Teachers for Supply

As part of the role as a class teacher in a primary school you may be asked to take on the responsibility of leading the school in a curriculum subject. Newly qualified teachers are not usually expected to take on this role in their first year but in subsequent years they may be asked to lead one of the foundation subjects such as music, technology or history. A more experienced teacher may be asked to take on the subject coordinator role for one of the core subjects such as Mathematics, English or Science.

Probably the most important responsibility will be to convey to the rest of the teaching staff any new initiatives that are sent out from the local education authority which pertain to your subject. You may be called upon to lead staff meetings each term to update staff and to support them in their curriculum planning.

One of the unenviable tasks of the subject coordinator is to do regular book trawls. This involves looking at a selection of books to check that the school planning is being followed, that differentiation is present and that marking follows the school marking policy guidelines. Although a time-consuming task it is necessary to ensure school policy is being adhered to.

Independent or private schools set their own budget and do not receive any funding from the state, so they are free to employ teachers and pay them according to their own policies although most are on a par with the pay received by teachers working in the state school sector.

The main difference for a teacher looking for employment is that it is not a requirement to have the same teaching qualifications if you are thinking of working in an independent school than if you were working in a state school. This is a useful factor if you have a degree but have not undertaken any post graduate training to get qualified teacher status especially if you want to teacher older children and are therefore specialising in one particular subject. It is however common for those teaching in independent pre-preparatory and preparatory schools that cater for children from three years of age to eleven years to have a teaching qualification of some sort.

If you enjoy working in the independent school sector, then career progression is good and probably more widely available than in a state school. It is not unusual for a teacher to be taking on more responsibility after a couple of years teaching working towards the role of head of department or housemaster.

The job of a teaching assistant can be very rewarding but it is also very hard work and you do have to be prepared to work hard and long hours. Most TA’s only get about ten to twelve thousand pounds a year which is not a huge amount of money compare to the hours they have to work. This wage is often pro rata so they may well still get paid through the holidays.

To become a TA you do not have to have qualifications but most schools do now look for this. You may be able to go straight in to an apprenticeship TA role with the school or you may decide to go to college first and get the qualification you need to allow you to apply straight for a full time position.

As a TA you will be expected to provide support to pupils who may need extra help and to supervise groups or even the whole class for short periods of time where required. You will also need to be wiling to help create displays, prepare worksheets and set up the classroom for tasks. You may also be required to talk to parents or carers and help support them with their child’s education if needed.

The whole world is going through a very strange time at present and a time like no other. All schools have had to adapt their way of working in order to reduce the risk of Covid to pupils and staff members. Most schools have staggered start and finish times to allow for a constant flow of students rather than an influx all at the same time.

Teaching has had to change as no longer can children learn the way they used to. Much of the teaching should be done outside if possible and equipment ideally limited and not shared with others as much. Teachers also need to think about how they are going to continue to teach students that are self-isolating. They may be doing this due to a family member having the illness or coming in to contact with someone who has the illness. Just because they have self-isolated once doesn’t mean that they won’t have to do it again, potentially meaning they miss out on lots of school work.

Most teachers have set up online portals where they can upload work for children to do at home and then send it back to them. This is not ideal but is certainly better than them missing out entirely.  

The role of a head teacher can vary quite significantly depending on which school they are working in.

A school may be without a permanent head teacher for a time but usually an acting head will be put in place for this duration. In an academy, there may be one head teacher across multiple schools so they may not be permanently based in one place. The job of the head teacher is to provide professional leadership for the school. They need to ensure that the correct procedures and guidelines are being adhered to and manage how the budget is to be effectively spent. When schools return in September, head teachers are going to have a very difficult job of managing the Covid-19 safety procedures that will need to be put in place to try and ensure that pupils and teachers are socially distancing as much as possible.  

Some head teachers also teach classes, this is often the case in smaller schools that cannot afford to have too many additional teachers. The head teacher may be available for cover of a class such as when the teacher has PPA time or to cover sick leave.