it easier by naming emotions and feelings in a way that children will identify with. Enabling the development of emotional intelligence will ensure that issues can be raised clearly. Try doing this through photo cards or a range of interactive activities to cement the process. Invite children to talk about how they’re feeling by asking questions such as “you look upset today, how can I help?”.

The organised chaos of a typical school day makes it hard to find the time to assign additional time to speaking to a student or colleague who seems particularly disheartened or low, however this is perhaps a more pressing issue than that never ending pile of marking sat on your desk. Taking the time can really make a huge difference to someone’s day or even week, so this mental health day make it more normal to talk.

Controlling emotions

The journey of learning emotional intelligence isn’t an easy one, but a key element is to develop specific strategies to regulate and control these emotions. This world mental health day, devote a few hours to talk and develop awareness into what your students are feeling and why they feel it. From this, you can assist in establishing a set of exercises that they can do to suppress this, whether that be star jumps or colouring.

“When adults support and encourage young children as they take risks, face obstacles, and grow from failure, young people learn how to bounce back from life’s ups and downs.”

— Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD (Quotes About Resilience That Foster Children’s Determination and Self-Confidence).

Make yourself approachable

When it comes to discussing personal mental health, making yourself approachable is pivotal in being able to help someone. Take part in a mental health first aid course and educate yourself around managing each situation, or simply make it known that you are there for students and colleagues should they need you. Encourage activities that allow students to get to know each other and you and make an effort to find out and show interest in what students get up to when they’re not at school. Everyone’s favourite topic is themselves so start the day with an open dialogue to ignite a positive feeling from the outset.

Make Use of Online Resources

As a crucial issue making significant headway in becoming an integral part in the school curriculum, there are some great online resources available that you can integrate into your lessons. Of course, teaching resource site Twinkl features a plethora of free to download activities, from positive affirmations to mindfulness and breathing exercises. Additionally, charities such as Young Minds understand the juggling act that teachers re having to go through on a daily basis and are fighting for all young people to get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

If you’re looking for a new challenge or change of scenery, Initial Education would love to hear from you so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via email or call us on 01452 740001.

Celebrating Diwali in the Classroom

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Creative ways to celebrate Diwali in the classroom

Every year Indian communities come together to celebrate the religious holiday Diwali, the celebration of lights. This year, the five day festival spans from the 21st of October to the 25th, providing a perfect opportunity to educate children with a range of literature, food and values that originate from the Indian festival.

The celebration of lights does just that, championing light over darkness and good over evil, lighting up homes across the globe. There’s more to Diwali than just putting up some lights, if you’re looking for creative ways to celebrate Diwali in the classroom, carry on reading as Education Recruitment Agency, Initial Education, have come up with their favourite ways to bring even more magic to the festival of lights.

Host a Mela

A Mela is a type of Indian street fair where local residents come together to sell their home grown produce and handmade goods. Providing the perfect opportunity to ignite student’s creative sides, hold an arts and crafts lesson or day to create pieces that students can later trade in a year group-wide or school wide Mela. Not only does this inspire imaginations, this creative way to celebrate Diwali teaches children about significant ancient artifacts an sculptures synonymous with the religious festival.

A Festival of Lights

You can’t celebrate the festival of lights without a nod to the beautiful clay candles lit by Hindu, Sikh and Jain households alike in honour of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Allow students to decorate the classroom with clay tea light holders and LED lights to illuminate the room throughout the 5 day festival. If you want to go a little further, introduce the magic of rangoli patterns to the class, perhaps by using coloured pencils or pens instead of sand at first to keep the mess to a minimum.

Share Stories

Include students in story time by sharing Indian stories behind the origins of Diwali and encourage students to share their own anecdotes of what each tale reminds them of. Ask students to interpret the concept of light over evil and how this occurs in their everyday lives, perhaps even ask them to bring in an object that symbolises that concept most to them. Creating relatable situations, particularly for younger children, during story time can aid in magnifying the impact of the tale you are telling and encourages a collaborative atmosphere that can create personal connections to the legend.

Food!

In line with the brightness theme, sweets are an integral part of Diwali celebrations, with the second day of the festival typically dedicated to the buying and sharing of sweets such as Halwa. Allow children to make their own sweets and take it in turns sharing tasks such as mixing to make sure that everyone gets a chance to be involved. Simple sweets to make include coconut Burfi sweets, made out of desiccated coconut, condensed milk and food colouring. Be careful of allergies as many traditional Indian sweets contain nuts and milk as a base, so be sure to read the ingredients list before sharing.

Other, more savoury snacks include bhajis, pakoras and samosas. Set children the task of going home and baking traditional Indian snacks over the weekend ready to bring in on the Monday.

As an education recruitment agency, we’d love to hear about the creative ways that you are planning on celebrating Diwali in the classroom, whether you’re an experienced teacher, ECT or teaching assistant, just get in touch via email, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter and be sure to tag us!

If you’re looking for a new challenge in Worcestershire or Gloucestershire and love working with children, get in contact with Becky from Initial Education today to hear how we can help find your ideal role.

Anti-Bullying Week in Schools

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Anti-Bullying Week in Schools – One Kind Word

Throughout the week commencing 14th November, schools across the country will be celebrating Anti-Bullying Week, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of bullying. As with Black History Month in October, this awareness event should not be limited to a week, however Initial Education, an Education Recruitment Agency, have come up with their top ways in which you can mark anti-bullying week in schools and make a lasting impact that gets children talking for weeks to come.

One Kind Word

This year’s theme centres around the concept of ‘one kind word’, creating the perfect opportunity to frame your messages around positivity and inclusion when discussing anti-bullying week in schools. Alongside combatting bullying, this theme was derived to highlight the importance of everyday kindness, helping to eliminate the issue at its roots. Encourage students to say one kind thing to each other every day when they come into class and ask them to pin point one positive aspect that they have got out of their day when the day comes to a close. Teach kindness and empathy from an early age and be sure that children will carry these values with them throughout their lives.

Anti-Bullying Week in Schools

Odd Socks Day

The week will kick off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 14th November, where adults and children where odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique. A concept that encourages children to celebrate and embrace their differences by standing out from the crowd wearing odd socks to school.

For older children, the buzz on social media is an important part of Anti-Bullying Week, and a great opportunity for schools to share how they’ve embraced the anti-bullying message. Get involved via #AntiBullyingWeek and #ReachOut on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.

Get Talking

As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved, so invite children into open discussions about what they think constitutes as bullying in order to educate them on key principles. Highlight issues concerning race, ethnicity, gender and appearance and emphasise that the use of prejudiced language towards someone as a result of one of these factors is unacceptable.

Additionally, building on social and emotional intelligence through having in depth discussions on bullying, children will be able to better spot clear patterns that lead to this unacceptable behaviour, helping to eradicate it from the classroom. Let children know where you are should they feel the need to speak up and dedicate a hour a day, perhaps in lunch or break time, to set aside to listening to those who are struggling.

Go Online

As always, the likes of Twinkle and the Anti-Bullying Alliance are on hand to provide some fantastic resources designed to bring Anti-Bullying week to life in your primary school. Indeed, both associations have teamed up with the BBC this year to create engaging and high quality resources designed to combat bullying.

We all play a part in preventing bullying and right now, with the rise in technology and online activity, it is now more important than ever to raise awareness and draw attention to the destructive behaviour that is bullying. As always, as an education recruitment agency we would love to hear your stories as to how you have marked anti-bullying week in your school. Whether you’re an experienced teacher, ECT or teaching assistant, share your stories with us via Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter!

It goes without saying that if you are interested in a career in education, get in touch today. With supply and longer term teaching roles in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, we will be able to find the best opportunity to suit you.

Black History Month Resources For Your Classroom

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The leaves begin to change and Autumn well and truly settles in as the month of October arrives, and so does the month in which we celebrate the best of black history. First occurring in 1987, Black history month is a fantastic opportunity to educate students and bring awareness to some of the greatest snippets of British history, no matter their background.

Beyond simply raising awareness in school assemblies, there are a plethora of creative avenues to explore in the classroom to get children engaged in black history. This month we will be celebrating the very best of black history month and sharing our tips on how to integrate it into the classroom.

Black History Month

Black British Stories

Young children spend years idolising those around them and the BBC has created a series of short films dedicated to significant black individuals in post-war Britain that children can relate to thanks to the use of like-minded children taking on the role as interviewers. Incorporating elements of their school PSHE curriculum, these stories help to build on a more visual approach to student learning. Spanning from identity to culture and community, these short films cover a broad range of topic areas that might otherwise be left fairly undisturbed.

Black History for Schools

With topics ranging from black presence in the Tudor times and the East India Company to the Apartheid, this resource is fantastic to get a basic understanding of key events in world history that significantly impacted our lives today.

Explore Great Literature

Literature such as Twain’s ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ and Kathryn Stockett’s ‘The Help’ remain classic staples in the teaching of the African American journey through literature. Indeed, Twain depicts a young uneducated, adolescent who possesses the heart and conscience to understand the immorality of slavery, demonstrating that anything is possible with a little kindness. Not only an informative and educational piece of fiction, this novel can instil key values into children that will be crucial throughout their school careers.

For a more modern take in literature, take a look at must reads such as Eddo-Lodge’s ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race’ or Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o.

Twinkl Resources

Aimed at Key Stage 2 children, Twinkl has done much of the leg work for you and has put together an in depth PowerPoint celebrating black heroes past and present, from Mary Seacole to Sir Lenny Henry. What’s more, there are plenty of flyers and further resources available on the Twinkl website, so there’s bound to be something that will fit in with your lesson plan. Keep it simple and perhaps stick a few posters up around the classroom to get children engaged all year round.

Education Through Film

Just like a good book, films are a fantastic way of engaging and educating children in an emotive and relatable manner. From brilliant classics such as The Colour Purple to more subtle tales such as the Princess and the Frog, Into Film has compiled a list of the best films to use for students of all ages this Black History Month.

Whilst fantastic that we are able to denote a whole month to celebrating black history in Britain, it is crucial that schools and teachers are able to move beyond this and integrate such integral issues into a diverse curriculum for students. Indeed, promoting diversity and inclusion has perhaps never been so important and empowering stories and resources such as these do not solely exist throughout the month of October, small changes can make a big difference to the overall picture.

Are you getting involved in Black History Month at your school or do you have a fantastic resource that we haven’t shared? We’d love to hear from you, just get in touch via Facebook, Twitter  or Linkedin!

Refer a Friend

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Refer a teacher friend and as a thank you, you’ll both receive a £10 Amazon voucher. There is no limit on how many friends you can recommend.

Ask your friend to contact Becky Oram to discuss opportunities to learn new skills, boost their CV and gain valuable experience in a variety of schools whilst applying for permanent roles.

Amazon vouchers will be issued on completion of sign up and following two days of work.

As specialists in primary education recruitment, if you are looking for a new role in education, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with education manager, Becky Oram, today to find out what teaching opportunities we have in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

NQT social media prize draw T&Cs

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NQT Social Media prize draw T&Cs

Terms and conditions
Promotion opens at 17:00 on 18/05/2022 and closes at 23:59:59 on 15/06/2022.

  1. This promotion is 2x £50 Amazon Vouchers.
  2. Entry is open to all customers aged 18 or over (‘the participant’).
  3. One entry per person.
  4. To enter, entrants must fill out the entry form online https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SBHVBBX
  5. The competition will end on 15th June 2022, the winner will be announced within 7
    working days from the deadline. Winners will be notified by email via the email address
    provided.
  6. There are a total of two Amazon Vouchers to be won.
  7. The prize is non-transferable, and it may not be sold or advertised for sale.
  8. No cash or alternative option will be provided for the prize. However, the Promoter
    reserves the right to substitute it with a similar discount of equal or greater value should
    it become necessary for reasons beyond their control.
  9. The Promoter accepts no liability whatsoever for any losses of damage to the claimed
    voucher. This does not affect user’s statutory rights.
  10. Except as otherwise required by law, the Promoter accepts no responsibility or
    liability for lost, late, damaged, corrupted or misdirected entries or claims and the
    Promoter is not responsible for any late or misdirected delivery of communications
    (email or otherwise), except in the event of wilful intent on the part of the Promoter or its
    agents.
  11. By entering this promotion, you agree to these terms and conditions, which will at
    that time become binding between you and the Promoter. In the event of circumstances
    outside the reasonable control of the promoter, or otherwise where fraud, abuse, and/or
    an error (human or computer) affects or could affect the proper operation of this
    promotion or the awarding of the voucher, and only where circumstances make this
    unavoidable, the Promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the promotion or these
    terms and conditions, at any stage, but will always endeavour to minimise the effect to
    participants in order to avoid undue disappointment.
  12. The Promoter reserves the right to verify all vouchers, and to withdraw voucher
    entitlement and/or refuse further participation in the promotion and disqualify the
    participant where there are reasonable grounds to believe there has been a breach of
    these terms and conditions or any instructions forming part of this promotions entry
    requirements or otherwise where a participant has gained unfair advantage in
    participating in the promotion or won using fraudulent means. The Promoter will be the
    final arbiter in any decisions and these will be binding and no correspondence will be
    entered into.
  13. Data Protection: Any personal information that entrants share with the Promoter will
    be kept secure and only used in line with these terms and conditions unless the entrant
    has opted in to future marketing from the Promoter and/or the Supplier. By entering the
    promotion, entrants agree that their information may be used by the Promoter to
    administer the promotion and winners consent to give their name and county for the
    winners’ list.
    Promoter: Initial Education
    Initial Recruitment Services
    Highnam Business Park
    Highnam
    Gloucestershire
    GL2 8DN
    Good luck!

As specialists in primary education recruitment, if you are looking for a new role in education, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with education manager, Becky Oram, today to find out what teaching opportunities we have in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Improving Pupil Participation in the Classroom

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How to Improve Pupil Participation in The Classroom

Student engagement and pupil participation in the classroom are crucial to both learning and personal development, however this can be difficult to maintain, especially on the run up to Christmas. Getting children focussed and participating in lessons is easier said than done, after all if they aren’t fully absorbed and captured by the lesson in front of them, they’ll quickly switch to finding something that interests them. There’s nothing unusual about children zoning out in lessons, however education recruitment agency, Initial Recruitment, are on hand to provide some key insights into how you can improve pupil participation in the classroom this term.

Pupil Participation in Classrooms

Don’t Skip The Warmup

You wouldn’t start a gym session without an appropriate warm up to get your muscles going and the most out of your session, and a lesson is no different. Start the class with a warmup to get children engaged from the offset and promoting a pupil centred approach through question and answer sessions or mini competitions to create a buzz in the room. Once the warmup is over, children should be ready to sit down and focus on the lesson in front of them.

Create a Pupil-Focussed Learning Environment

When children are tired and begin to zone out during a lesson, its all too easy to slip into a teacher-focussed learning environment in which you simply stand in front of the class and talk, however this is going to do nothing towards improving pupil participation in the classroom. Instead, use this as an opportunity to engage children in peer teaching, teamworking activities and collaborative projects. If you create an environment in which both teachers and students are working with and learning from each other, you’ll soon begin to see you spend less time managing student behaviour and more time witnessing exceptional results.

Embrace Different Learning Styles

Just as there’s no one size fits all approach to teaching, you will know by now that children learn and absorb information differently, whether they be visual, kinaesthetic, or aural learners. Take time to find out how each individual learns best and create tasks best suited to each individual.

What’s more, get to know your students’ extracurricular activities and hobbies in order to tailor your lesson planning to incorporate these factors, allowing students to instantly connect with the message you are communicating. Simple tasks such as asking students to come up with a mind map of what they enjoy doing at the weekends or after school will help harness this.

Teamwork

Enhance student interaction through group work and discussions within the lesson, ensuring that you monitor and guide children in order to ensure that it is effective. Encourage open ended conversations that can be followed with questions and be sure to respect everyone’s ideas before reaching a final agreement. Giving children a change from solo work will allow them to share ideas and ensures active participation from all pupils in the classroom.

Avoid cliques by creating fluid teams based on individual strengths to enable primary school children to gather different strengths from those around them. Change up the groups every morning in order to allow those less confident to shine, avoiding the possibility of established roles within groups.

It is not only collaboration between pupils and class teachers that contribute to improved pupil participation in classrooms, it is imperative that special educational needs (SEN) teaching assistants collaborate effectively with the class teacher. SEN teaching assistants have the knowledge of their child’s specific needs and challenges and understand what is needed to best encourage development. Children with SEN needs are then able to fully maximise their education and achieve academic goals through utilising an adapted and tailored approach to learning.

Make Lessons Fun

Remind children that school can be fun and give them something to look forward to at school by creating engaging and educational quizzes instead of assessments, helping to ease stress and therefore generate more accurate insights into pupil performance. Instant assessments in the form of quizzes or collaborative assessments will also help you as a teacher to collate information at the moment it is shared and instantly identify knowledge gaps that can then guide the narrative of future lessons.

Keep pupil participation at a high by following formal assessments with physical activity or an educational game, eliminating ‘dead time’ within the classroom by keeping brains active and creating positive associations to assessments. Make every lesson an experience by introducing classroom games to assist young primary school children in enhancing their language an communication skills.

Give Children A Choice

Add value to lessons and encourage emotional engagement by introducing an element of choice to lessons. Indeed, children are instantly more likely to engage in a lesson if they feel they have had an active impact in the way that it is laid out. Whilst expecting and allowing children to be entirely independent and responsible for their learning is possibly not the wisest choice, create options for visual, kinaesthetic an aural learners to facilitate the shift from a teacher focussed to student centred learning environment.

A fantastic way to introduce the element of choice in the classroom is to throw away the seating plan, allowing children to sit where they want in the classroom. Avoid cliques by maintaining condition that children are not allowed to sit next to the same individual more than once a week.

Pupil Participation in classrooms

Teachers and teaching assistants must harness the three types of engagement to maximise pupil participation in the classroom; behavioural engagement, emotional engagement and cognitive engagement. Once these three factors are captured, students will begin to listen and absorb information around them, meaning that disruption and sinking into chairs can become a thing of the past.

If you are an experienced teacher, ECT / NQT or teaching assistant, we’d love to hear how you improve pupil participation in the classroom, especially with the run up to Christmas. Share your stories on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter and don’t forget to tag us!

As specialists in primary education recruitment, if you are looking for a new role in education, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with education manager, Becky Oram, today to find out what teaching opportunities we have in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

What To Expect From An SEN Teaching Role

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What To Expect From An SEN Teaching Role

If you’ve ever considered an SEN teaching or teaching assistant role but you’re worried about what to expect, read on to gain a little insight to see if it is a career path suited to you. Working with children with special educational needs in schools can be an incredibly rewarding but equalling challenging field and as a teacher or teaching assistant it can be a daunting aspect to dive into at first. Whether you’re a supply teacher, NQT / ECT or a teaching assistant, working in an SEN school might be completely novel to you but you are keen to explore it. As specialists in SEN recruitment, education recruitment agency, Initial Education, have outlined the top things to expect when working in an SEN school for the first time.

“When I first came into the special sector, people told me a lot about what pupils couldn’t do and I felt they knew what they couldn’t do. I always wondered what they might do.”

Mr Britten, Headteacher on BBC’s Life in a Special School

You’ve got to have Patience

The saying ‘the patience of a saint’ has never been more relevant when working with special needs children. When working in an SEN school, you’ll fast begin to notice that each student has their own way of learning and interpreting information and being patient with this is crucial. Dyslexia and Autism, amongst other learning disabilities, make learning more challenging for young children, meaning that more often than not they require extra time, patience and reassurance in the classroom. You will find that some students have shorter attention spans than others as they sit down to complete a task and quickly deviate from it, whilst others will require your attention elsewhere and so remaining calm and patient in order to put out one fire at a time is one of the best things you can do.

Every day is different

As part of the team in an SEN school, your day to day will consist of working with and assisting young children with learning difficulties, whether they be physical, emotional, behavioural, visual or hearing. As a supply teacher in an SEN school, you won’t be expected to provide a lesson plan, however adapting to individual learning plans and altering your teaching style to suit the differing abilities in your class is expected. Unlike mainstream schools, SEN schools tend to have smaller class sizes (6-12 students) along with a higher staff to student ratio so you won’t be left on your own

Working in an SEN school is SO rewarding

Whilst the prospect of stepping away from a mainstream school to a special school for an SEN teaching or SEN teaching assistant job may seem daunting, it can be one of the most rewarding things you do during your teaching career. Supporting the children that need it most, you will have the chance to have a real impact on a child’s learning, opening the doors for them to explore future opportunities that they didn’t believe possible. Watching a child come out of their shell, master a skill they have been struggling with or simply connecting with and building relationships with those around them can some of the most rewarding events you witness. Be prepared to be inspired by the sheer determination your students exhibit on a day to day basis, despite the challenges they face, we can guarantee your day will be made up with laugher and smiles from those around you.

Communication

Language and communication are crucial elements to succeeding within an SEN school and it is regularly seen as good practice to apply simple and accessible language whilst avoiding coming across as patronising. Try breaking down tasks into shorter, more digestible sentences and adapt your approach if you discover some students are still struggling. If you are working as a 1:1 teaching assistant in an SEN school, be sure to ask the class teacher what communication techniques are best to use, some children will comprehend everyday communication, whilst others might communicate most effectively though eye movements or technology, so outline this before you begin so that you can hit the ground running.

Makaton is a technique used by students that are non-verbal or struggle with communicating verbally and it’s an invaluable communication technique in SEN Primary schools. Many SEND schools will have students that communicate through British Sign Language (BSL), whilst you won’t be asked to use this method if you do not know it, be prepared for students to use sign language within the classroom. Whilst BSL is designed to assist those with hearing impairments, Makaton plays an essential part in supporting spoken language, featuring elements of BSL interspersed through sentences.

Pupil Profiles

If you are going into an SEN school to work as a 1:1 TA or as a teacher, pupil profiles are essential on your first day. A pupil profile details a student’s educational and medical needs, alongside an analysis of their specific motivators in order to keep children engaged and focussed on the task in hand. Expect to arrive at your school early and take a look through the pupil profile and discuss any other behaviour with staff before school starts – profiles aren’t always updated daily so its important to have the most up to date information.

The number of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) make up 15.5% of the population and this is increasing year on year. With an abundance of SEN teaching and teaching assistant roles available, if you’re a passionate and enthusiastic teacher looking for a new challenge, there’s no time like the present. Indeed as a SEND teacher you pick up a host of valuable and transferable skills that can contribute to making you so much more employable in your future career, wherever it may take you. If you are a resilient teacher or teaching assistant looking for a new challenge, get in touch with SEN specialist, Becky, at Initial Education today to find out what opportunities we have available in SEN schools.

Black History Month Round Up

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As October comes to an end, we have reached the end of Black History Month, serving as a great time to celebrate some of the best dedications and tributes made in an effort to celebrate black history over the past four weeks. Schools across the country have been putting their own spin on this month’s theme and as an education recruitment agency, we’d love to hear how you celebrated in your school, whether you’re an experienced teacher, ECT or teaching assistant.

It goes without saying, that although we have come to the end of Black History Month, this is an issue that extends beyond a dedicated day, week or month and we should continue to devote time to learning about British history from all angles. Without further ado, lets take a look at the October round up…

Jacky Wright tops Britain’s most influential Black Briton’s list

The chief digital officer of Microsoft, Jacky Wright, made waves by topping the list of some of the most powerful figures from African and Caribbean heritage in Britain, coming in first ahead of Marcus Rashford and actress Michaela Coel. The esteemed business woman has called for ‘monumental shifts’ in becoming an equal society in Britain, and received the accolade due to the ‘sheer scale of work she is doing’.

A further influential figure that made an appearance was The Social Chain’s founder and the newest Dragon on Dragon’s Den, Stephen Bartlett. Stephen often recalls on his podcast and in his autobiography the journey from his humble beginnings in Manchester, to the development of The Social Chain (who, may I just add have a projected revenue of £1 billion by 2023) and his meteoric rise to become Dragon’s Den’s youngest ever panelist.

Dr Marcus Rashford

The man of the moment Marcus Rashford received an honorary doctorate from his hometown university, The University of Manchester, in recognition of his tremendous battle against child poverty in the UK. Indeed I’m sure as you all know, at the beginning the first lockdown in March 2019, the government announced cuts to free school meals for children and Marcus Rashford initiated and was incredibly instrumental in the campaign that forced Boris Johnson to U-Turn on the cuts. The star footballer became the youngest individual appearing on the Sunday Times giving list, and whilst there is still a long way to go in the fight against child poverty, it’s fair to say Rashford has made a life changing difference to many young children’s lives. As an education recruitment agency, ensuring that children are fulfilled both in and outside school life is a top priority for us, you can read more about Rashford’s campaign here.

Stan Horne

On the football theme, the Ex-Manchester City player Stan Horne became the first black football player to win the English Football league in 1965, and, 53 years later this month he was finally awarded his medal. After injury meant that Stan was unable to play in the majority of the championship, Horne was ‘overjoyed’ to have been awarded the medal after rules were overturned. Indeed, Horne reflected on the changing times, recounting how in the 1960s black football players were treated as a ‘novelty’, demonstrating the huge headway we have made in becoming an equal society and we’re not done yet.

Memorable Campaigns

This month the media has been awash with an array of captivating campaigns designed in recognition of some of Britain’s most influential characters. Some of the most notable campaigns that might have flown under your radar are those from Transport for London (TFL) and Google. Indeed, London’s famous tube map was re-imagined in tribute to some of the most critical Black Britons in British history. Each line is dedicated to a specific theme, for example the Bakerloo line pays tribute to the biggest sporting names, such as cricketer Everton Weekes, best known for his part in the trio ‘The Three Ws’ in the West Indies cricket team. Other notable characters include Edmund Jenkins, instrumental in leading the 1919 concert in celebration of Coleridge Taylor and poet Cecile Nobrega.

Its fair to say that this October, Black History has been at the forefront of people’s minds thanks to its increased presence in mainstream media. Without sounding like a scratched record, there is more to be done and this issue extends past the month of October.

We would love to know how you celebrated Black History Month in your school, get in touch today to share your ideas! If you are an experienced teacher, NQT/ECT or teaching assistant we’d love to hear from you.

If you are looking for a new role in Education, Initial Education is an education agency serving a fantastic range of school in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, so get in touch today if you are an experienced teacher, ECT or teaching assistant looking for a new role! Find us via email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or give us a call on 01452 740 001.

Key Strengths of a Great Teaching Assistant

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Teaching assistants form an integral part of our education system and are crucial to supporting both teachers and pupils in and outside of the classroom. Working 1:1 with students that need a little more guidance or working in larger groups in primary and secondary school settings, a great teaching assistant is able to encourage and develop students to get the best out of their learning.

So, we’ve established the importance of teaching assistants, but what really are the key strengths of a great teaching assistant I hear you say, well the team at Initial Education have come up with the key strengths that they look or when hiring teaching assistants.

Building and maintain strong relationships

Whilst maintaining long-lasting bonds with pupils seems an obvious requirement for a good teaching assistant, great teaching assistants are also able to build those relationships with their colleagues and parents to ensure that pupils have a strong support network built around them. Trust is crucial to any successful relationship, so get to know your pupils, their parents, and teachers in order to get the most out of the learning environment.

With relationships built on trust, it’s not uncommon for a teaching assistant to stick with one pupil throughout their primary or secondary school career thanks to the fantastic bonds that are built between themselves and a pupil.

Be prepared to be flexible

Teaching isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach and what worked with one class may not work with the next, meaning that teaching partners should be ready to adapt to different teaching styles on a daily basis. This is particularly pivotal when working in supply contexts as responsiveness and thinking outside of the box is fantastic for personal development.

Teamwork and Communication are KEY

Teamwork and communication are not only buzzwords that you use to bulk out your CV, indeed they are vital strengths to a great teaching assistant. Teaching assistants act as an intermediary between teachers and students, requiring you to relay and explain information accurately in a manner that your students will best understand. As we’ve discussed, it is so important to work closely with teachers and parents to ensure that student needs are correctly addressed and this strong communication skills.

Additionally, as a teaching assistant you will often be required to work with a number of different classes and pupils on a daily basis, amplifying the importance of exceptional team working and communication skills to encourage successful learning development.

Enthusiasm and Passion go a long way

A great teaching assistant will have a passion for working with and developing children, whether that be in early years, SEN or mainstream primary and secondary. An energetic approach will create an exciting atmosphere in the classroom, encouraging students to want to learn. What’s more, great teaching assistants will build on that passion but partaking in online courses designed to improve your competencies as a TA.

If you’re looking for a career change and think you would make a great teaching assistant, or if you’re simply looking for a fresh start in a new school, we have a great candidate and client base and we would love to hear from you!

Complete our online form and a member of the team will be in touch!

Click here for the online form or give us a call on 07827 323208.