I am sorry
that it has taken me so long to blog. The demands of the Ofsted inspection and
a tough half term are my only excuse.
During the
half term break I was invited to an education dinner hosted by the Times
Education Supplement and attended by seven headteachers from the South West.
Also in attendance was the now Schools Commissioner Sir David Carter and the
former minister for schools The Lord Knight of Weymouth (Jim Knight) There
was a good deal of conversation about recruitment, the TES clearly being
interested in improving their service to schools.
BCCS and CPS are in the fortunate position of being
able to attract large numbers of applicants but I am never complacent and
recruiting the right people is the most important part of my job. It is not easy for all schools and there are
real challenges in appointing for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and DT. This week I have been looking through the
letters of application. Two of our staff will be on maternity leave from the
summer and we will need to recruit further teachers to cope with the expected
increase in A level teaching next year. (We have nearly 300 applications for
year 12!)
As ever we will ask our students to help in the
interview process. The student panel rarely disagrees with our thinking and
they are always capable of providing valuable insight. All applicants are asked
to teach and we also ask the class their opinion of the candidates.
