CONTRIBUTORS
Breaking with tradition: new routes to recruiting top talent
Comment by NAOMI HOWELLS, Managing Director of Class People.
With the new academic year underway, schools are once again welcoming new colleagues; recently qualified teachers, career changers, support staff, all bringing fresh energy, ideas, and a renewed sense of purpose. There’s an optimism that comes with new faces and the chance to do things differently. At the same time, demand for educational staff continues to rise
across schools, nurseries, and colleges. This brings with it a significant opportunity: to think more imaginatively about how individuals access the education sector, how they gain relevant qualifications, and how they are ultimately supported into roles. Rather than relying solely on traditional routes, perhaps now is the time to explore a broader, more inclusive model - one rooted in community potential and long-term sustainability.
We’re surrounded by untapped talent. People who live in the very communities’ schools serve. Parents returning to work with an understanding of school routines and empathy for young learners. Career changers from care, hospitality, and service sectors who bring patience, adaptability, and strong communication. Local volunteers who already give their time and energy to children’s development. Graduates looking for experience. Retirees wanting purpose and flexibility. Refugees and internationally trained teachers, often overlooked but rich in experience and passion. Individually, these groups may not fit the standard recruitment mould. But with the right support; whether that’s tailored training, mentoring, or simply an open door, they could form a new, highly effective education workforce. One that is diverse, committed, and deeply connected to the communities it serves.
This approach is less about quick fixes and more about long-term thinking. In Good to Great, Jim Collins introduces the Flywheel Effect: the idea that small, consistent efforts build momentum over time, eventually becoming self-sustaining. Recruitment can work like that too. Open new routes into education. Support and nurture people with the right mindset. Place them where they’re needed. Strengthen school teams. Improve outcomes. Make education a career of choice, not compromise.
Each part of the process reinforces the next. Over time, the system gains strength and what began as a workforce challenge becomes an opportunity for renewal.
None of this replaces the need to support and retain our qualified teachers, they are at the heart of the system. But by widening the entry points into education and investing in potential, we can ease the pressure and enrich the profession at the same time. Recruitment, when done with imagination and purpose, becomes more than just gap-filling. It becomes a strategy for growth. And the next great teaching assistant, teacher, or pastoral lead may not be scrolling job sites; they might already be in the playground, the school office, or the local community centre. All they need is a pathway in.
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www.education-today.co.uk
How to talk about gender equality Comment by DAVID BARTLETT, UK Project Lead
at the Global Boyhood Initiative.
By age seven, many children believe certain toys, clothes, or careers are only for either boys or girls. Boys often learn that they are expected to be tough, competitive, sporty, and emotionally reserved, while girls are still frequently encouraged to be nurturing and gentle.
These stereotypes, reinforced by adverts, media, and often by well-meaning adults, can limit self- confidence, learning, emotional development and future aspirations, and perpetuate gender inequality. Talking about gender is in the air
these days – much more than a generation ago – but it can still feel surprisingly tricky. At heart, it’s a simple idea – that everyone should be treated fairly. Yet because we’ve all grown up with certain ways of thinking (and feeling) about men and women, boys and girls, often without realising it, the conversation can be more layered than we expect.
Mind your language. Words shape children’s sense of what’s possible. Avoid saying things like “boys don’t cry” or “she’s too bossy.” Try praising all children for creativity, bravery, empathy, and problem-solving. Use non-gendered job titles like police officer, scientist, or nurse—and don’t assume those roles are “for” boys or girls.
Offer a full range of toys and activities. Don’t limit a child’s play based on gender expectations. Let them explore all toys and activities - construction, role play, sports, crafts, caring games - without judgement. When you remove the labels, you’ll discover more about who they really are. Talk about the messages they see. Encourage children to be media detectives. When watching a film or shopping, ask: “Why are there only boys in the building set ad?” or “Can a girl be a superhero too?” Questioning these norms helps children develop critical thinking and confidence in their own choices. Talk about jobs and the future. Children often form strong ideas about careers by age six. Help them explore a wide range of futures by talking about real-life people: male nurses, female engineers, stay-at-home dads, women in politics. Encourage questions and celebrate role models who challenge expectations. Encourage gender equality at home. Show that all adults can care, lead, clean, fix, and express emotion. Let children see you challenge gender stereotypes - maybe it’s a dad doing the school run or a mum fixing a bike. Let them see boys cry and girls lead. When they witness balance, they learn it’s normal.
The Children’s Society and Equimundo’s Global Boyhood Initiative offer great resources for anyone who wants to promote gender equality from an early age, including the new Beyond Gender Stereotypes programme, providing lessons and training for primary schools about breaking free from gender stereotypes. Gender equality doesn’t mean treating everyone the same. It means recognising each child’s unique qualities and freeing them from limiting expectations. When we widen the path, we open the future.
September 2025
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