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How staff can help each other with mental health and wellbeing

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An issue that extends past one day or an awareness week, we discuss what you can do as a teacher to help each other to raise awareness and help to improve wellbeing within schools.

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘anxiety’. Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem.

It should come as no surprise that school staff are experiencing more symptoms of poor mental health, with 77% experiencing symptoms due to their work.

We also know that great relationships at work can help you to deal with and share the stresses of school life.

Top tips to help a colleague who needs support –

Adapt your approach

Adapt your approach to each individual – remember not everyone communicates in the same way and what works for one person won’t work for another. If they’re finding it difficult to express themselves, let them know that you’re there when they are ready. Simply giving someone space to talk, and listening to how they’re feeling, can be really helpful in itself.

Be open

Be open and honest. Making yourself approachable can be pivotal in helping someone. Let your colleagues know that you can see they might be struggling and you’re there anytime that they may need some support.

Ask questions

Ask your colleague if you can help or if they need anything. Try and encourage an open dialogue, resisting 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.

Be kind

Express your empathy. Often the greatest gift we can someone else is the gift of empathy. It can sometimes be difficult for colleagues to show weakness at work, so be kind and take the time to listen and to offer reassurance.

Just be there

The organised chaos of a typical school day makes it hard to find the time to speak to a colleague who seems to be struggling, especially if you are also feeling the strain of work and life in general. Taking the time to just be there can really make a huge difference to someone’s day or even week and may even also help you to have open conversations and to share familiar struggles in the classroom.

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 by calling 01452 740001 or registering your interest here.

The lowdown on NQT teaching jobs.

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NQT’s ask us ‘When should I start looking for my first teaching job?’ a lot, and this is an interesting question. You started your PGCE in September and your fellow students are already talking about finding a job by December. This can make you feel rushed, but our advice is not to rush into it.

There’s a lot to consider when applying for your first teaching position. We hope this blog helps to answer some of your questions and helps to get your applications off to a great start.

When should NQT’s Apply?

Teacher positions can of course open at any time, but most commonly after Christmas for a September start date.

The peak time for applications though is between the start of March and the end of May. This is because Easter is the deadline for teachers to hand in their notice for the current school year. Some schools will advertise as early as January, while others may advertise as late as June or July, due to unforeseen circumstances.

It’s worth applying for roles, either permanent or temporary (or both), as soon as you’ve submitted your dissertation. Seeking a temp role as soon as you’ve completed your dissertation will allow you to:

  • Earn money in a relevant role
  • Gain valuable experience in a variety of schools while applying for permanent roles
  • Learn new skills
  • Boost your CV, helping you to stand out from the competition

The teacher recruitment timetable: what to do and when

Autumn term: Start looking early and don’t just apply to any school. Consider what’s important to you, the ethos, site, size and catchment of the school you’d like to work at. Autumn is a great time to do some research on the schools in your ideal area and to attend university recruitment fairs.

December and January: Local Authorities advertise vacancies and may have closing dates. In January, schools start directly advertising vacancies.

January to May: This is the busiest period for recruitment. Register with websites to receive updates on the latest opportunities. Make applications to teacher registration schemes and databases.

Consider registering with an agency for supply work. This experience will be incredibly valuable, giving you more to put on your CV to stand out, allowing you to gain valuable experience and another bonus, earn money.

31 May: The final date before which teachers leaving their jobs in the summer must resign, so more jobs appear around this time.

Where to Look

Most primary schools will advertise on their local authority website (look up local council education jobs) and in the local newspaper.

Secondary schools tend to use job websites.

Agencies are great resource also, with full-time and part-time contracts available, which could work around your studies and other commitments until you’re ready to start a new role in September. The more flexible you are, the more work you can get. As you get to know them more, you can work with the agencies to tell them your preferences and strengths.

Applications and CVs

Schools may have their own application form they would like you to complete. Sometimes this is a form set by the local authority. Other schools may request a CV and cover letter. Often the most difficult part of the application is the personal statement. This is where you explain why you would be the best candidate for the role.

Be very specific when completing the application form – tell them what you’ve done, focusing on your successes and giving as many examples from your time in the classroom as possible.

Personal statement

Write a strong 300 to 400-word personal statement; show you’ve done your research and understand something about the school you’re applying to, talk about your course and what you’d personally bring to that school. Get some feedback on your form before you send it off.

Here are a few helpful tips to tick off as you write your personal statement:

  • tailor your application to the school, for example their ethos, Ofsted report and latest exam results
  • visit the school, as many recruiters view this as a part of the application process and it can help you to see if you would want to work there
  • get it proofread to ensure there are no spelling mistakes
  • ensure your employment history has no gaps and if it has make sure they’re explained
  • tell them what skills and extracurricular opportunities you can bring
  • convey a passion for teaching
  • evidence your success, where you bring added value and have met targets.

Managing Expectations

Finding the perfect role can take time, and sometimes it takes a while to get into the flow of interviews. Some people will find this easier than others. It’s important to persevere and have someone to talk to who can support you during this potentially difficult time.

Good Luck!

If you’d like to get in touch with Initial Education to understand how we could help you, give us a call on 01452 740001 or you can register your interest here.

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.

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. Focusing and engaging children in lessons proves challenging, as they readily shift their attention to what interests them when not fully absorbed in the current material. There’s nothing unusual about children zoning out in lessons. Education recruitment agency Initial Recruitment are here to provide some key insights on improving pupil participation in the classroom.

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 a lesson is no different. Start the class with a warmup to get children engaged from the offset. Promote 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’ll 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 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. Incorporating these factors allows 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 out of school will help harness this.

Teamwork makes the dreamwork

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 invite questions, respect everyone’s ideas, and work together to reach 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 possess knowledge about their child’s specific needs and challenges, and they comprehend how to effectively promote 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. Using quizzes or collaborative assessments for instant evaluation as a teacher enables you to gather information in real-time, allowing you to promptly identify knowledge gaps and steer the direction 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 much more likely to engage in a lesson if they feel they actively shaped its layout. 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. Prevent cliques by ensuring that children cannot sit next to the same person for more than 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 students grasp these three factors, they will actively listen and absorb information from their surroundings, turning disruption and sinking into chairs into 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. Share your stories on Facebook, LinkedIn or X (formerly known as 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 A SEN Teaching Role

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What To Expect From A SEN Teaching Role

If you’ve ever thought about a career in SEN teaching or as a teaching assistant but are unsure of what to expect, keep reading to gain insight and determine if this path suits you.

Teaching children with special needs can be rewarding and challenging, making it a daunting yet exciting field for teachers and teaching assistants. Whether you’re a supply teacher, NQT/ECT or a TA, working in a SEN school might be completely novel to you.

As specialists in SEN recruitment, Initial Education have outlined the top things to expect when working in a SEN school.

“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

Have patience

The saying ‘the patience of a saint’ has never been more relevant when working with special needs children. You’ll fast begin to notice that each student has their own way of learning and interpreting information. Being patient with this is crucial.

Dyslexia and Autism, amongst other learning disabilities, make learning more challenging for young children. This can mean 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. Others may require your attention elsewhere, 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 a SEN school, each 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, you don’t need to provide a lesson plan, but you should adjust your teaching style to match the varying abilities of your students by following their individual learning plans. SEN schools typically maintain smaller class sizes (6-12 students) and a higher staff-to-student ratio, ensuring that you won’t find yourself alone, unlike mainstream schools.

Working in a SEN school is so rewarding

Whilst the prospect of stepping away from a mainstream school to a special school may seem daunting, it can be one of the most rewarding things you do during your teaching career.

By supporting children that need it most, you’ll get the chance to have a real impact on a child’s learning. You can open 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.

Prepare to be inspired by the sheer determination your students display every day, despite the challenges they encounter. We can guarantee that those around you will fill your day with laughter and smiles.

Communication

Language and communication play a vital role in achieving success in an SEN school. It’s often considered best practice to use straightforward and approachable language while steering clear of sounding patronising.

Try breaking down tasks into shorter, more digestible sentences. Adapt your approach if you discover some students are still struggling. If you’re working as a 1:1 teaching assistant, ask the teacher what communication techniques are best to use. Some children will comprehend everyday communication, whilst others might communicate more effectively though eye movements or technology.

Makaton is a technique used by students that are non-verbal or struggle with communicating verbally. It’s a wonderful and invaluable communication technique in SEN Primary schools. Many SEND schools will also have students that communicate through British Sign Language (BSL).

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. You won’t be asked to use this method if you don’t know it, but be prepared for students to use it.

Pupil Profiles

When going into a SEN school to work as a 1:1 TA or as a teacher, pupil profiles are essential. 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.

Plan to arrive early to review profiles, and discuss with staff about any other behaviour before the start of school.

The number of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) make up 15.5% of the population and is increasing year on year. With an abundance of SEN teaching and teaching assistant roles available, there’s no time like the present. As a SEND teacher, you gain a host of valuable and transferable skills. These can contribute to making you so much more employable in your future career, wherever it may take you.

If you’re a teacher or teaching assistant looking for a new challenge, get in touch with SEN specialists Initial Education. Find out what opportunities we have available in SEN schools.

Hiring an NQT : What To Look Out For

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Hiring a new, inexperienced NQT or member of staff can be a tough decision, and although you may feel yourself gravitating to those candidates offering years of experience, a young or newly qualified teacher can bring so many strengths to your educational setting. Indeed, the drive and passion of new teachers is unrivalled, bringing with them a new approach and energy to the curriculum. Take a look at Initial Education’s key things to look out for when you’re hiring new teachers.

Flexibility and adaptability

At Initial Education we believe that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and the best teachers are those that are able to adapt to differing and challenging situations on a daily basis without getting flustered. When hiring an NQT, look at whether they have completed supply work previously or worked with both mainstream and SEN schools as this is a clear indicator of an individual’s ability to adapt to alternative environments.

Enthusiasm

Love what you do and do what you love. Teaching isn’t easy at the best of times so when hiring NQTs, look out for those that have a true passion for what they do and why they do it. Passion and enthusiasm go a long way in teaching as a teacher’s energy can easily be reflected onto those in the classroom, creating a great learning environment for all those involved. Indeed, when hiring an NQT you should consider that they are likely to incorporate new technologies into the classroom fresh from training, keeping pupils engaged and reinforcing their love for school.

Patience is underrated

A crucial skill that is often overlooked, educators that display patience and a degree of tranquillity are hugely valuable. Regardless of age group, pupils learn differently, misbehave, or simply struggle to process information in the same way. When hiring an NQT, look for those that are able to remain calm, cool and collected in even the most frustrating of situations in order to get the most out of their students.

Communication

Fundamental to teaching success, look for teachers that are able to effectively communicate with pupils, their parents and other teaching staff. Indeed, contributing to the learning development of students requires exceptional communication with other teachers in order to tailor your approach to each class. Additionally, building trusting relationships with parents and pupils is great for keeping students engaged in their learning, making the best teachers those that are able to demonstrate that they are able to provide effective and constructive feedback.

Furthermore, look at your existing team of staff and take into consideration the benefits that they would obtain from bringing on a newly qualified teacher. Indeed, this provides fantastic opportunities for existing staff to develop their own leadership and mentoring competencies, alongside reflecting on new techniques and practices.

Consider an agency

If you’re worried about the calibre of staff that you bringing to a school, whether they be newly qualified teachers of those with years of experience, consider looking to an agency for assistance. We’ve done the leg work for you and have a pool of the best NQTs and experienced teachers in the area, saving you time and worry. What’s more, we make safeguarding children our top priority, so when taking on a new teacher or teaching assistant from Initial Education you don’t have to worry. All our candidates are interviewed, and references are thoroughly reviewed prior to registration, in addition to an up-to-date enhanced DBS check.

If you’re looking for teaching staff for supply, temporary or longer-term work, we have a great pool of candidates and would love to hear from you, just get in touch.