VIEWS & OPINION


The teacher apprenticeship levy:


use it or lose it Comment by GEMMA LONGHURST, music teaching apprentice at Carshalton Boys Sports College


From a young age I wanted to be a music teacher - I know firsthand the transformative role a good teacher can play! I come from a single parent family with a fairly low income – affording music lessons would have been difficult. My teachers offered me subsidised flute, singing and piano tuition; without this support I couldn’t have pursued a career in teaching music. Upon completing my degree, my route into teaching was less


straightforward. Before beginning a PGCE I was working as a SEN support assistant when I heard about an opportunity to train as an apprentice with e-Qualitas at a school I knew and liked. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme (TAP) is a fee-free,


salaried route for graduates to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in nine months – required to teach in UK government maintained schools. This was perfect for me because the scheme comprised work-based training and I would be based in a school I liked - I wanted a training experience which matched the reality of teaching. As an apprentice you are solely responsible for your own classes


which is a lot of work and pressure, but also allows me to develop my own teaching philosophy. The e-Qualitas programme provides trainees with a School Based


Trainer and an e-Qualitas tutor who are both incredibly supportive and run training days and modules to support your development. Balancing work with completing training means the workload is


full on, but you are well supported and with good organisation, it is manageable. Having autonomy over your workplace is empowering –


apprentices are employed by the school, so you can select a school where you’ll enjoy training! For people who have been working in a school and want to


receive QTS it’s a great option as they can qualify without leaving their school or giving up their salary. The benefits for schools are equally notable. Senior leadership


teams (SLTs) are afforded autonomy as they select the apprentice themselves, as opposed to other processes where the organisation places a trainee without input from the school. Therefore, schools can employ a trainee who will be an asset to the institution. Hosting a trainee helps SLTs inform the apprentice of their school’s vision, shaping future full-time staff with the same priorities as the school. The financial advantage is significant too as apprentices are


cheaper than other employees. Schools can apply for grant funding to subsidise their salary (grants vary dependent upon subject and phase) but importantly the training is also paid for by the apprenticeship levy. Teaching apprenticeships also improve staff retention: the


course’s supportive nature encourages teachers to stick at it longer! It’s a tough job, but the care received means I can experiment and make mistakes, and it’s been a really enjoyable experience. I feel lucky to be at a school I love – I’m equally challenged and supported and it’s where I want to continue teaching.


February 2020


Helping children process difficult news


in the media Comment by MARK BENTLEY, LGfL Safeguarding and Cybersecurity Manager


Unfortunately, current news is dominated by details of terrifying events - from dangerous viruses to terror attacks. Detailed and widespread coverage means it is likely that children will be exposed to age- inappropriate news, so it’s important that teachers can help children process this information.


Remember that all news won’t be good news There are many arguments about what children should or shouldn’t know, and what information they should be protected from. Most people agree there should be some limits to children’s exposure to bad news, particularly in terms of language used and details given; unfortunately this isn’t always possible. With events as serious as a terrorist attack, children are likely to learn about what happened in terms that are not child friendly – so what can we do to help?


1. Be honest Pretending that nothing has happened is no longer an option: parents and teachers need to support children in processing difficult or incomprehensible information. Educators should be honest in answering questions, explain that anxiety and worry are normal emotions, reassure pupils that they are safe, and frame answers to questions based on their prior knowledge (essentially, don’t provide details which were previously unknown).


2. Lay a foundation for open conversations How will we know whether those in our care are worried if they don’t confide in us? This situation can easily occur if a child stumbles across something disturbing online, for example. There is no easy solution, but it may be useful to apply the same


principles as when you help a child speak about bullying, child sexual exploitation, inappropriate imagery and other online safety issues. Teachers need to create an atmosphere where it is safe to discuss what may have been done (or seen or heard) online without fear of being told off, or worse… having devices confiscated! Only by creating this secure environment can we help young people to open up when required.


3. Educate students on how to deal with fears and worries If we have laid those foundations for open conversations carefully, we can use the time after a terrorist attack or a death in the school community to talk in more general terms about their fears and anxieties without asking leading questions that might prompt new worries. In the coming months you may wish to revisit your Prevent policy and strategy, but in the first few days and weeks, focus on guiding children and young people by supporting them with general discussions about what we may see online. You can also lead a few lessons on critical thinking, especially in relation to fake news, exaggeration and scaremongering.


4. The importance of resilience We can’t wrap children and young people in cotton wool: especially because life rarely follows a perfectly designed PSHE scheme of work or age-appropriate milestones! Nonetheless, if we keep our eyes and ears open and create safe places for honest conversations, we will have made a positive start in helping children manage and process difficult news and the resultant negative emotions.


For more advice and useful links, please visit the LGfL DigiSafe blog post on this topic.


uhttps://www.lgfl.net/online-safety/ www.education-today.co.uk 25


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