We look forward to welcoming new members of staff to our team and supporting others to change roles within school, set within very challenging recruitment conditions:

• Elise Laird becomes our new Gardener Teaching Assistant from 7th November. Elise currently works as a lunchtime supervisor and is a parent of a child at school. Elise has a very strong academic and professional scientific background. We are looking forward to her strengthening the links between gardening and our science curriculum using her professional knowledge.
• Year 5. Miss O'Neil leaves Fielding at the end of term. She leaves to get married and travel. Miss O'Neil is covering Miss Stabler's maternity leave. Miss Stabler is enjoying being a new mum and has extended her maternity leave. We welcome Calum Smith as class 5F's new teacher. Mr Smith is a successful and experienced teacher who will stay with the class from January until the end of the school year.
• Year 1. Miss Tsoukala is planning to start her maternity leave towards the end of November. Yasmin Nur will begin to teach the class from next week and then take-over teaching class 1F until the end of the school year. Mrs Hopkins becomes year leader.
• Support staff move into Teaching Assistant roles to work directly with pupils who have special educational needs:
  • Piot Pykalo, Assistant Caretaker.
  • Laura Burrows, Dining Supervisor.
  • Siobhan Colville, Nursery Lead Playworker.
  • Piot and Laura train on-the-job through new a new Teaching Assistant apprentice route.
  • We are recruiting to back-fill their vacant posts.

 

Recruiting teachers and teaching assistants is increasingly challenging. We are receiving far fewer applications for our vacancies than ever before. There are too few people who want to work in school. Other jobs in other sectors are more attractive. The cost of housing in this area adds to this pressure.

 

To overcome our vacancies and recruit the staff we need to work with our pupils, we are:

• supporting graduates who have school experience to gain their teaching qualification through a 'direct to teaching' route;
• training our own teaching assistants through apprenticeship routes;
• seeing more colleagues move from one role to another within school, sometimes, taking on more working hours;
• reaching out and recruiting from our school community who already live in the area.

 

Nationally, teaching unions are highlighting the the decline in pay in real terms over the last 10 years, hoping that the government makes the sector more attractive. There is a risk of disruption as unions seek views of their members about industrial action.