Teacher Recruitment

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.

A bigger problem in education is retention. I spoke at the NQT (Newly Qualified Teachers) conference before half term where 37 new entrants to the profession from 11 schools joined us. The sad truth is that 2 in 5 of all teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years, a terrible waste of talent and investment. With the retirement age for teachers now set at 67 it is important that we consider how teachers we might sustain a 45-year long career in the classroom or prepare for other opportunities.