The Guardian Teacher Network is the place for news, features and opinion about education and teaching. With articles tapping into ideas and debates about learning, insights on best practice, and accounts from teachers lifting the lid on life in the classroom, we get to the heart of the daily issues faced by those working in…
Tag: Teacher Network
Secret Teacher: Class, I wish I’d told you the truth about my mental health
Last year, I quit teaching. I had completed my NQT induction, and despite the years of self-doubt and tears I’d finally come to recognise that I was a competent teacher, and had started to believe my positive feedback. I had also come to realise, however, that teaching was an unhealthy career choice for me. I…
Teachers on Twitter: why you should join and how to get started
I’ve been using Twitter for six months and it’s already one of the best career decisions I’ve made. For a while, it seemed that my relationship with teaching was going to be short lived (the first rush of excitement and energy was gone and in need of resuscitation). But thanks to some of the inspiring…
‘What exactly do you hate about teaching?’ – our work expert responds
Teaching is ruining my life. I have other skills, so how do I find my niche? I’m desperate to get out of teaching. It’s exhausting, stressful and is ruining my life. I’m not a senior leader so can’t go on to be a consultant or inspector. I’ve been teaching for over a decade and most…
Secret Teacher: the exodus of older teachers is draining schools of expertise
There is a teacher at my school who is adored by students and staff. He’s a dedicated and efficient educator with years of experience who once taught some of our pupils’ parents. The school benefits from his expertise daily, from the way he handles tricky content to how he manages difficult behaviour. In many ways,…
Secret Teacher: I hated teaching – until I realised my school was the problem
Not so long ago, I was ready to quit teaching. Now, I’ve got my sights on leadership. The difference is my headteacher. Under my previous head, I got the point where I couldn’t go on. I was signed off work with anxiety and stress. At school, we’d been under intense pressure to get more children…
Number of parents fined for term-time holidays at record level
The number of parents issued with penalties because of their children missing school has soared to record levels in England, after councils were emboldened by a supreme court ruling in their favour. Figures from the Department for Education (DfE) for 2017-18 show that local authorities issued 260,000 penalty notices to parents for unauthorised absences during…
Secret Teacher: the emphasis on British history is depriving students of balance
The wedding of two people who ostensibly have nothing to do with most people in the country has been the hot topic in playgrounds and classrooms over recent weeks. Despite Prince Harry and Meghan being wholly unrepresentative of the schoolchildren in my area of the UK, pupils have been transfixed by the details. They want…
Secret Teacher: teaching children without play was soul-destroying
One year, during Sats preparation, I watched as a number of my year 2 students cried because the paper was too difficult. I told them not to worry and to just try their best, but inside I felt dreadful. I knew that no matter how hard they cried, I would force them to continue. I’ve…
UK headteachers told they have ‘strong case’ for extra funding
The education secretary, Damian Hinds, told headteachers he had heard their concerns over funding “loud and clear,” as school leaders said they need an extra £5.7bn to avoid deeper spending cuts or even insolvency. Speaking to the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference, Hinds pledged to “make the strongest possible case for education”…
Schools have become ‘fourth emergency service’ for poorest families
Schools have become “an unofficial fourth emergency service” for vulnerable families across England and Wales, offering food parcels, clothing and laundry facilities to those worst affected by austerity, according to a new report by a headteachers’ union. A majority of the 400 school leaders surveyed by the Association of Schools and College Leaders (ASCL) said…
Funding cuts hamper knife crime prevention in England, say schools
Schools and colleges say funding cuts are hampering their efforts to prevent knife crime, according to a report commissioned by Ofsted that calls for “local community safety partnerships” to tackle the problem. The Ofsted report, based on a survey of secondary schools, further education and pupil referral units in London, found huge variations in how…