Sir Andrew Carter has just published his review of Initial Teacher Training for the Department of Education available via the link below:
And yes he is quite right, (as one would imagine) “The challenge for the nation is to maintain a supply of outstanding teachers so that every child has the opportunity to be taught by inspirational, skilled teachers throughout their time at school”. Yes please.
Part of the issue is that teachers are under so much pressure they have little time or energy to build even more excellence into their normal day. With less time to look up to find out what others are doing, what really works, what is the latest evidence based research to help to inspire their students.
As a supply teacher agency we know that schools need inspiring supply teachers too, who often help to supplement teachers who are struggling with the stress of their persistent and unrelenting work load.
Initial Teacher Training is so important to get right, as we all know, Carter recommendation 1f behaviour management should be priorities within ITT, as it should be for the ongoing training of existing teachers in the system but they have such limited time to invest in themselves.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is undertaken in many schools but it takes teachers out of the class and can be irregular. For Supply Teachers they are often ignored when it comes to CPD. Delivering outstanding lessons and behaviour management is an area in which many teachers want training.
In alliance with the University Of Hertfordshire School Of Education, 4myschools are putting on a CPD Delivering outstanding lessons and behaviour management event 17th February 2015 in Chelmsford, Essex for Primary and Secondary age groups open to all supply teachers, teaching assistants and teachers even if they are not currently known to 4myschools.
There are many recommendations in the Carter review, it will be interesting to see how many of them are implemented or in some part already exist. One would have thought that “effective mentoring” was already well understood but apparently not; recommendation 12 proposes a further sector body to develop “some” national standards for mentors. Watch this space.
