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What impact will the new teaching schools have on education?

Published on May 17, 2013,

With 360 of the targeted 500 teaching schools established, Nick Morrison, writing in the Guardian, explores their potential for driving school improvement…

For Notre Dame High in Sheffield, becoming a teaching school seemed the obvious next step. It could boast a history of outstanding verdicts from Ofsted, and its leadership team had spent 18 months running a struggling school in the diocese. As a result, it became one of the first cohort of teaching schools and the hub of a group which draws its members from not just its own city of Sheffield, but extending throughout South Yorkshire and into West and North Yorkshire as well. (more…)

 

A message for all NQTs: reflecting on your first year in teaching

Published on May 3, 2013,

One term left as an newly qualified teacher? Assistant head Danielle Egonu has some words of wisdom and encouragement for the final stretch. Here are some extracts from the Guardian…

So you’ve passed the midway point of your first year as an NQT. The metaphorical onion has unveiled its layers and the reality of teaching has become apparent but you haven’t run in the opposite direction yet. Well done… (more…)

 

Online universities launching courses for teachers

Published on May 2, 2013,

A major global online university network is to enter the teacher-training market for the first time. Coursera, based in the United States, has announced partnerships with schools of education to provide content for free online training materials. This is from the BBC…

The project has been backed by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and now United Nations global education envoy. (more…)

 

Fear for pupils as thousands of teachers lack qualifications

Published on May 1, 2013,

The Times is reporting on official figures that show thousands of teachers are giving lessons in English, maths and science when they do not have a relevant degree…

Almost a quarter of secondary school maths teachers (about 7,500) and more than a third of physics teachers (approximately 2,000) do not have a relevant degree-level qualification. (more…)

 

Academics baffled by teacher-training shake-up and move to training more teachers on the job

Published on April 30, 2013,

Warwick Mansell in the Guardian has an in-depth investigation into the uncertainty being felt at university teacher training courses such as the highly regarded one at Cambridge as government changes are pushing more training of teachers in schools…

Not long ago, Cambridge University academics were celebrating receiving what they say is the first ever “perfect” Ofsted report for a teacher-training course, with no areas for improvement. Now, the future of the prestigious course – and seemingly many others like it – is clouded by uncertainty because of changes to the way teacher training is organised. Elaine Wilson, who runs Cambridge’s postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) for secondary school teachers, is baffled by the government’s motives. (more…)

 

New teaching college to be established to combat classroom ‘fads’

Published on April 24, 2013,

A new training college for teachers is to be established by the Prince of Wales’s charity to combat the “fads and fetishes” of the classroom and create a traditional approach to education. This is from the Telegraph…

The Prince’s Teaching Institute is in talks to create a College of Teaching designed to drive up classroom standards and raise the status of the profession, it emerged. (more…)

 

Launch of National College for Teaching and Leadership

Published on April 3, 2013,

The merged Teaching Agency and National College will be known as the National College for Teaching and Leadership, Education Secretary Michael Gove announced yesterday. This is from the DfE…

The National College for Teaching and Leadership is a single agency focused on promoting high-quality teaching and school leadership. Its remit will also include continuous professional and leadership development and supporting school improvement. (more…)

 

Private schools will train teachers for work in state sector

Published on March 4, 2013,

Hundreds of new teachers will undertake part of their initial training in independent schools under plans approved by the Government. Graduates entering the profession will divide their time between inner city academies and elite private schools in order to qualify as teachers. This is from the Times…

The move is part of a plan by the Government to break the dominance of universities and teacher-training colleges and encourage schools to design new programmes to train teachers. (more…)

 

The PGCE diaries: I’m finally starting to feel like a real teacher

Published on February 28, 2013,

Immersed in marking, students’ quirks and the biscuit tin, trainee teacher Charlotte Derrett feels more like a teacher every day. Just don’t mention the forthcoming maths skills test. This is from the Guardian…

“Miss, you are swag!” I guessed that meant: “Miss, I really enjoyed your lesson today, thank you.” And it did. It may have been the significant amount of Haribo I had fed my class that convinced them I was “swag” this particular lesson, but I am still trying to persuade myself that it could have actually been the five hours I had spent planning, printing, sticking, cutting and laminating till the early hours that morning which made my lesson so enjoyable. (more…)

 

Secret Teacher: My NQT year was made unbearable by bullying

Published on February 11, 2013,

This week’s Secret Teacher says something needs to be done about teachers being bullied in schools, before too many lose the confidence to do the job. This is from the Guardian…

Having just finished the incredibly intensive PGCE with flying colours only weeks before, I entered my first teaching job in a renowned primary school full of pride in my achievements, brimming with ideas I wanted to try and bristling with nerves for my first full-time teaching job. How would my first class react to me? Would I have any problem parents? How would I cope with the workload? These were characteristic of the worries I had as a new teacher, fresh out of training – worries I feel sure are common to NQTs across the country. Little did I know that these would actually be the least of my troubles and I would instead be faced with problems that no training prepares you for: bullying – at the hands of my senior and experienced professional colleagues. (more…)

 

DfE claims ‘encouraging’ rise in teacher training figures

Published on January 15, 2013,

The DfE has published figures on its website which, it claims, represents an encouraging rise in teacher training figures, with numbers up from the same time last year. This is from the DfE…

The Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) has today (Monday) published the first set of data on applications it has received for teacher training in the current recruitment year. (more…)

 

Trainee teachers struggle as bursary withdrawn

Published on December 17, 2012,

Thousands of trainee teachers are facing possible financial hardship after a promised government bursary was withdrawn after they had applied for their courses. This is from the Guardian…

Some of those studying to be further education teachers say the loss of the bursary has severely affected their finances and that they would not have begun the course had they known the situation. (more…)

 

Teach First founder says effective teachers can break down the barriers to achievement

Published on December 11, 2012,

Innovative thinking and continuous professional development are essential for teachers surrounded by high levels of poverty or underachievement, says Brett Wigdortz, the founder of Teach First. This is from the Guardian…

We know that effective, inspirational teachers can make the difference between a child achieving educational success or being left lagging behind. So we expect a lot from our teachers – and we work hard to find them. As well as proven academic ability, they must demonstrate resilience, humility and respect, and be committed to working in schools in low-income communities for a minimum of two years, where they can achieve a teaching qualification over 13 months. They know from the outset that it is going to be tough. But they also know that it is nothing compared to the challenges faced by their pupils on a daily basis. When finding something to eat and getting yourself to school is a real struggle, the last thing on your mind is the mark on your latest English essay. (more…)

 

Why I’m becoming a teacher: because I don’t want to be bored in my career

Published on December 3, 2012,

Maths teacher Megan Cumberlidge shines a light on the Teach First teacher training route and how she’s getting on in her first year. This is from the Guardian…

Before coming to Teach First I’d been a student at Cardiff University for five years. I started off doing a maths degree but found it too abstract and discovered I prefer applied maths so I switched to a degree in architectural engineering. Then I did a Master of Engineering. I really wasn’t sure what to do as my career but in my degree and master’s I did work experience in different engineering companies. I also went to Africa to do project management in engineering, which I really loved. But engineering in the UK was too technical and dry. I found I was getting bored after a two and a half month placement so I knew after a year I’d be really bored. I wanted a job where I wasn’t behind a desk the whole time. A couple of my friends did Teach First – they told me how hard it was but I didn’t anticipate the reality. (more…)

 

2,000 elite young teachers are parachuted in to tackle Britain’s toughest schools

Published on November 26, 2012,

A multi-million-pound scheme to increase massively the number  of elite teachers parachuted into Britain’s toughest schools is being announced by the Government. The funding will help train 2,000 top graduates a year to teach in schools in inner cities and other deprived parts of the country. This is from the Daily Mail…

A multi-million-pound scheme to increase massively the number  of elite teachers parachuted into Britain’s toughest schools will be announced by the Government tomorrow. (more…)

 

Bad teachers can cost pupils half a GCSE grade – the best can add one

Published on November 24, 2012,

Being taught by the worst teachers over two years can mean the difference between scoring A or B grades in end-of-year exams, it was claimed.Academics from Bristol University said that the findings – based on an analysis of data from 7,300 pupils and 740 teachers – remained consistent irrespective of pupils’ family background. This is from the Telegraph…

(more…)

 

Highest ever quality of graduates going into teacher training

Published on November 21, 2012,

More than seven out of 10 new trainee teachers now have a high-quality degree, according to the latest figures published from the Teaching Agency – the highest proportion ever recorded. The is from the DfE…

The data from the Teaching Agency reveals that 71 per cent of graduates choosing to train for a career in the classroom now have a 2:1 or higher. This is a record rise of six percentage points compared to last year. (more…)

 
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