Month: November 2021

What is World Children’s Day?

World Children’s Day was established in 1954 to be seen as a day to promote and celebrate children’s rights. Today Monarch Education would like to highlight how well-being is being promoted and nurtured among children and young people within schools, and how teachers and support staff make a difference to children’s lives on a daily basis.

What does well-being mean?

A good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterised by health, happiness, and prosperity; welfare, comfort, contentment, happiness, health, prosperity, protection, safety, security, success, eudemonia.

When I asked the assistant head of one of our secondary schools how she would sum up well-being in one sentence, she said, “it is the centre of everything. It allows students to emotionally develop, to socialise and to grow as positive and happy individuals”. How true that statement is and how fortunate I was to interview her. I wanted to find out more about how the school promotes well-being and how the staff, including ours, make a difference to the students’ lives.

For over 6 years the school have had a specialist provision in place called ‘Opportunity’; a centre where students have the opportunity to move on from things that may be holding them back. The centre focuses on mental health, well-being and happiness. It is run by a pastoral lead, a youth worker, counselling support staff and additional specialist staff who offer unique opportunities to students.  Students can be referred to the centre by their teachers, parents or can just drop in if they feel the need to talk to someone.

To run in line with the centre all staff have access to a safeguarding database, where they can input any concerns they may have about a student’s behaviour, mental health, physical wellness or change in personality or character. The interventions used internally offer a wide range of opportunities for students to seek counsel in non-conventional ways; it may be that a specialist member of staff can offer a creative workshop, which allows freedom of speech and expression – a safe haven for students to feel free to talk openly about something that is bothering them.

This is where Monarch Education has had the privilege of providing specialist staff to the school; staff who can contribute to the extra-curricular activities and offer a welcoming ear to students. The specialists we have placed come with very interesting work histories; one was a circus performing aerialist and another was a semi-professional ballroom dancer – not the average Teaching Assistant by any means! Upon speaking to the Monarch Education staff placed in the Opportunity centre they informed me just how much the school focuses on well-being and how much they enjoyed working in such a place. They commented on how well the students were supported and that they felt part of a family.

School resources

The school ensures that all members of staff have mental health and well-being at the heart of their teaching. They are regularly updated with new strategies to use and are informed of new topics to be aware of and focus on, they are always reminded that the Opportunity centre is there to be accessed by anyone who needs it.

As well as the specialist provision the school ensures that children are taught to be open about mental health and not treat it as a taboo. In years 7, 8 and 9 Health & Well-being is taught through PE and classroom-based lessons; in the upper parts of the school students access the Life Curriculum where they learn life skills and can discuss future careers; the school have an excellent area for outdoor learning which all students are encouraged to be part of and this space includes a quiet area for thought and reflection.

Due to the exceptional ethos of this school, the training provided and the dedicated staff they employ this is an environment where all students feel they are cared for, listened to and understood. They feel safe, secure, and content and they can prosper through their teenage years knowing they have such support in place. Monarch Education is proud to work within an industry that promotes well-being to such a degree and is committed to providing excellent staff to schools such as this one. Please join us today on World Children’s Day to acknowledge all children and their right to a happy and healthy childhood.

In my career as a lawyer, I stood in front of many-a-judge in a Courtroom. As daunting as that may seem, for many, standing in front of 30 five-year-olds with their faces all looking up at you hanging on your every word is a much scarier prospect. However, this week, I did it! In this month’s blog, I talk in more depth about my school and training experience.

In recent weeks, I have spent much more time in my “home school”. This is the place where you spend most of your time on a School Direct course. At the moment, I spend three days a week in school, but this will increase as the year progresses. After Christmas, I spend 6 weeks in my “away school” – a contrasting placement at a different school and in a different Key Stage. As I am currently based in Year 1, I will be placed in KS2 (Years 3 – 6) at my away school. This all works slightly differently for students who are on a university-led or salaried route, and you need to do your research to find which course is going to be the best fit for you.

New Beginnings

Right from the moment I came into my home school, I knew I was going to be able to thrive here. All the staff have been so supportive and all the children have been so welcoming. I have a mentor at my home school who supports me in the teaching aspect of my teacher training course. I spend my time in school in my mentor’s class and gradually build up my teaching time throughout the year. Everyone on a teacher training course will have a mentor to provide support and guidance. They will assist with planning, help you to develop your teaching practice and carry out your observations.

As noted above, I am currently based in a Year 1 classroom with 30 five- and six-year-olds. I had so many worries about meeting my class: I was worried about being a new face in school; building relationships with the children; being able to remember all of the children’s names and how I was possibly going to be able to keep my eye on so many of them all at once! However, within a few days, I did settle in – I’m very lucky that the children at my home school are so kind, polite and hardworking and they welcomed me in wonderfully.

During my time in the classroom, I have done a wide variety of activities. In the first few weeks, I spent time observing lessons, helping children with their work, marking, helping with LSA/TA support and creating displays (to name just a few!). I have loved being thrown straight into the classroom and getting involved. I am treated as if I were a member of staff. I attend briefings and staff meetings, I have PPA time, I escort the children out to their parents/carers at the end of the day. This is all fantastic hands-on experience for when I eventually have my class as an ECT (Early Career Teacher).

Training

Alongside my time in school, I undertake training every week. We spend one day per week at university engaging with lectures and seminars. We discuss a variety of aspects of the key knowledge required for becoming a teacher including safeguarding, behaviour management and planning. We focus on how our training links to the Teachers’ Standards – these are standards all teachers and trainee teachers are expected to meet. I would suggest you have a look at them online as they are something you will become very familiar with once you begin your teacher training course.

We also have training with our School Direct cohort, usually once per week. These sessions cover a wide variety of subject areas including assessment, well-being, effective deployment of support staff, outdoor learning and so much more. We also have what is called “subject knowledge” training with our School Direct provider whereby we have sessions on the curriculum content to develop our knowledge across all of the subjects we teach. Enhancing your knowledge of the areas contained within the national curriculum is vital for becoming the best teacher you can be and the great thing about primary teaching is that we cover every subject area, so we are constantly learning new things which is something I have enjoyed.

“It’s never too early to get started!”

To get ahead, I would strongly recommend you have a read of the national curriculum. Have a look at the different programmes of study and assess your strengths and weaknesses. Are there any areas within which you can begin to develop your subject knowledge? If so, it’s never too early to get started! Keep a written log of all the subject-knowledge development you have been working on by making a note of resources you have accessed online, or books that you have read. This is also something you’ll be able to talk about in any interviews you have for your teacher training course, whichever route you decide to take.

Both the training at university and training with our School Direct provider gradually decreases throughout the year as we take up more teaching time. This month, I have now officially started teaching my class! I now plan, deliver and get observed teaching different lessons across the course of the week. My experience so far has been amazing so don’t forget to come back next month where I will be talking more about my teaching experience so far!

In the meantime, if you would like to follow my teacher training journey and get more insight into the things I’ve been up to, follow me on Twitter at @BAFTeacher.

Beth.

If you would like to find out more about the opportunities we have for new teachers, check out our latest vacancies on our job page here.

We have three brand-new CPD courses in November for Teachers and Teaching Assistants. These are as follows:

Christmas Literacy for Y1 – Y7 supply staff
A one-off literacy- based lesson for the Christmas period.
Tuesday 16th November 6.30pm – 8pm

Leading Learning in a Specialist Provision
This session will provide practical tips around supporting and developing learning in a specialist provision. Participants will look at core principles around what is needed to be well prepared for working within such an environment.
Thursday 18th November 5pm – 6pm // Thursday 25th November 6.30pm – 7.30pm

A Briefing for supply staff
Keeping abreast of local and national priorities and the implications for supply staff. This will include updates on the latest inspection frameworks, phonics and reading requirements.
Wednesday 1^st December 4.30pm – 5.30pm

In addition to the above exclusive training sessions, Best Trust is also offering Sugarman Education candidates a place on additional training sessions they are organising for education professionals.

Fluency in Reading: A three-week unit of work for Y2/ Y3/Y4
Suitable for Teaching and support staff in Years 2, 3, 4 and 1:1 tutors.    
This session will consider the development of reading fluency as a support for reading comprehension.
Tuesday 9th November 4pm – 5.45pm

Spooky Stories
A short, dynamic and exciting unit of work, including a wealth of differentiated resources, media and IT, to develop reading through to writing for teachers in Year 5 / 6.
Wednesday 10th November 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Get in touch with our friendly recruitment consultants today to find out more about the support we offer and take advantage of the new CPD programme by clicking here.

Working in education isn’t always the career path some people aspire to work in from a young age, but the desire to inspire young people and help shape someone’s future can ultimately lead you to the profession.

This is the case for Hamil, a Teaching Assistant who has worked in the education sector with Sugarman Education for the last two years. Having previously worked with children in other roles, it was a friend who suggested supply teaching maybe for him.

He said: “My last job was in marketing and did some sports coaching on the side. I enjoyed working with young people and decided it was something I wanted to do more of in my career.

“My previous roles have been very different to teaching, but my experience in coaching sort of pushed me towards that.”

Hamil has found long term work with Sugarman Education and has worked specifically in SEN schools, something which was a new challenge for him.

“It was really eye-opening for me. I’ve never worked with SEN children, but here you get an insight into their lives, what they are going through back at home and even the difficulties they have with their parents.”

“Each child is special in their own way”

Working with several different after school sports teams, Hamil has experienced working with children of all ages and abilities, some from the age of 3. This has given him the chance to be adaptable and appreciate the individualities of those he supports, both in and out of the classroom. 

“Each child is special in their own way. SEN children have lots of similarities to mainstream children but can’t express themselves as well, which can be challenging.

“I think SEN pupils are a lot more visual than mainstream pupils. One girl in my class is so artistic. She can see a picture once and draw it perfectly from memory. Another young boy has the most amazing memory, I sometimes worry about telling him too much, because he remembers everything!”

SEN lessons can be extremely different from those in a mainstream school. Keeping the children focused and engaged can be a big task, but Hamil has found that using exercise to keep the class alert and energised can really boost their productivity. 

Bringing out the best in the pupils

“Demonstrations and active lessons are key to getting the best out of the pupils. We have a stretching class every morning to prepare them for the day. 

“One child cannot extend his arms fully and doesn’t have a great range of motion. I handed him a small ball and turning his focus elsewhere, he can manage that extension and can keep up with the rest of the class.” 

To this day, Hamil is still in contact with a teacher from his school days, who he recalls made a real impact in his lessons and made time for each pupil. 

“My Primary School teacher, Mr Hunt, was helpful. He was relatable to the young ones and would listen to our music and tell us jokes. He was a PE teacher, so we always talked about football. I’m still in contact with him today and I help him with his after-school clubs and sports coaching.” 

Why supply teaching?

When asking Hamil if he would recommend supply teaching to others, he speaks of the flexibility of the role and how it fits around his lifestyle, along with the development opportunities that come with each role.

“I would say just take the risk. The hours are great. I get to finish quite early, so I can still take part in my coaching sessions. The staff are supportive and there are always new things to learn.

“My goal is to be a PE teacher in the future or work in a behaviour management role, something that is currently available in the school I am in now. I have a great relationship with the school and appreciate the support they continue to give me.”

For more details about the opportunities we have available, please check out our latest vacancies here