Teaching Uncovered

Headteacher Who Tapped Hand of Son Wins Unfair Dismissal Case

2024-03-09T03:27:00.000-08:00

A London headteacher who was sacked for tapping her own son on the hand was unfairly dismissed, according to an Employment Tribunal.

Trigger warning: Readers may feel angered at the circumstances of this case.

You can read the Tribunal's full findings here.

The allegation and outcome:

Shelly-Ann Malabver-Goulbourne was previously the headteacher of Northwold Primary School, Hackney, which is part of the three-school Arbor Academy Trust. Each school within the Trust has its own Local Governing Board which is responsible, in the first instance, for dealing with complaints in relation to the headteacher.

Ms Malabver-Goulbourne had two children of her own attending the school - her son, who was 3-years-old at the time (identified as "J" by the Tribunal), and her daughter, who was 11-years-old at the time (who I shall refer to as "K").

On 17th January 2022, at around 6.20 pm, Ms Malabver-Goulbourne was working in her office at the end of the school day. As was often the case, her children waited in the office before the family embarked on the journey home. The school's designated safeguarding lead, Samantha Bhagwandas, was also present in the office having just attended a meeting with Ms Malabver-Goulbourne.

The Tribunal heard that at one point during the evening J picked up a bottle of hand sanitiser and started playing with it. Ms Malabver-Goulbourne spoke to J and told him to put the bottle down, tapping him on the back of the hand to get his attention. The Tribunal heard that J sometimes had difficulty focussing on his mother when she was speaking to him, which is why she wanted to draw his attention.

By way of context, the Tribunal was also told about an incident around a fortnight earlier where J had spilt hand sanitiser at home and rubbed it into his hair pretending it was styling gel. Some of the liquid had gotten into J's eyes, causing him distress and irritation.

Ms Bhagwandas was present at the time Ms Malabver-Goulbourne tapped J's hand and told him to stop playing with the bottle. According to her, and it doesn't seem disputed, J became upset at being challenged by his mother. Ms Bhagwandas said she spent a few moments calming J down. Ms Bhagwandas also told Ms Malabver-Goulbourne that she should not have tapped J on the back of the hand.

On 19th January Ms Bhagwandas reported Ms Malabver-Goulbourne's actions to the CEO of the Arbor Academy Trust, Maureen Okoye. She did this initially by telephone, but later submitted a cause for concern form and additional written statement. The Tribunal notes that "it is likely that the Claimant (Ms Malabver-Goulbourne) and Respondent's CEO (Ms Okoye) did not have a good working relationship". It should also be noted that the Trust's complaints procedure required complaints about the headteacher to be directed to the Local Governing Board.

Ms Okoye took advice from the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), social worker Liezel Le Roux, and the decision was taken to suspend Ms Malabver-Goulbourne, without prejudice, pending an investigation. Ms Okoye sent Ms Malabver-Goulbourne a letter to that effect, but it did not give any details of the allegation.

The police were informed of the allegation and Ms Malabver-Goulbourne was interviewed. This is the first time she became aware of the circumstances of the allegation made. A few days later J and K were interviewed. The police concluded that allegation against Ms Malabver-Goulbourne fell well below the threshold needed for any further police involvement. The police were of the view that her actions could be considered "reasonable chastisement", which is a statutory defence against any allegation of parental assault against a child. The police noted that Ms Malabver-Goulbourne's actions may have been appropriate, given J's risk of harm from the hand sanitiser.

Despite this, the Trust instituted an investigation into the complaint against Ms Malabver-Goulbourne. The investigation, headed by social worker Nick Pratt, considered the Trust's own policy documentation in relation to staff touching children and relevant DfE statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe In Education (KCSIE) and Working Together To Safeguard Children. It also considered live evidence from Ms Bhagwandas and Ms Malabver-Goulbourne.

Given evidence Ms Bhagwandas was adamant that Ms Malabver-Goulbourne's actions, in tapping J on the back of the hand, were not reasonable, justified or compliant with the Trust's behaviour management or safeguarding policies.

Ms Malabver-Goulbourne denied any intention to hurt J, saying that she just wanted to get his attention and remind him of the dangers of the hand sanitiser. She added that J only became upset because she had taken the bottle away from him.

Mr Pratt concluded that there was a disciplinary case for Ms Malabver-Goulbourne to answer. He said he found that Ms Bhagwandas gave a credible account of the incident, including a claim that Ms Malabver-Goulbourne had warned J he was going to be smacked. Mr Pratt also criticised Ms Malabver-Goulbourne for her failure to self-report the incident, which happened on school premises and involved a pupil.

A disciplinary panel was convened, to determine the single allegation that Ms Malabver-Goulbourne "assaulted a pupil/child whilst in a position of trust and on school premises".

The panel found the allegation proved and decided to dismiss Ms Malabver-Goulbourne on the basis that "she may not deal with a similar situation in an appropriate way" and it had therefore "lost trust and confidence in her".

In its decision letter, the disciplinary panel said: "the Trust expressly forbids any physical chastisement or contact of any kind. Therefore, whether a tap or otherwise, this was unnecessary physical contact with a pupil, which constitutes an assault, and therefore a breach of policies and statutory guidance".

However, as noted by the Tribunal, there is no evidence to confirm the Trust's assertion that it "expressly forbids... contact of any kind" - indeed several of the Trust's only policy documents and DfE statutory guidance describe circumstances where physical contact might be appropriate. The Trust's decision to dismiss on that basis is therefore flawed and unlawful.

Opinion:

This is a very, very sad state of affairs, which will undoubtedly now cost the Arbor Academy Trust a lot both financially and in terms of reputational damage.

As a mother it is entirely a matter for Ms Malabver-Goulbourne how she interacts with and disciplines her children, as long as she remains within the confines of the law. There is absolutely no suggestion she has done anything unlawful in this case.

However, as a teacher she is subject to different rules and expectations in regard to how she interacts with and disciplines pupils at the school.

I think most people would agree that first and foremost, Ms Malabver-Goulbourne acts as a mother towards her children - particularly late in the evening (6.20 pm), when it's cold and dark outside (January), everyone has had a long day at school, young children are getting irritable and desperate to get home.

I think most people would be able to separate out the roles of mother and teacher and see the clear distinction between the two. Most people, that is, apart from Samantha Bhagwandas, who apparently lacks the common sense and aptitude to distinguish between them.

Bhagwandas is no longer at Northwold. I worry about her new colleagues. I know that I wouldn't want to work alongside her. I wouldn't want to be the next one thrown under the bus.

Condensed Summer Holidays in Favour of Longer Mid-Term Breaks

2024-02-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot in the media recently about the idea of reducing the long summer holidays in favour of longer mid-term breaks.

I have to say that I really would be in favour of such an idea. If you're anything like me, then half-way through the six week summer holidays I am absolutely climbing the walls and desperated to be back in the normal school routine. However, by the time if gets to the October mid-term holiday I am practically on my knees and only a week off is barely enough time to recover.

Another disadvantage of the long summer holiday is that students' learning tends to suffer. Students also get out of the routine of learning and fall into bad habits. The stability of school is also beneficial, particularly to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I would happily reduce the summer holidays by three weeks and add an extra weeks' holiday to each of the mid-term breaks. I find the Autumn term, which tends to be the longest, particularly gruelling. The cold, dreary days do little to help matters.

The Unity Schools Partnership (USP) is a multi-academy trust with 33 schools in the south east of England. The Partnership recently trialled a fortnight-long mid-term break in October, which was warmly received and had the effect of reducing staff absences by half and student absences by a quarter.

Tim Coulson, chief executive of the USP, said: "While a majority of staff and parents were in favour of the two-week half term, we acknowledge and take seriously all those comments from individuals not in favour of the proposal.

"Although there are various views, the two most significant are the cost of childcare and how learning time is made up."

The Welsh Government recently proposed a reduction of their school summer holiday, so it would be nice if their UK counterparts would consider doing the same in England.

Teacher Settlement Agreements

2023-12-13T02:32:00.000-08:00

A settlement agreement is a mutually convenient way of an employer terminating the employment of a teacher.

The benefit to the employer is that they can swiftly and quietly remove the teacher from their position and take steps to recruit a replacement. The benefit to the teacher is often a favourable reference and some sort of financial remuneration.

Settlement agreements are increasingly common in the education sector. In the last five years, in my role as a union caseworker, I have helped teachers successfully negotiate their exit on several occasions. Many of those have found themselves subject to capability or disciplinary procedures, but an increasing number simply want to escape the relentless daily grind of what is becoming a thankless task.

In this article I give a brief overview of how and when settlement agreements are used. As you will understand, I cannot go into specific examples. I can, however, discuss some of the key features that seem to appear in every teacher settlement agreement.

As I am based in England this article will primarily focus on the situation in England and Wales. The relevant conditions of service and legislation may well be different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

When are settlement agreements used?

Certainly in the state sector, most teachers are employed in accordance with a document called the Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales (the so called Burgundy Book). This document sets out main terms and conditions of employment enjoyed by teachers, which are generally pretty favourable.

One major gripe about the conditions is that teachers can normally only terminate their employment on three occasions during the year - the 30th April (in which case they need to give their employer notice by 28th/29th February); the 31st August (in which case they need to give their employer notice by 31st May); and 31st December (in which case they need to give their employer notice by 31st October). If the teacher misses any of the notice deadlines then theoretically they would need to wait until the next resignation window, which could be a period of up to 6 months if they fall unlucky with the dates.

There are clearly situations where a teacher needs to leave their employment in a far shorter timeframe than that. That might be the case if the teacher has somehow become a disgruntled employee; if they have become subject to some sort of disciplinary or capability proceedings; or if they are on a protracted period of sickness absence. In those situations the employer might be willing to allow the teacher to terminate their employment early by mutual agreement. In these situations a settlement agreement allows the employer to protect their own interests by allowing the teacher to terminate their employment on certain conditions.

What are the terms of a settlement agreement?

A settlement agreement is legally binding on both parties. Entering a settlement agreement will allow a teacher to terminate their employment on the agreement that they waive their rights to make a future claim against the employer at an Employment Tribunal.

It might also include the following terms:

That the teacher does not make any derogatory comments about the employer, their other employees, their students, or the parents/carers of their students;
That the teacher does not disclose the contents of the settlement agreement, apart from when they are under a statutory obligation to do so;
That the teacher withdraws any outstanding grievances or complaints against the employer;
That the teacher makes arrangements for the return of any property belonging to the employer;
That the teacher does not return to the employer's premises;
That the teacher does not engage in employment-related conversations with other employees;
That the teacher does not make any future subject access or freedom of information requests to the employer.

In return, the employer might agree to the following:

The teacher's termination of employment on an agreed date;
To pay the teacher's legal fees in relation to the agreement;
A termination payment as compensation for loss of the teacher's employment (these payments are typically tax free);
A payment in lieu of notice (PILON) if the teacher is allowed to terminate their employment before the end of the normal notice period (PILON is taxed at the usual rate);
An agreed reference for the teacher;
The teacher having a say on how their departure is announced;
Not to make any derogatory comments about the teacher and to ensure, as far as reasonably possible, that none of their other employees do either.

Are there any terms that cannot be included in a settlement agreement?

A settlement agreement cannot require a teacher to waive their rights to make a protected disclosure (e.g. blow the whistle) under the terms of section 47B of the Employment Rights Act 1996. This means the teacher could still report any act of criminal wrongdoing or breach of statutory obligation by the employer (or other employees) to the appropriate body.

A settlement agreement cannot require a teacher to waive their rights in relation to any future, unforeseen medical condition directly attributable to their employment. This means a teacher could still make a claim against the employer if it later transpires the school was riddled with asbestos and they develop asbestosis as a result.

A settlement agreement cannot require a teacher to waive their rights in relation to the enforcement of that agreement.

How do you negotiate a settlement agreement?

A teacher's trade union will usually negotiate any settlement agreement on their behalf. The agreement is a two way process - if the teacher is dissatisfied with any of the proposed terms of the agreement they can ask the union to renegotiate them.

Once the wording of the agreement has been finalised, the teacher is obliged to seek independent legal advice about the consequences of entering into it. The union would normally arrange this for the teacher.

How much is a teacher settlement payment?

It depends on the circumstances, but generally speaking the teacher will have greater negotiating power if:

They would have valid grounds to make a claim at the Employment Tribunal;
They have knowledge or information which, if it were known to other people, could cause serious reputational damage to the employer;
They are on sickness absence due to a work-related illness or injury.

It would be fairly typical for the employer to offer two or three months' PILON.

Those teachers in a stronger position might be offered two or three months' termination payment in addition to two or three months' PILON.

Those teachers in the strongest position might be offered something just below what they could reasonably be expected to be awarded by an Employment Tribunal.

What happens if I break the settlement agreement?

A settlement agreement usually includes a clause requiring the repayment of all monies paid in pursuance of the agreement in the event of a breach. The employer could take legal action against the teacher if they failed to make the requirement repayment. The employer would likely decline any future reference requests in relation to the teacher.

Rude and Intimidating: The Ofsted Inspection That Contributed to Death of a Berkshire Head Teacher

2023-12-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

HM Coroner for Berkshire has said that an Ofsted inspection was a contributory factor in the death of a much loved and respected primary school head teacher.

It is the first time that the regulator has been found culpable in relation to the death of a teacher.

As previously reported on Teaching Uncovered, Ruth Perry, 53, who had been a teacher for 32 years, tragically took her own life on 8th January 2023. She was awaiting the publication of an Ofsted inspection report on her school, Caversham Primary in Berkshire.

The inspection took place on 15th and 16th November 2022. The inspection team consisted of Alan Derry HMI, the lead inspector, Gavin Evans, Ofsted inspector, and Clare Wilkins, Ofsted inspector.

The two-day inspection uncovered many positive aspects of Caversham Primary's provision, but that was sadly overshadowed by criticism of the school's safeguarding procedures. This weighed very heavily on Ruth's mind. She knew that being graded "inadequate" for leadership and management would limit the overall inspection outcome to one of "inadequate".

Heidi Connor, HM Coroner for Berkshire, has now publicly criticised the manner in which Ofsted inspected Caversham Primary.

In keeping with the Ofsted modus-operandi of naming and shaming, lead inspector Alan Derry HMI is worthy of particularly withering criticism for his role during the inspection. His Ofsted pen portrait is shown below.

Witnesses at the inquest described their interactions with Derry during the inspection. He was said to have "sneered" and "sniggered" during an "unpleasant" and "unprofessional" meeting about safeguarding.

In her recent inquest verdict, Mrs Connor said: "Parts of the Ofsted inspection were conducted in a manner which lacked fairness, respect and sensitivity (to quote from Ofsted's Code of Conduct).

"It was at times rude and intimidating. This likely had an effect on Ruth's ability to deal fully with the inspection process. Parts of this inspection were, in my view, very much done 'to' rather than 'with' this school."

Her sights firmly trained on Derry, she added that there "seems to have been little, if any, reflection or insight into this issue from the lead inspector".

She noted Derry's apparent abdication of responsibility, saying that his evidence "focused quite heavily on looking at others and the impact of their involvement".

In a slightly more conciliatory tone, Mrs Connor added that it was "much more important to consider the system that the lead inspector was working within, and whether adequate focus and training was given".

Having reviewed Ofsted publications, the coroner was of the view that there was very little reference to dealing with teacher anxiety.

Mrs Connor referred to the evidence of Chris Russell, Ofsted national director of education, who had earlier told the inquest that dealing with teacher distress "is something that very much comes into our training".

Russell also said that an inspection could be paused to protect the mental health of school staff.

Mrs Connor dismissed the notion of an inspection pause as "something of a mythical creature, created and expanded on during the evidence at this inquest".

She added that she had seen no evidence of an inspection ever being paused for mental health reasons, despite Ofsted claiming it had happened previously.

A Parents' Evening Survival Guide for Teachers

2023-11-07T05:58:00.003-08:00

Ever since starting as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed NQT at Mickley Grange, I've always dreaded the prospect of parents' evening.

Given our catchment area, I am always alert to the possibility of arsey, argumentative parents turning up and being confrontational. It hasn't happened yet, but it's still something that runs through my mind in the days leading up to the dreaded late evening shift.

In today's article I thought I'd share some of my tips for making parents' evening as pain free and productive as possible. If you want to cut straight to the chase then I will list the key points at the foot of this article. If you have a bit more time, you might be kind enough to indulge me by reading the entire thing.

Preparation is key

As with most things in life, preparation is key. If your school is anything like Mickley Grange then parents will use an online system to book appointment slots. This system will open a week or two prior to the parents' evening in question, but there is usually an opportunity for the teacher to update their availability to include a couple of refreshment breaks during the evening.

Generally speaking, it is a good idea to raise any behavioural or performance concerns with parents at the earliest opportunity. Concerns like this should be conveyed by telephone, instead of being held back for parents' evening. Breaking bad news to little Jonny's parents about his standard of behaviour or level of effort could well derail any parents' evening consultation, so is best avoided.

A typical Mickley Grange parents' evening, of which there are four a year, begins at 3.45 pm and finishes at 7 pm. I might block out a 10 minute break at around 5 pm and another at around 6 pm. Remember that if you're employed part time, then the length of the evening should be scaled accordingly - e.g. if a full time colleague does a 3 hour parents' evening then a 0.5 colleague should only be expected to do 1.5 hours. Employment law is such that a part time colleague cannot be placed in a less favourable position than a full time one, otherwise the school would be wide open to claims of discrimination.

In the fortnight before parents' evening it's a good idea to get on top of your marking, so the standard of each student's work is fairly fresh in your mind. You will, of course, know all of the high flyers and those that are less able, but the 60 percent in the middle are often less memorable and slip between the gaps. Slipping between the gaps is more of a problem now at Mickley Grange as every class has at least 35 students in it, meaning teachers have a far greater workload than they did when I first started. It's also a good idea to use that fortnight to make a note of any students that fail to complete their homework or whose behaviour gives cause for concern.

The online appointment booking system usually closes a day or two before parents' evening. As soon as it does be sure to print out a list of which parents are attending. Armed with that information it's a good idea to dig out the relevant exercise books and folders and take a closer look at the work of each of those students. This also gives a final chance to finish off any little bits of marking.

It's also a good idea to identify any students who require additional support in lessons. Their parents will want to know how the teacher is supporting them as an individual, so be sure to refresh your memory of their specific needs.

For years I went to parents' evening without the students' exercise books, because I didn't want the potentially arsey, argumentative parents mentioned earlier finding fault with the standard of marking. In more recent years I have gotten into the habit of taking the books with me, making sure they are sorted into the correct order beforehand.

Parents' evening itself

At Mickley Grange all parents' evening meetings take place in a wide open space like the gym or hall, where tables and chairs are set out for every teacher. Each table has a little sign with the teacher's name on it, so parents can put a face to the name. Having everyone present in the same large room reduces the possibility of confrontation and affords a degree of collective security. If anything does go wrong, one of the Senior Leadership Team is close at hand for firefighting duties. A clock is projected onto the wall or screen, so that each parent can approach the relevant teacher at the right time of their appointment.

I would arrive early and set up my laptop and/or mark book on the desk. I'd also make sure I had a bottle of water or mug of tea, as talking pretty much non-stop all evening is thirsty work. I'd make sure the relevant SIMS marksheets and attendance registers were open on my laptop. Parents' evenings at Mickley Grange usually follow a reporting period, so I'd make sure each student's report was available to me. Finally, I'd have each student's exercise book to refer to.

Over the years I have developed a bit of a format that I use when meeting parents. I would begin by welcoming them and asking if they had any questions about the report they had recently received. I would pass them their youngster's exercise book to have a good look through. I would then talk them through the report, telling them the work their youngster had been doing in lessons. At various points I would refer to the exercise book, critiquing the work that had been completed. I would also make reference to the student's standard of homework and their level of effort and behaviour in lessons.

Parents often want to know what their youngster can do to improve their standard of work, so it is a good idea to consider this beforehand. I often refer to their standard of presentation, written communication, use of subject-specific vocabulary, ability to draw accurate diagrams etc. I also mention resources like books and websites they could use at home.

Having said everything I wanted to say, I would then ask the parents if they had any further questions before thanking them for attending and wishing them a good evening.

Do not make the mistake of letting any parent sit down in front of you without an appointment. If that happens, just politely remind them that someone else has booked that slot. Likewise, as soon as parents' evening is over, be sure to leave as promptly as you can. Do not be drawn into conversation with any parents hanging about on the off-chance you will see them.

Parents' evening checklist

Things for the teacher to remember:

Get on top of marking in the weeks before parents' evening.
Any concerns about behaviour or performance should be raised with parents at the earliest opportunity. Do not hold these concerns back for parents' evening.
Block out some time during the evening for refreshment/toilet breaks.
Have something to drink.
Have access to relevant marksheets, attendance registers and reports.
Be prepared for questions about how you are supporting students with additional needs.
Be prepared for questions about what students can do to improve their level of understanding or quality of work.
Use the student's exercise book as a point of discussion.
In the unlikely event that a parent becomes abusive or confrontational, simply end the appointment and refer them to a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Getting Signed Off Work With Teacher Stress

2023-09-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

According to the latest Teacher Wellbeing Index 78 percent of teachers claim to have experienced mental health symptoms as a direct result of their employment in the last year.

A third of teachers leave the profession within 5 years and only around half manage to get 15 years in.

With such a stark statistic it is perhaps unsurprising that I am one of those who has experienced mental health difficulties.

If I could turn back the clock I would never have entered this profession. Now, around 15 years later, I find myself trapped at the top of the Upper Pay Scale, having virtually no prospect of finding another job with such a healthy salary and generous holidays.

Healthy as the salary and holidays might be, teaching is now a soul-destroying profession with too much micromanagement, too little trust, too much external scrutiny and too little appreciation.

Behaviour at Mickley Grange has been the icing on the cake. People simply would not believe the abysmal standard of behaviour, with a significant minority of students being openly defiant, avoiding work, being rude and disrespectful and totally derailing every single lesson.

I hear every excuse under the Sun about why such and such a student can't behave and it's never their fault, always someone else's - invariably the teacher's. I could write a book - a horror story - about some of the incidents I have witnessed, but I'll save that for a later time.

Just this week I am aware of two parents who have complained that "my child is not learning due to the standard of behaviour" and I can entirely empathise with their concerns. The bosses, of course, are utterly clueless on the matter, them never setting foot in a classroom unless they're filling in some meaningless bit of paper. It also doesn't suit their agenda to acknowledge or draw attention to quite how abysmal the standard of behaviour can be.

Anyhow, I'll try not to be too sidetracked.

I was struggling with various work-related issues getting on top of me. Every morning I awoke physically sick at the prospect of work; every evening I was relieved at leaving the door in one piece. I was also suffering really badly with insomnia, tossing and turning all the way through the night and unable to sleep at the prospect of work the following day. Colleagues were beginning to notice that I was not myself, becoming very withdrawn, unsociable, lacking motivation and feeling utterly worthless - with the occasional teary-eye I am not ashamed to admit.

The day finally came where I simply could not come to school. There was a straw that broke the camel's back, but I can't relive it because the circumstances would be recognisable. Let's just say that a student did something that they could have been arrested for in the real world, but that the Mickley Grange bosses have never even challenged them about due to their "special" status.

I left one evening, having experienced a particularly arduous day at the hands of unruly students, and told the office staff not to expect me the following day as I would be going to the doctor. I also made it quite clear to them that I would be in no hurry to return.

The following day I completed my doctors' surgery's online consultation form describing my circumstances and symptoms. The doctor rang me later that day and I repeated to her everything I had said on the consultation form. I explained to her that I needed some time off work to recuperate and reset. She immediately signed my off for a fortnight, making it quite clear that she would be happy to extend that later on. She pinged the fit note straight across to my mobile phone.

I spent the next fortnight moping about the house, worried about going outside because I was off work. I ignored the emails and did my best to forget about school.

The day came when I needed to renew my fit note. I again contacted the doctor, who was happy to do a telephone consultation. I told her that I still had the same concerns and was still having difficulty sleeping. She suggested counselling, but left it entirely in my hands. I said it was something I would consider, but didn't think I needed it at the moment. With that she extended my fit note by a month, making it clear that she would do the same the following month if need be.

During that month I was invited into school for an absence monitoring meeting, which I attended with my union representative. I made it clear what the problems were - as if they didn't know already - and said I had explained them all to my doctor. I also explained that my doctor had indicated a willingness to further extend my fit note.

Another month passed and I again contacted the doctor. Another telephone consultation ensued and another one-month extension was given.

By this time occupational health were sniffing about and I had an hour-long telephone consultation with them. The lady doing the consultation was a nurse, so in no way trumped my doctor's professional opinion, so she reiterated that I was not fit to return to work. The report also suggested some adaptations that could be made to smooth my return when the time was right. A risk assessment also had to be completed prior to my return.

Another month passed and by this time I had a plan in my mind for returning to work after a holiday period. I explained my plan to the doctor, who was happy to extend my fit note by another month to tie in with my planned return day. I thanked the doctor for all of her help and said that I hoped I wouldn't need to bother her again. Reassuringly she said that I had to get straight back in touch if there were any problems once I returned to work.

In total that was 3.5 months I was signed off by the doctor - and I won't hesitate if I need more time off in the future. My days of turning up to work when I'm ill and working on my days off are well and truly over.

The Great School Toilet Debate

2023-05-04T11:54:00.002-07:00

The great school toilet debate is kicking off at Mickley Grange once again.

The general rule is that students should be encourage to make use of the facilities at break time, lunchtime and as they're passing between lessons. They should not, as a general rule, be allowed out of lessons to go to the toilet.

The rules might seem a bit archaic, but they are there for two good reasons.

Firstly, a lot of learning time is lost when students turn up to lessons and immediately ask to go to the toilet. Post-covid we have a lot of very immature students, who will make maximum fuss in order to have their toilet request granted - that's irrespective of the fact they could have gone at break time 5 minutes earlier, but chose not to. Those are the same immature students who take 10 minutes to walk to the toilet, 10 minutes to do whatever they need to, and 10 minutes to walk back to the classroom.

Secondly, the toilets are hotbed of trouble during lesson times. It is no exaggeration to say that thousands of pounds worth of damage are caused to the toilets in Mickley Grange every single year. I would have no trouble at all reporting students who deliberately vandalise the toilets to the police and billing their parents for the damage. Sadly, the current management of Mickley Grange lack the moral fibre to take such a course of action.

To give a flavour of the sorts of goings on, every single day we have people's belongings shoved down the toilets and rubbish deliberately strewn across the floor. At least once a week we have students block plugholes and overflows in a concerted effort to flood the place. At least once a month we have toilet cubicle doors ripped off their hinges, toilet seats destroyed and even sinks smashed from walls. If allowed to visit the toilets during lesson time, some students will also use it as an opportunity for truancy or vaping.

We also do not have the staff to mind the toilets during lesson time. At break and lunchtimes those colleagues on duty, quite understandably, do not want to be supervising students using the toilet facilities - not least because some of our "less regulated students" (the current buzz phrase for abysmally behaved students) will have no trouble at all branding them a paedophile or whatever.

So that's why students are not allowed to use the facilities during lesson time. Of course if a trustworthy student or one with medical needs is genuinely desperate, then I am never going to refuse them.

I am going to refuse little Jonny, the school troublemaker, who asks every single day and is told every single day that he should have gone at break time 5 minutes earlier.

Government Offers Pay Deal to Joint Teaching Unions

2023-03-29T10:35:00.002-07:00

The Government has offered a pay deal to the joint teaching unions in England.

Four teaching unions - the NEU, NASUWT, NAHT and ASCL - have been in dispute with the Government over teachers' pay and conditions. Members of the largest of those unions, the NEU, overwhelmingly voted for industrial action earlier in the year.

NEU members took two days of national strike action and a further two days of regional action, which according to the Department for Education resulted in the closure of 10 percent and partial closure of 45 percent of schools in the England.

The deal on the table now, which has been described as a best and final offer by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, would see every teacher receive a one-off pro-rata payment of £1,000 plus a 4.3 percent increase from September 2023.

The one-off payment would be funded by the Government, whereas the 4.3 percent would be unfunded, with the Government reasoning that predicted savings in energy costs will allow schools to make such an award.

Teachers in England have already received a 5 percent increase on 1st September 2022.

The Government claims that the total package being offered on pay for 2022/23 and 2023/24 will be worth 19.9% for M1 teachers over two years, and 11.7% for U3 teachers over two years.

The Government has also offered to remove any statutory requirement for performance related pay and undertaken to review several workload and inspection-related issues.

Teachers in Scotland have just reached a settlement with the Scottish Government, on the basis of the following:

A 7 percent pay increase backdated to April 2022;
A further 5 percent increase from 1st April 2023;
A further 2 percent increase from 1st January 2024.

The Scottish Government claims the deal will see the average salary of a classroom teacher increase by just under 15 percent by January 2024.

On the face of it, for the majority of teachers in England, the proposed settlement is less favourable than that accepted by colleagues in Scotland.

The unions are putting the offer to members, but recommend it is rejected as simply not good enough.

The NASUWT said the following: "The offer falls short of what the Union has demanded from the Government both for pay restoration and on non-pay improvements.

"Nevertheless, we believe that it is right to hear what our members think about the offer as it stands."

As mentioned in my earlier article, I am more concerned with conditions of employment and workload than pay. I do not think the Government has made enough concessions in that area, so for that reason I will be rejecting the proposal.

Organising a School Visit

2023-03-19T03:00:00.004-07:00

I am currently going through the process of organising a school visit.

It's something I have done many, many times during my stint at Mickley Grange, but it never seems to become any easier. I have always been one of those people who sees the benefits of learning outside the classroom. I am also quite good at organising things, so the mantle for arranging visits often falls to me. It would also be fair to say that as I've organised many visits previously, there is the expectation that I will continue organising them in the future.

In the past I have organised week-long residential visits here in the UK and across in Europe. For a few years, I led a party of students and colleagues from across The Green Pastures Learning Trust on the annual week-long residential visit to Germany.

On this occasion it is a slightly more straightforward task, with the visit venue being a 30 minute coach ride away from Mickley Grange.

I usually start organising a school visit 2 or 3 months in advance, but occasionally it needs to be done over a much shorter period of time. I've had situations in the past where businesses have said "you can come and have a look around next Thursday" and so good was the opportunity that I've made it happen. Overseas residential visits are generally organised 10 to 12 months before they happen, as you want to give plenty of time for payments and passport applications etc.

As readers might be interested, I am going to outline the process of organising and implementing a school trip.

1. Identify the purpose, venue and dates

The visit I am currently organising fits in rather nicely with a topic the students will be learning about at the time. It is to a venue we have previously visited and know meets our requirements. If it was to a new venue, I would make extra enquiries and perhaps visit it myself beforehand. I would contact the venue with a few possible visit dates to confirm their availability. I would then contact the deputy head and ask him to check those dates against the diary and we'd come up with a best fit for both school and the venue concerned. I would then contact the venue to confirm the date of the visit.

2. Book transport

Once the date and venue are confirmed, I would then get in touch with the lady in the school office who deals with transport. I would tell her the number of students we expected to attend the visit. I would then ask her to contact local coach companies and obtain quotes from them. Within the space of a few days we'd typically have received quotes from several local coach companies. I would then ask the school office to book the transport that was best value and met our requirements.

3. Costings

Having now booked the venue and the transport I would have an idea on costings. Parents are usually asked for a voluntary contribution to cover the cost of visits, although they cannot be compelled to contribute for those visits that are an integral part of the curriculum. I will work out the cost per student needed to cover school's expenses and that is generally the contribution we ask for. It would be wrong to ask for any more than that. If I think that the contribution is too high, I will speak to the head teacher about school subsidising it.

4. Staffing

I would speak to the deputy head about staffing for the visit. Usually teachers would accompany their own classes and teaching assistants would accompany any student they were assigned to. Occasionally, if it looks like staffing is going to be a problem, I would ask parents/carers if anyone was available to accompany us on the visit.

No member of staff can be compelled to attend a residential visit.

5. Notify Parents/Carers

Having confirmed the venue, date, purpose and costings of the visit, I would now prepare a letter to parents/carers telling them about it. I would draft the letter, but it would be checked over by a member of the senior leadership team before being typed up by the office and distributed. These letters are generally sent out electronically, with a link parents/carers can click confirming their youngster's attendance on the visit. The letter includes information about the purpose of the visit, any special clothing/equipment that is required, lunch arrangements and contribution payments.

In the case of a residential visit, parents/carers would be asked to complete a form detailing any specific dietary, religious, medical requirements relating to their youngster.

6. Paperwork

The Green Pastures Learning Trust, in common with many others across the UK, uses an online system called Evolve for managing school visits. I would now be in a position to start inputting the details into Evolve.

The following information gets put into the system:

The name and contact details of the venue.
The date and timings of the visit.
The name and contact details of the transport provider.
The personal details of every member of staff and student expected to attend the visit (although this will undoubtedly need amending before the date of visit).
Any relevant medical details of the students expected to attend the visit.
A copy of any correspondence in relation to the visit (e.g. parent letters, letters/emails from the venue or transport provider).
Any risk assessments relating to the visit. There is a range of generic risk assessment that can be used, but a specific risk assessment (called an Event Specific Plan) needs to be completed from scratch for every visit.
Details of any groupings the students will be in during the visit. Typically a named member of staff will be responsible for overseeing a group of students.

Once all the information is inputted the completed visit form can then be submitted for approval. If there are any problems with the visit form, it will be rejected and returned for corrections to be made.

7. Pre-visit admin

The week before the visit I would make sure that parents/carers and students were reminded about it. This would involve verbal reminders in lessons and messages posted on the school website and social media.

I would also print out hard copies of the paperwork from Evolve and distribute that to staff attending the visit. If any parents were accompanying us on the visit, they would be provided with the bare bones of paperwork on the day - sufficiently sanitised so that they didn't receive any confidential, personal information about any of the students.

I would contact the school kitchen and order packed lunches for staff attending the visit and those students eligible for free school meals.

I would contact the school medical staff and ask them to sort out any student medication we had in school.

8. Visit day

Before the students arrived I would go to the kitchen and collect the packed lunches that had been ordered. I would also collect first aid kits and any student medication we had in school. I would also ensure we had a stock of bin bags, cleansing wipes, hand sanitiser, spare stationary and the like.

The students would usually meet at a prearranged location and a register be taken. The register would then be copied for each member of staff, so they were quite sure who was present in their group. A copy would also be left at the school office.

The students would then be walked outside the coaches. By this stage, we would know which students and staff were travelling on each coach. The students would be counted onto the coaches by their allocated member of staff, who would then ensure they were sat correctly and wearing their seat belts.

We would then travel to the visit venue and get on with the actual visit.

9. Post visit

Straight after the visit I'd return all of the medication and equipment we'd taken with us. I would also collect back in all the paperwork and ensure it was disposed of securely.

Within a couple of days, once the dust had settled, I'd seek feedback from members of staff who had attended, to see if there are any issues that need addressed before revisiting the same venue.

Ofsted: Blood on their Hands

2023-03-18T03:39:00.004-07:00

I read over the weekend with great sadness the death of head teacher Ruth Perry.

Ruth, 53, had been a teacher for 32 years. She was appointed deputy head of Caversham Primary School, Reading, in 2006. The school, which Ruth had attended as a child, was rated outstanding by Ofsted when it was inspected in 2009. Ruth was appointed head teacher in 2010.

On 15th and 16th November 2022 Ofsted returned to Caversham Primary School to reinspect it. The inspection team consisted of Alan Derry HMI, the lead inspector, Gavin Evans, Ofsted inspector, and Clare Wilkins, Ofsted inspector.

There were many positive comments in the report, including:

"Pupils' behaviour in lessons is exemplary. They love to learn and they relish the challenges that teachers provide."
"Leaders have worked with determination to strengthen the quality of education."
"Staff are supportive of senior leaders. They feel respected and appreciate the consideration leaders place on well-being and workload. Those who replied to the staff survey were unanimous in their view that they enjoy working at this school."

However, these were overshadowed by the following comments:

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.
Leaders have a weak understanding of safeguarding requirements and procedures.
Leaders do not fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities effectively.

As these concerns were related to safeguarding, they automatically reduced Caversham Primary's outstanding Ofsted legacy to one of inadequacy.

It is clear this criticism hung very heavily on Ruth's mind and she bore personal responsibility for it. Having spent weeks ruminating and beating herself up over Ofsted's opinion, Ruth decided there was nowhere left to turn.

Her sister Julia Waters told the BBC: "Ruth took her own life on 8th January, all during that process every time I spoke to her, she would talk about the countdown. I remember her clearly one day saying '52 days and counting', every day she had this weight on her shoulders hanging over her and she wasn't officially allowed to talk to her family.

"I remember the very first day I saw her, rather than just speaking to her on the phone, a couple of days after the end of the Ofsted inspection, she came, she was an absolute shadow of her former self."

Matthew Purves, Ofsted's regional director for the South East, said: "We were deeply saddened by Ruth Perry’s tragic death. Our thoughts remain with Mrs Perry's family, friends and everyone in the Caversham Primary School community."

I loathe Ofsted with a passion. They breeze in and out of schools forming snapshot judgements on the basis of selective and incomplete evidence.

There is no doubt at all that Ruth found the Ofsted inspection process overwhelmingly stressful, which has definitely played a part in her tragic death.

As for culpability? Well, my mind is made up.

Teachers on Strike

2023-03-17T05:49:00.008-07:00

Teachers in all four corners of the United Kingdom have been taking part in industrial action over pay.

Education is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Mickley Grange is in England, which is where I will be focusing my attention.

The two main teaching unions, the National Education Union (NEU) and National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), balloted their respective members, but only the NEU passed the legal threshold needed for action to take place. As a result, NEU members in the same region as Mickley Grange have just taken part in their fourth day of strike action.

I am in the NASUWT, so have not legally been able to take part in strike action. Had the NASUWT achieved a sufficient mandate, then I would definitely have taken part in the strike. The NASUWT has just announced its intention to re-ballot members. Should the re-ballot be successful, then I will definitely strike.

The dispute is about pay. Most teachers in England were awarded a 5 percent pay rise backdated to 1st September 2022. New early career teachers - those within their first year of qualifying - received a pay award of just under 9 percent.

Personally, recognising that the country is currently between a financial rock and hard place, I would have been content with 5 percent, but for one significant fact - it was unfunded. In other words, schools had to find that 5 percent from within existing budgets. At a time with spiraling costs that is very difficult to do without making economies elsewhere. The biggest cost in a school is always its staff, so redundancies might be necessary to balance the books.

Inflation is currently running at 10.1 percent, which is down from a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022. This means the 5 percent pay award received by most teachers has been wiped out twice over by the increased cost living - in other words teachers are actually 5 percent down in real terms. This has been the situation for several years now, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies calculating that the salary of an experienced teacher has fallen by 13 percent - the equivalent of £6,600 - in real terms over the last decade.

I think the unions missed a trick by narrowing the focus of the ballot to pay alone. Terms and conditions of employment, working conditions and workload are equally important. Over the last decade it would be entirely fair to say that teacher workload has increased beyond all recognition. The actual teaching is now only a small part of being a teacher. Over the last few months I have acted as a social worker, financial advisor and marriage guidance counsellor. I have been scrutinised to within an inch of my life by senior colleagues far less experienced and qualified than I am. I work in a classroom where there are quarter inch gaps beneath each window frame, the floor gives way under foot and students sit shivering at the height of winter. I work in a school where you are expected to do your own printing and copying, because the machines never work - but the fact they never work is an unacceptable excuse for failing to meet unrealistic deadlines.

There are also an increasing number of shitty little jobs that should be nothing at all to do with a teacher, yet we are expected to do all the running around. To give a recent example, two students had a falling out on social media and school was left to pick up the pieces. This had happened at the weekend, in their own time, on their own devices, yet first thing Monday morning an irate parent was on the phone complaining and demanding action - risk assessments, timetable changes, class moves.

Of course the Mickley Grange bosses being as they are, they're too lacking in moral fibre to say "well that's nothing really to do with school". They instead adopt the approach of nodding along in blind agreement and capitulating to every whimsical parental demand.

Post-Pandemic Apathy

2023-03-17T01:23:00.005-07:00

So after those very brief highlights of the last decade, we're almost up to date.

As previously mentioned a significant proportion of Mickley Grange students, somewhere around 20 percent, did not engage at all with the online learning set for them during the covid-19 lockdown. Of the 70 percent that did engage, probably only around half of those really put their heart and soul into it. This means there is a lot of catching up to do, to give the students the best possible chance of succeeding in the future. Invariably the 20 percent that failed to engage were the 20 percent that really needed to the most. The remaining 10 percent, I should add, were those in school as they were classed as vulnerable or having key worker parents.

I'm not sure about you, but I am one of those people who never expects a free lunch. I always stand my round at the bar; take my turn to pay for the coffees; and pay my bills on time. I do not expect anyone else to shoulder my responsibilities. Some would see that as quite an old-fashioned point of view, but its one I hold dear.

Unfortunately, I think one of the many negative consequences of the covid-19 pandemic is that a small but significant proportion of the UK population has become increasingly accustomed to receiving a figurative free lunch. This equally applies to a small but significant proportion of the students of Mickley Grange. The ones that have sat at home and done nothing during lockdown, who now lack motivation and feel aggrieved when they are again expected to toe-the-line in the classroom.

As a result of this post-pandemic apathy, I would say that standards in general have fallen. In some aspects of school life - attitude and behaviour for learning immediately spring to mind - I would say the decline has been quite marked. Previously diligent students just aren't as motivated as they were. Difficult students are even more so.

Of course the overwhelming majority of Mickley Grange students are good people who want to do the right thing and achieve their full potential. Regrettably it only takes one or two bad apples in every class to negatively influence the majority and cause a general decline in standards. And boy, do we have some negative influences in every class. And very little has been done to challenge their behaviour or hold them to account.

Unfortunately the head teacher, blue-eyed-boy as he might be to The Green Pastures' CEO, has proven a bit of a damp squib when it comes to managing the behaviour of the tiny minority that really have a negative impact on everyone else's learning. He has survived, like those before him, because he has the gift of the gab. He knows just what to say to an external audience and which boxes to tick on a meaningless piece of paper. If that external audience were a fly on the wall it would be horrified at daily goings on.

Despite his reputation for being a stickler at Benford Towers, it really hasn't manifested itself during his headship here at Mickley Grange. With him it really is a case of what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. He doesn't do any teaching, so he doesn't experience first-hand the abysmal behaviour of some students in the classroom. He wags his finger disapprovingly at staff for not applying the behaviour system consistently and not building relationships with students, but the truth of the matter is that the system only breaks down when matters are escalated to him.

He is in total denial. It does not fit his agenda to acknowledge how abysmally poor the behaviour of some Mickley Grange students is. It would cast a severe shadow over his box ticking ability if he were to do so. Behaviour that would not be tolerated anywhere else in society, but for some reason everyone has to endure in his little fiefdom.

A Decade in Summary

2023-03-16T12:47:00.007-07:00

I am blowing the cobwebs off Teaching Uncovered for the first time in a decade.

I think this stint of blogging might be a bit more sustained, as the last ten years has left me with a lot of get off my chest. To begin with, a bit of an update. What are the edited highlights since 2012?

Well, remarkably, I'm still at Mickley Grange - the school I cut my teeth at as an NQT almost 15 years ago. A lot has changed at Mickley Grange and it has to be said it hasn't all been for the better.

The first major change, probably around a decade ago, was academisation. Previously I have mentioned that Mickley Grange became part of a hard federation with a few other schools. The individual school governing bodies were disbanded and a new governing body formed to overseeing the management of all the federated schools.

Only a year or so later the decision was taken that each school should become an academy. A new multi-academy trust (MAT) was formed. I shall refer to this as The Green Pastures Learning Trust. The idea of academisation, as it was sold to us, was to streamline processes, cut waste and drive efficiency. There was also an element of collective security, with the larger MAT having more clout financially. The schools would move out of local authority control, which would give them greater freedom and flexibility when it came to day-to-day management and curriculum.

The head teacher of the largest school, which I shall refer to as Benford Towers, became the new super CEO of The Green Pastures Learning Trust, which resulted in a hefty pay rise and feather in his cap. Academisation hasn't really improved things for those workers at the coal face. Borrowing a phrase from George Orwell "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". There is no doubt that some of the Green Pastures schools and staff are treated very differently to others.

Mickley Grange got a new head teacher. He had been on the senior leadership team of Benford Towers, so was one of the blue-eyed-boys of the new super CEO. The job was put out to advert, as the law requires, but the deal had already been done behind closed doors. The new man had a bit of a reputation for discipline and efficiency at Benford Towers, which is just what we needed at Mickley Grange. His particular area of interest was the learning of disadvantaged students - especially those eligible for the pupil premium. He was welcomed with enthusiasm and optimism. More on that later, no doubt.

Then a while later along came the covid-19 pandemic. Contrary to popular belief us teachers weren't all sat at home doing nothing, despite some parents - many of whom were sat at home doing nothing - complaining that we were. School was open to key worker and vulnerable students throughout the pandemic, although the definition of what constituted a key worker became increasingly tenuous as parents tired of the novelty of home schooling.

At those times school was open "as normal" the routine was very different, with timings and lesson venues staggered to prevent the mixing of year group bubbles of students. Hand sanitiser dispensers were placed in every room, with students regularly reminded to clean their hands when they were entering or leaving. At the end of every lesson they were given wipes to clean their desks and any equipment they had been touching.

At the height of the pandemic, when the Government was urging as many people as possible to stay at home, full time teachers at Mickley Grange were in school two days a week and working at home three days a week. When in school we followed a rota to deliver lessons to the 60 or so students (around 10 percent of our school roll) in attendance. We also set full lessons for every student working at home, so they could follow their normal school timetable as closely as possible. Most of these were delivered "live" by the teacher on a webcam using resources shared on Google Classroom.

It would be reasonable to say that probably only half of those students at home actually engaged with the online learning being set. A register was kept of everyone logging in and parents were regularly reminded of the expectations, but some students - say 20 percent of those on roll - did no home learning at all throughout the entirety of lockdown.

We also had the weekly job of calling the parents of every child in our tutor groups, just to see how things were going. Marking was done online for those children working at home. Those students in school had all their work in a folder that only they touched. Whole class, self-marking was very much the routine.

By mid-March 2021 schools were allowed to open again, but for the next couple of months there was severe disruption as local cases resulted in the isolation of whole classes and year groups of Mickley Grange students.

It wasn't until the start of the new school year in September 2021 that things were completely back to normal, although a few members of the Mickley Grange community were still occasionally unwell with covid-19.

But for all things were back to normal in theory, they weren't really in practice. More about that in the next gripping installment.

National Curriculum Tests

2012-05-13T06:59:00.003-07:00

Schools up and down the land will be preparing for National Curriculum tests this coming week.

I've often wondered what the point is of SATs, even more so now I know the inadequacies of the system.

SATs results are published annually and form an integral part of school league tables. It is to each school's advantage to perform as well as possible in the SATs, as "school shopper" parents view these tables when deciding where to educate their children. A higher performing school will be more attractive to parents. More children coming through the door means a greater budget for the school. In short, good SAT results make schools money.

In principle I agree with the idea that children across the land should sit the same tests in the same subjects. In an ideal world the data collected would show a correlation between childrens' achievement and the quality/breadth of learning they receive in their school. It does not, however, take into account the very specific circumstances each individual school faces.

In practice SATs are fundamentally flawed because so much rides on schools getting the best possible results. This causes a significant proportion of schools to play the SATs system for maximum benefit. For example, if there is a child who struggles with reading it is possible to get them extra time in the tests. Even if they don't struggle that much, some schools will attempt to secure that advantage. Some schools ensure the children's regular subject teacher, who has an obvious interest in them performing well, is present during the test to "lend a hand" as necessary. Schools are putting teachers in the unenviable position where their consciences are tested to the limit. If you're a maths teacher and you notice that your star pupil has made silly mistakes, do you really want those to be counted?

Last year I saw an experienced colleague lend a child a pencil, which they placed on the page with the point indicating towards a correct multiple choice answer. Another favourite is for the teacher to emphasise the answer when reading questions aloud. I would suggest that such antics are widespread, given the high stakes nature of the tests for the schools concerned.

The most alarming thing I have learnt is that schools are allowed to conduct warm-up exercises immediately before the tests begin. That itself isn't cause for concern, because all schools are in the same boat. However, what is cause for concern is that the test papers have already been opened and checked prior to this warm up taking place.

Some schools, Mickley Grange included, have spotted the potential advantages of this system. When the teacher proofreads the test papers they make a note, mental or written, of the sorts of skills the questions examine. The warm up, spookily enough, then focuses on those same skills so they are fresh in the childrens' minds.

SATs are an absolute waste of time, because of the way the results can be skewed towards a particular outcome. All they do is stress out teachers and children alike. The quicker they're abolished the better.

Blogging Hiatus Reaches an End

2012-04-19T02:24:00.001-07:00

I can barely believe it has been almost two full years since I last blogged here on Teaching Uncovered.

So what has happened in the last two years? Well, I am still employed at the same school, which I will refer to as Mickley Grange from now on. The English education system has faced significant upheaval in the wake of the new Coalition Government. Free Schools, Academies and a new Ofsted inspection regime are just a few of the new initiatives that have been inflicted at the chalk face. Locally we have a new Head. Previous readers will know that I held the previous Head in affectionate high regard, but I cannot say the same of his successor. He is a business machine, who is completely detached from the ethos of what we do at Mickley Grange. Whereas the previous Head would walk the corridors and cheerily chat to the children every single day, this one robotically strides the corridors once a month and people ask "who is he?"

It is astounding how much change has happened over such a short space of time. Equally astounding is how little benefit it has brought.

Mickley Grange, along with thousands of other schools across the land, has recently completed the process of converting into an Academy. The staff were understandably apprehensive at the conversion process and it's fair to say the majority were opposed to the idea, despite the oft-mooted financial benefits it could bring. The Governing Body and Head were dead set on the idea, so everyone else just had to fall into line and accept it. After all, as we were frequently warned, it would be difficult to balance the books with a staff the size it was if we didn't. In other words, people would lose their jobs if we didn't become an Academy.

The spectre of redundancy had been dangling like the sword of Damocles ever since the new Head moved in. Mickley Grange had always been the sort of place people longed to work. Delightful children, supportive colleagues, beautiful surroundings and a relaxed pace of life. It had a homely feel and was the sort of place people could happily begin work as an NQT and see out their days until retirement. People took pride in their work and there was a real sense of identity and belonging.

Sadly that all changed when the new Head took post. Now everything has a price and has to progress with regimented speed. It's all "blue sky thinking", "curves of responsibility" and similarly pointless business babble. David Brent would be cringing with embarrassment at some of the initiatives they come up with. The sort of ideas people say to sound good, which also serves to mask their self-inadequacy. People are getting battle fatigue as we watch our school transform into an emotionless, cold husk of its former self. Colleagues who bounded with energy and enthusiasm two years ago now shuffle with their heads down and eyes glazed.

We work hard now because the whip hand threatens us, not because of the satisfaction we get from the role.

Times are bleak at Mickley Grange.

Induction Complete

2010-07-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

My first full time year of teaching has come to an end.

After 960 lessons, some of them I'd rather forget, my induction paperwork has been signed off and forwarded to the Appropriate Body. Better still I was also able to send off my Golden Hello paperwork, so there should be an extra £3500 (after tax) lurking in my September pay packet. After negotiation I should also be progressing to point 4 on the Main Pay Scale, so I will be able to live quite comfortably come the new school year.

It's been a hard year, although not as hard as my PGCE. I take some consolation from the fact that a lot of work I've prepared this year can be used to lighten the load next year. There have been days when I've thought "why am I doing this?", which have thankfully been outweighed by the days where I've delivered good lessons and been surrounded by brilliant kids and supportive colleagues.

For now I'm going to enjoy my summer holidays. I don't plan to go into school too often, but I will be working at home in the last couple of weeks.

Staffroom Politics

2010-03-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

As an NQT I vowed that I'd steer well clear of the inevitable staffroom politics that blights most schools.

My school is no different. We have those who work hard and comply with management instructions and we have those who do their own thing and couldn't care less. As much as I try to focus on doing my own job effectively I am distracted by senior colleagues who are quite happy to drift along in the slow lane, putting in the bare minimum of effort. Their blase attitude is doing our children a disservice.

You'll probably know the sort of people I mean - those who give their lessons completely off the cuff because the previous night they were in that much of a hurry to escape they couldn't be bothered to prepare anything.

I'm also noticing how rude some of my colleagues can be. I would never dream of turning up late to a meeting or playing with my phone, laptop or pile of marking when I got there but that is endemic behaviour in some people who should really know better.

I would never dream of yawning in the face of or talking back to a member of the SMT, but a culture has developed where some people see that as acceptable.

I would never dream of berrating or talking down the Head or Deputy (both of whom I have the utmost time and respect for) to my colleagues, but internal (and Hard Federation) power struggles make subversive conversations an everyday event.

To me these examples show poor manners and a serious lack of professionalism, yet as the new teacher I'm not really in a position to do anything other than sit frustratedly in the background.

What needs to happen is the subversive and workshy few are gripped firmly by the bollocks and hauled back into line or shown the door.

Hard Federations

2010-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a Hard Federation the Government, in its infinite wisdom, produced legislation allowing a single Governing Body (GB) to look after several schools.

The idea was that expertise could be pooled into a single GB and redistributed around all those in the partnership, thereby producing a streamlined, efficient and more cohesive form of school governance.

There's only one snag. In the words of Captain Edmund Blackadder "it's bollocks".

Instead of interfering in the smooth running of only one school overzealous Governors are now able to wreak havoc in several. Judging by the nauseating frequency of their visits to school they are clearly trying to compensate for their own inadequate employment status.

You'll also find that Governors formerly on the GB of a secondary school pack more punch than those formerly of a primary school. The aforementioned secondary schools are also under the impression that they're able to dictate routine policy to their primary counterparts, who are expected to fall into line like timid church mice.

Another New Labour policy dreamt up in the public toilets of Hampstead Heath.

Snow Days

2010-01-06T02:39:00.003-08:00

In common with thousands of other schools around the UK the atrocious weather conditions forced our school, which I will call Mickley Grange from now on, to close for a few days.

It would be no exaggeration to say there were feet of snow lying in the school grounds making access, even by Shank's pony, very difficult indeed. This combined with our rural and sparsely populated catchment area made opening the school impossible on health and safety grounds.

I can understand the logic of closing - deep snow, roads barely passable, pupils and staff travel miles by road to get there every day. On days like this it is dangerous to have pupils and staff braving narrow, slippery, snowbound country roads. Despite the obviously horrendous conditions two groups of people seem to underestimate the magnitude of the situation - Head teachers and parents.

Head's are loathe to close schools because even if classes are diminished to such an extent that no productive learning can take place, many parents consider school a free babysitting service. Parents are loathe for school to close because, perish the thought, they need to make alternative arrangements to entertain their offspring for the day. That is a serious inconvenience to a lot of parents, who simply do not want their children about on a normal working day.

For the first time ever I have seen red weather warnings on the Met Office website. The steady and prolonged snowfall was such that it was utterly pointless for me to clean off the car or dig out the driveway. Even if I had achieved that feat the road to our estate, which is a sharp upwards incline on the homeward journey, was covered in a two-foot-deep blanket of snow. The local news showed pictures of a school bus that slid off the road in a city centre only ten miles from here, so poor were the conditions in the most urban of areas.

Quite simply I was stranded 30 miles away from Mickley Grange with no way of getting in to work for at least a week. The local council had been gritting roads at such a frenetic pace that their salt stocks were running perilously low. As quickly as they ploughed the roads at one end of the town they were impassable again at the other.

If my experience is anything to go by then parents can be assured that school will only be closed if it is an absolute necessity. It definitely isn't done on a whim to give the teachers an extra day in bed!

Citizenship... Urgh!

2009-12-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

One of my pastoral responsibilities is to teach Citizenship to my form group, which is interesting to say the least.

Picture the scene: It's last lesson on a Friday afternoon, the scent of weekend hangs heavy in the air, all the children want to do is escape and I'm there telling them about elections and democracy. Bear in mind they won't be voting, in the unlikely event they actually choose to, for at least another four years. This combined with the fact we drift aimlessly from one week to the next make it all a bit of a joke, as I'd come to expect from this school.

The one consolation is that I'm only trapped there for an hour, but there's a limit to how much "informed discussion" you can coax from a bunch of hormonal teens in that hour. They're at that age where they answer everything with a grunt, akin to some primitive creature lurking in a Star Warsian swamp. This, combined with the distraction of imminent escape, make constructive dialogue virtually impossible.

I suppose our aim is to manufacture a generation of informed thinkers, with awareness of their civil responsibilities and who challenge wrongdoing. But any effort we make in the classroom is far outweighed by the prejudiced conditioning they often receive at home. During a recent discussion about racial equality I had a girl tell me that black people were to be treated with suspicion because they were all potential terrorists.

Citizenship is another of these trendy left ideas that serves more to infuriate teachers then inform pupils. It is no exaggeration to say that every week colleagues are queuing up to express their anguish at having to teach such tripe. The Government push this indoctrination of what's right and wrong to the schools because adult society is already broken.

Still, I haven't got much longer to put up with this embuggerance.

Who Wants to Be a Teacher?

2009-11-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

I was watching the box earlier and there was a Tonight special on ITV called "Who Wants to Be a Teacher?"

Former teacher Chris Tarrant hosted this fly on the wall documentary, which focused on some of the negative behaviour plaguing classrooms up and down the land. The main question posed was should pupils with extreme behavioural problems by kept in mainstream schooling?

The liberal left argument is that excluding dangerous and disruptive pupils catalyses a downward spiral that costs more to resolve in the long term. Far better to endure a few tantrums now than have them end up in prison later. The counter argument is that the criminal actions of some pupils are so severe that they pose a danger to themselves and those around them.

The show highlighted the real life cases of Connor and Reggie.

Connor, a primary school child who assaults other children and members of staff, is being educated in a special unit on Teesside. The unit, part of a mainstream school, gathers together the rough diamonds and tries to educate them about the error of their ways away from the other children. The footage shows one instance of Connor hitting and spitting at his teacher, who battles to restrain and calm him.

Conversely Reggie is educated in a trendy-left mainstream school which, to the extreme detriment of the well behaved majority, doesn't believe in segregating their wayward peers. The school in Luton receives financial incentive not to exclude pupils so it keen to keep them in the classroom at all costs. The usual rules of society are put to one side as the staff endure the constant grind of Reggie's challenging behaviour. The footage shows two learning support assistants guarding Reggie on a break time detention, where he's kicking out at the furniture and fittings of the room.

Should either of these children be entertained by the mainstream state education system?

An Inspector Calls

2009-11-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you were to question one hundred teachers about what they dreaded most about the job I reckon Ofsted would be one of the most popular answers.

As a trainee I'd managed to dodge the school inspection regime by rotating between placements. I knew that the school where I got my first full time teaching job had received a mediocre Ofsted report and were expecting a follow up visit in the not-too-distant future.

No more than six weeks into my first year of teaching and the Head got the phone call we'd all been expecting - Ofsted were coming to conduct their monitoring visit some time in the next 20 days. An emergency staff meeting was called and everyone huddled in the staffroom to await our orders from on high.

Ofsted had requested a copy of the School Improvement Plan, which would take at least a couple of days to reach them and a couple more for them to digest. This meant we had about a week's breathing space before they could potentially turn up on our doorstep. Cue frantic dash to get everything ship shape and Bristol fashion.

One of the first instructions was to get our classrooms tidied and displays up to speed. The school had walls that had been damp, crumbling and bare for years. These needed to be spruced up with colourful backing paper and eye-catching work. This was a challenge for me because with only six weeks under my belt eye-catching work was pretty thin on the ground. Next step was to make sure all our assessment data and planning was spot on, with particular emphasis on differentiation for SEN and gifted and talented youngsters.

In the office the secretarial staff were feverishly working away to ensure that everyone's personal file was updated. The caretaking staff were replacing pieces of non-slip flooring, PAT testing all electrical appliances and making sure the fencing and doors around the site were safe and secure.

About two weeks later I arrived at work to find "Ofsted here" scrawled on the staff noticeboard. My heart sank. I had my three lessons well planned and thankfully had two hours of PPA time. The inspector had a lot of documents to check and meetings to attend, so the chances of him coming to observe one of my lessons was pretty low. My first two lessons went smoothly with no sign of the inspector. During my first PPA hour I visited the staff computer room to find senior colleagues frantically bashing out lesson plans and comparing notes on their inspection experience so far.

It was now the last lesson of the day and my final chance to be observed. The bush telegraph told me that the inspector was having a meeting with the Governors for the last hour of the school day. To my great relief I had again managed to avoid Ofsted. Amazingly it turned out that lessons in my core subject had not been observed at all.

I won't be at the school the next time they inspect it.

Back to the Chalkface

2009-09-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my summer holidays have gone already.

But it wasn't all sun, sea and sangria during August - I made the sensible decision to get my first few weeks of work planned. In the final week of the holidays I made a couple of visits into school to re orientate myself with the classroom layout and deliver some of my personal belongings.

The first week of term started with a training day, which allowed me time to double check all my resources before having to confront a live audience.

Understandably they were quite a lively audience too, with lots of chattering about how well the holidays went and how much (or not) they were looking forward to embarking on the new school year.

The first couple of weeks the school was in the process of introducing new behaviour and pupil tracking systems. This meant a lot of confusion and unanswered questions for my established colleagues and an absolute nightmare of uncertainty for me.

Some of the pupils, no doubt sensing my uncertainty at the new arrangements, attempted to test the boundaries by baiting the new teacher. This is a problem many NQTs face during their first couple of months in the classroom. I regret to say that one class in particular are getting the better of me and really wearing me down.

When I accepted the job little did I realise how disorganised and poorly equipped the school was. Things that should be routine are an absolute ball ache of unnecessary petty bureaucracy. For example, if I want to photocopy something I have to take my own paper to the machine. Last week I had to buy my own paper for the copier because the school (unbelievably) ran out. What sort of school runs out of paper?

I'm not enjoying it one bit at the moment.

This term could break me.

Tips for Getting Your First Teaching Job

2009-07-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier I've been in the fortunate position of being successful with my first job application. That's the exception rather than the rule - most NQTs have to apply for at least a few jobs before they get one.

I was lucky that a job I was interested in came up locally, but I also put a lot of effort into getting things just right and making a good impression.

Here I outline some of the key considerations, based on my own successful experience, for securing your first teaching post.

Timing is crucial:
Most student teachers start looking for a job during their second placement from January onwards. This early there is competition from qualified and experienced teachers, who want to move from one to school to another for whatever reason. The later you leave it the fewer qualified teachers you will be competing with.

In a state school a teacher has to hand in their notice by 31st May if they want to escape to a new school that September. This means a lot of jobs come up in June at about the same time a student teacher qualifies.

Do not be disheartened if you haven't secured employment until late in your teacher training.

Most people will have jobs by the end of June so if you see something advertised in July, just before the summer holidays, you know the school is pretty desperate to fill the vacancy. In these circumstances it's not uncommon for vacancies to be filled after an informal chat with the Head.

Do your research:
You need to find out as much as you can about the role and the school. The school will send you an application pack with loads of information about what they're looking for and aspire to. Read it cover to cover. You should also download the school's prospectus and Ofsted report. Read these documents cover to cover, taking the time to highlight and understand important recurrent points. Find out the names of key personalities at the school.

You must also show awareness of current subject-specific and whole school issues. Read up on the latest educational buzz words and big ideas.

Tailor your application:
Look at the job description and make sure your letter of application (or whatever it's called) covers all of the essential and desirable characteristics. You can drop in a few words or statements directly from the job description, just to reinforce the point that you have actually read it. Relate your past experiences to what the school is looking for - these offer crucial evidence to support what you're saying. Be sure to drop the school's name into appropriate sentences.

Do not use a generic letter of application. The personal touch is recognised and appreciated by whoever reads it.

Seek a second opinion:
Once you've written your tailored letter of application ask someone to pass a critical eye over it. This could be your subject mentor or university tutor.

Get noticed:
Contact the school and make yourself known before you send your application in. This really does pay dividends. In my own case I visited the school for a tour and chat with the Head. That chat allowed me to gather information about the values and ethos of the school, facilities and organisation and what they wanted in the job applicant. It also meant I was recognised as one of the keen ones when I was invited for interview.

On the day I was interviewed only two of us had made the effort to visit the school in advance.

Be adaptable:
Everyone applying for a teaching job can teach. You wouldn't be eligible to apply if you couldn't, because you wouldn't have achieved Qualified Teacher Status.

Schools want someone prepared to give something extra outside the classroom. Think carefully about what you can offer the school in addition to your teaching responsibilities. You'll almost certainly be asked about it at interview.

Be prepared:
Chances are you'll have to teach a lesson or give a presentation if you're invited for interview. This is without doubt one of the most important lessons you will ever teach, so make sure you understand what is required. You should enquire about the class size, ability, lesson location and available resources - the school will expect a diligent professional to ask these questions.

Once you know all the variables you need to work on your lesson plan. Ideally you want a few short and snappy lesson chunks, which will stretch the higher ability children and are achievable by the lower ability children. Think carefully about how you differentiate your tasks. Consider how you can use a range of learning styles to make things interactive and interesting.

Leave plenty of time to gather/prepare your lesson resources. It sets a good impression at interview if you turn up with a few homemade activities for the children to complete.

If you have a chance rehearse your lesson a couple of times. You may be able to borrow some children from your placement school to do this!

Hand over your lesson plan to those observing you at interview.

On the day I was interviewed one of my fellow candidates failed to produce a lesson plan. His card was marked from then on.

Confident, firm and focused:
Once you're on stage in front of the children you need to blank out (as best you can) the thought of being interviewed. The people observing you will want to see a confident, firm and purposeful lesson. Better still if it runs to plan, although they'll understand you're in unfamiliar surroundings and working with children you don't really know. I had problems with the interactive whiteboard on the day of my interview, but I just cracked a joke and plodded on regardless.

The children are yours for the lesson and you need to establish your dominance in the classroom. As soon as any of the children are distracted you should whip them into line firmly. The people observing you will no doubt be impressed by your ability and confidence to take control in an alien environment.

Keep up the pace and don't allow the children to sit idly. Of course you'll have practiced this so there won't be a problem!

Job Interview

2009-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Invitation to interview:
It was a week past the closing date before I heard anything about the job I'd applied for. Sure enough they had liked my application and invited me for interview.

The letter gave detailed information about what to expect on the day. For the sake of anonymity I shan't go into exact detail, but the day was broken into two parts - a formal interview and the delivery of a short lesson. The letter also revealed that only four applicants were being interviewed for the post.

Preparation for interview:
I had two weeks before interview to get my lesson in order. I spent a couple of days devising a rough outline of what I wanted to achieve. I took my outline plan into my placement school for my subject mentor to double check. He thought I'd knocked together a good lesson, so I put the wheels in motion and prepared my resources. It was my intention to practice the lesson on a live audience at my placement school, but I never got the opportunity. Once my lesson was sorted I spent the last few days brushing up on the latest science education and whole school issues, with particular emphasis on Every Child Matters (ECM) and Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP).

I got an early night the night before my interview, sound in the knowledge I had checked and double checked the contents of my case for the following day.

The day of the interview:
I arrived at school 10 minutes early and was shown to the staffroom. A couple of the other candidates had arrived before me. After a few introductions it quickly became apparent that one of the others was actually on my course. All of us were applying as NQTs.

The Head came into the room and introduced himself. He recognised me from our earlier encounter when he showed me around the school. He explained that we were going to be split into two pairs. One pair would be shown the school while the other pair had their interview and short lesson. The pairs would swap over later that day. The interview/lesson running order had been determined alphabetically by surname, which meant I was third to perform. The interview panel was made up of the Head, Deputy Head and a Governor.

During the tour I managed to ask a few semi-intelligent questions about the school catchment area, use of support staff and homework policy.

I was given five minutes to set up for my lesson, which seemed to pass very quickly. The lesson was to be observed by the Deputy Head and Governor, who offered a few reassuring words before I wheeled the children in. I sat the children at the starter activities where I wanted them. Apart from pausing to briefly scold some chatty children the lesson flowed to plan. To my surprise it lasted 20 minutes exactly as it should have.

My turn for interview came around quickly. Understandably the candidates before me didn't give much away about the type of questions to expect. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and consisted of a series of questions ping-ponged between the three interviewers. One question was about ECM, which allowed me to recite a near perfect answer. I was also asked about what contribution I could make to the school's extra-curricular programme and some child welfare issues. I was able to reflect on practice at my placement school, which was a very similar environment to the school I'd applied to. From the signals I'd received, particularly from the Deputy Head, I was reassured that I'd put in a reasonable performance.

I returned to the staffroom and briefly chatted to last remaining candidate waiting for interview before he was taken by the Deputy into the Head's office. As she walked by me she quickly said under her breath to expect to hear from them later - I didn't realise at the time but she was dropping me a friendly hint on the outcome.

At the end of the last interview we were gathered in the staffroom and told to expect a decision later that day.

The decision:
After the interview I went for a bite of lunch and walk around town. My mobile rang and I answered to find myself speaking to the Deputy Head.

"We'd love to offer you the job," she said.

"I'd love to accept," I replied.

The deal was done and my first teaching job was secured.

My first job application and I got the job - that's a pretty good success rate!