All posts tagged: teachers

DfE closer to 6,500 teachers target, but workforce shrinks

DfE closer to 6,500 teachers target, but workforce shrinks

Published by skeptic

Ministers have claimed to have hit 70 per cent of their target to recruit 6,500 additional teachers, as official data shows the school workforce has shrunk for the first time since 2019. The Department for Education has released its annual school workforce data today. It reveals fewer entrants to the profession, as well as leavers. Here’s everything you need to know. 1. We’re doing well on teacher pledge, says DfE… Labour promised in its manifesto to recruit 6,500 more teachers. It only released its recruitment strategy in February as part of the schools white paper. The DfE says it has so far recruited 4,654 additional secondary, special and further education teachers against its pledge. The data shows this comprises of 3,008 secondary and special teachers, alongside 1,646 in further education recruited since the 2023-24 academic year. In total, this makes up 71 per cent of the 6,500 pledge, the DfE said. 2. …but workforce starts to shrink The school workforce has started to shrink for the first time since 2019, with the number of teachers …

Teacher’s assistant at San Diego mosque recalls students’ bravery as gunmen banged on doors

Teacher’s assistant at San Diego mosque recalls students’ bravery as gunmen banged on doors

Published by Sam Flores

SAN DIEGO — Like schools across the U.S., the Islamic Center of San Diego had sought to prepare its students for the possibility that a gunman could breach its walls. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. When two armed teenagers stormed the mosque Monday — and those “active shooter” drills were put to the test — the young students in one classroom did exactly as they had practiced and “went straight to business,” their teacher’s assistant told NBC News. “If they didn’t, then this could have been a different outcome,” said the assistant, Imani, who teaches second and third graders and asked to go by her first name. Authorities have said the three people gunned down at the mosque, described on its website as San Diego County’s largest, were all outside. No one who was inside the center at the time — including dozens of students attending school — was injured, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl has said. One of the victims, security guard Amin …

NEU to formally ballot teachers on strikes

NEU to formally ballot teachers on strikes

Published by skeptic

The National Education Union is set to formally ballot its members for strike action over pay and funding, in a move blasted by the education secretary as “irresponsible and massively premature”. The sector is still awaiting the outcome of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) report and its recommendations on teacher pay – as well as final decisions by government on future pay rises and how they will be funded. But the NEU said early reports indicated this “will not result in a fully-funded pay offer for teachers that exceeds inflation, nor in sufficient funding for schools to prevent redundancies and rises in workload”. The ballots of teachers and support staff across England’s state schools will take place “if the government does not take urgent action to address these issues”, the union said. Ballots are set to open on 3 October, and close on 15 December. ‘Schools are running on empty’ Announcing the move, NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said schools were “running on empty” while pay and workload issues “are driving many out of …

Unions win planning time for sixth form teachers

Unions win planning time for sixth form teachers

Published by skeptic

Sixth form college teachers have secured a contractual right to ‘planning time’ following union negotiations. The National Education Union (NEU) said planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time had been added to sixth form teacher terms and conditions, despite the protection existing in schools since 2005. Schools Week understands that though there will be no set percentage figure, during PPA time teachers should not be asked to carry out other duties and may be able to work away from the college site where appropriate. Other principles the NEU and NASUWT have agreed with the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA) include a “rarely cover” provision and parameters around the use of directed time. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said the “improvements” would address college workloads which have “steadily ticked upwards” and are a significant driver of the education sector’s retention and recruitment challenges. He added: “New workload principles will go a long way toward ensuring that teacher workloads are fair and balanced, whereas the enshrining of directed time in colleges at a time …

understanding how Ofsted inspections risk suicidal thoughts in teachers

understanding how Ofsted inspections risk suicidal thoughts in teachers

Published by skeptic

Ofsted, the schools inspectorate in England, was the subject of a UK parliamentary inquiry after the death by suicide of Ruth Perry, headteacher of Caversham Primary school in Berkshire, in 2023. The coroner’s report had concluded that Perry’s death was “suicide, contributed to by an Ofsted inspection”. The parliamentary inquiry called for submissions of evidence about Ofsted from members of the public. Our recent research has analysed the 233 published submissions, many of which were from teachers. One submission to the inquiry included an impact statement by a headteacher written in 2022. It read: The manner in which the inspection was conducted and the lack of integrity from the Lead Inspector has meant that my family have had to support me through suicidal thoughts and through countless occasions of being in floods of tears as soon as I think back to that day. “It seems incredible that an issue like the conduct of school inspection should be a life-and-death matter, but so indeed it has become,” the submission from her school stated. Theory of suicide …

Education Department investigates LA school district over handling of teachers accused of sexual misconduct

Education Department investigates LA school district over handling of teachers accused of sexual misconduct

Published by Sam Flores

The Department of Education on Tuesday announced that it is investigating the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) over its alleged reassigning, and not removal, of teachers accused of sexual misconduct. The department released a statement accusing LAUSD of “protecting predators at the expense of its students” and that the reassigning of teachers included those… Source link

No CPF, no days off – but their top career choice is still to be piano teachers

No CPF, no days off – but their top career choice is still to be piano teachers

Published by Sam Flores

For piano teacher Clarisa Tan, there is no such thing as a day off. With anywhere from 35 to 40 students to see each week – ranging from seven-year-olds to adults – she adheres to a tightly packed class schedule. Her weekdays typically start at 1pm and end between 6pm and 9pm, while Saturdays are filled with lessons from 9.45am to 7pm. She “takes it easy” on Sundays, with two lessons. Her only rest days are when she falls ill. “I try not to teach on my birthday – like a little gift to myself – but I don’t always keep to it,” the 33-year-old said.  She left a career in law eight years ago to pursue piano teaching full-time. Despite her heavy workload, Ms Tan said that she remains highly satisfied with her job and sees herself sticking with it for another 20 to 30 years.  By comparison, the average job tenure in Singapore was 8.2 years in 2025, data from the Ministry of Manpower showed. In February, job-search website Indeed released its 2026 …

Politics Home | Train Teachers To Identify Antisemitism In Classrooms, Says Independent Advisor

Politics Home | Train Teachers To Identify Antisemitism In Classrooms, Says Independent Advisor

Published by Sam Flores

The government’s antisemitism Lord John Mann told PoliticsHome all school teachers should have “basic” antisemitism training. (Alamy) 5 min read51 min The government’s independent advisor on antisemitism has called for teachers to be given basic training in how to identify antisemitism in classrooms, telling PoliticsHome that there must be a stronger state effort to tackle rising hate against Britain’s Jews. Lord John Mann, a former Labour MP who has advised ministers on antisemitism since 2019, said he was not “satisfied” with how successive governments have responded to rising levels of antisemitism in the UK, saying “everyone needs to up their game”. Mann spoke to PoliticsHome after two Jewish people were stabbed in a terrorist attack in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday. The Met Police announced on Friday morning that Essa Suleima, 45, had been charged in connection with the attack. There have also been arson attacks in the wider borough of Barnet, home to the UK’s largest Jewish community, in recent months, including the firebombing of ambulances run by a Jewish charity and several synagogues, and a lethal …

The Simpsons Present Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” and Teachers Now Use It to Teach Kids the Joys of Literature

The Simpsons Present Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” and Teachers Now Use It to Teach Kids the Joys of Literature

Published by José Betancourt

The Simp­sons has mocked or ref­er­enced lit­er­a­ture over its many sea­sons, usu­al­ly through a book Lisa was read­ing, or with guest appear­ances (e.g., Michael Chabon & Jonathan Franzen, Maya Angelou and Amy Tan). And it has ref­er­enced Edgar Allan Poe in both title (“The Tell-Tale Head” from the first sea­son) and in pass­ing (in “Lisa’s Rival” from 1994, the title char­ac­ter builds a dio­ra­ma based on the same Poe tale.) But on the first ever “Tree­house of Hor­ror” from 1990—the Simp­sons’ recur­ring Hal­loween episode—they adapt­ed Poe’s “The Raven” more faith­ful­ly than any bit of lit found in any oth­er episode. The poem, read by James Earl Jones, remains intact, more or less, but with Dan Castellaneta’s Homer Simp­son pro­vid­ing the unnamed narrator’s voice. Marge makes an appear­ance as the long depart­ed Lenore, with hair so tall it needs an extra can­vas to con­tain it in por­trait. Mag­gie and Lisa are the censer-swing­ing seraphim, and Bart is the annoy­ing raven that dri­ves Homer insane. Castel­lan­e­ta does a great job deliv­er­ing Poe’s verse with con­vic­tion and humor, while …