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Benefits of Supply Teaching

September 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment

When thinking about roles within a school, supply teacher seems to fall second best when compared to a regular full-time teaching position. People often focus on the negatives associated with the role instead of embracing the positives.

At Red Box teaching recruitment in London, we have compiled a list of benefits associated with supply teaching that you may not have thought of if you are considering looking for a temporary teaching role in the capital.

We source a full range of supply teaching positions across London for talented candidates that come our way – get in touch with our supply teaching agency to start looking for your next role today.

More Variety

If you’ve found yourself bored in previous roles, a supply teaching position will certainly provide you with a sense of variety that you may not experience in a full-time teaching role.

You may be working with a Year 3 class one week, and a more challenging Year 5 class the next. This can be extremely beneficial for your career and future development, as you’ll have the opportunity to experience a range of classes and syllabuses across the year.

Discover More About Your Goals

The more variety you have, the more you can experience making it easy to work out what kind of working environment you enjoy and thrive in most.

This will help you discover roles you want to put yourself forward for in the future. Our London teaching agency always takes your preferences into consideration when helping you find your next teaching position.

Increased Flexibility

If you’re looking to get into teaching, but value a flexible lifestyle, supply teaching is the perfect solution. Our supply teaching agency has contacts across the city, so whatever location you are hoping to find a role in, our team are here to help.

We offer a range of contract types, meaning you won’t be restricted to school holidays should you not wish to be – you will be in charge of your availability.

Ease into Retirement

Perhaps you’ve dedicated your life to teaching, you’re ready to start slowing down but aren’t ready to let go entirely.

Many retired teachers choose to go into supply teaching because they miss the profession. If you’re looking to go back into teaching and need assistance finding a position to suit your needs, give our supply teaching agency a call today.

Return to Teaching After Some Time Off

Similarly, if you’ve taken a break from teaching, perhaps to go travelling, spend time with the family, or because of illness and you’re ready to return to a school atmosphere, easing yourself in with supply teaching role could be a sensible solution.

Let our teaching agency source a supply teaching position to suit your needs, finding a school that matches your requirements and a contract that eases you back into the working atmosphere of a school.

Find Your Next Supply Teaching Role in London Today

Get in touch with Red Box today to start the search for your next supply teaching contract in London. Please call 01932 247000, or use our online contact form to leave your message. 

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Why Should You Use a Teaching Agency When Looking for Your Next Position?

September 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment

If you’re struggling to find a temporary teaching position that suits your requirements exactly, you may find it beneficial to get in touch with our London based teaching agency.

Here at Red Box Teachers, we are dedicated to finding talented candidates their next primary teaching and supply teaching role.

We understand that job hunting in any industry can get stressful at times, but with teaching being so competitive, there is an added pressure and it can be tricky to know where to look, particularly if you are traveling to the capital to teach.

Here are a few reasons that we believe that choosing our teaching agency to source your next temporary teaching assignment could take away some of the stress job hunting.

Save Yourself Time

Job hunting can be an extremely lengthy process. Particularly if you are coming to the end of an existing temporary teaching placement, you may not have a lot of spare time to dedicate to searching for your next one.

At Red Box Teachers, we will take care of the entire process. Whilst you’re coming to the close of your current work, our attentive team will work to source your next teaching position based on your requirements.

Whether you’re looking for a short-term supply teaching position or a fixed primary teaching assignment in London, we will kickstart your job hunt in the background, whilst you continue your day to day routine.

Utilise Our Extensive Network

When searching for a teaching position off your own back, you may miss a number of opportunities simply because you are unsure of where to look, particularly if you are new to London.

Our teaching recruiters have an extensive list of contacts, and having placed many successful candidates in past positions, we have built a reputable name as a reliable primary teaching recruitment agency.

We naturally have access to many positions advertised in schools and nursery’s that you may not have even thought to look in. To find out more about our temp teaching positions, please get in touch today.

We Tailor Our Service to You

We focus our teaching position job searches on the individual requirements of each of our clients. Every candidate that comes to us will have a different lifestyle and different values.

Our team get to know you, and the kind of teaching position you are looking for, be that short or long term, primary teaching or supply teaching – whatever specifications you have for your next teaching role, we take these into consideration when sourcing the position for you.

Support Whenever You Need It

Choosing an agency to find your teaching role will provide you with that sense of security that you have someone to contact should you have any questions or queries throughout your assignment.

Starting in a brand-new school, perhaps in a brand-new city, can be quite overwhelming. When Red Box Teachers source your temporary teaching position, we are your first port of call should you require any additional support or guidance during your assignment.

Get in Touch

If you’ve hit a wall with you London teaching job hunt, allow Red Box Teachers to find you the perfect position and lift the weight from your shoulders.

To find out more about our temporary teaching positions in London, or if you have any questions for our teaching recruiters, please call 01932 247000, or use our online contact form.

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Tips for Saving Time When Lesson Planning

September 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment

So, you’re about to start your brand-new temporary teaching position in London, found by our teaching recruitment experts here at Red Box.

You may have already started planning your lessons and are perhaps finding it slightly more time consuming than you’d like. We all need a bit of downtime, and with many teachers spending around 10.6 hours of their free time on lesson planning during the week, you may be looking for a way to save yourself time.

As a reputable London teaching recruitment agency, we understand that what makes a good teaching candidate is how well you deliver your lessons, not the amount of time you spend on it! We have compiled a list of a few tips and tricks to help you save precious time during the lesson planning process.

Make A Weekly Schedule

Some people tend to avoid setting time aside to create a schedule, thinking that it is a waste of time that could be spent being productive in other ways.

However, we believe that taking time once a week to sit and plan out your week, you’ll end up saving time in the long run. Organising your tasks across the week will highlight any time gaps, making it easier to visualise when your free time will be.

This method of planning will also allow you to reschedule certain tasks as you require, making it easier to make social plans that don’t compromise your workload.

Work Backwards

Once you’ve made your weekly schedule, the lesson planning can begin. Having worked with many successful candidates over the years, our teaching agency has found that working backwards when lesson planning is an effective and efficient method.

You won’t waste time working out what the purpose of your lesson is – you’ll start at the finish line, and design your lesson plan based on reaching that destination.

Repurpose Old Lesson Plans

You have most likely taught a plethora of lessons in your previous primary teaching positions, so instead of spending time completely recreating lessons from scratch, there is absolutely no harm in repurposing lesson plans you have used before.

Giving your PowerPoints a spring clean will not only ensure they are up-to-date and personalised to your new class, but it will save you so much time!

Make Use of Interactive Elements

It goes without saying that making use of interactive elements in your lesson such as games, videos and quizzes are a great way for engaging your classroom.

It can be tempting to create these elements from scratch, which is great if you have the time to. But if you are looking for a way to save yourself some time, our London teaching agency can offer guidance on exactly where to look for access to a variety of materials that can be used when lesson planning.

Get Some Class Feedback

Find out what your students are responding best to. During your primary teaching placement, why not conduct a poll to see which activities the kids are enjoying most, and keep those results in mind when planning future lessons.

You’ll save a lot of time by not having to plan lessons that aren’t engaging the children, allowing you to focus your time on the lesson plans that you know they’ll learn from and enjoy the most.

Find Your Next Temporary Teaching Position Today

If you’re on the hunt for your next temporary primary teaching role in London, allow the attentive team at Red Box help you find the teaching assignment you are looking for.

To find out more about our teaching agency, or to start browsing roles today, please call 01932 247000, or use our online contact form to leave your message. 

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Want to be an even better teacher next year?

August 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Thinking woman with question signs and light idea bulb above head looking up

Take time to reflect on these 10 things

The school summer break is in full swing and as a teacher you are hopefully easing nicely into rest and relaxation mode. Whatever you are doing over the summer holidays, be it catching up on household chores, doing the rounds visiting relatives, or binge-watching Netflix, some time for reflection should definitely be at the top of your summer agenda. Especially if you are determined to improve and be an even better teacher next year.

Teachers are under enormous pressure to perform and get results, sometimes sacrificing what is actually best for the children they are teaching. Reflecting on the things that went well last year and on those that didn’t will give you a head start when you are faced with the same pressures during the next school year.

Reflect on these 10 things while you can. It doesn’t mean you’re not already a great teacher. Reflection and personal growth are part of what makes you such a great role model for your students.

  1. What is the most awesome thing about you? How can you bring more of that to the classroom in September? Make your special talent a part of your teaching every day!
  2. When were your students at their best during the last school year? Why was that?
  3. What lessons didn’t go well and why was that?
  4. What is your teaching philosophy? How can it better serve you and your students?
  5. What can you focus on this summer to grow your skills as a professional?
  6. What do you do well (recall examples) and how can you make more of those skills during the next academic year?
  7. What don’t you do well (recall examples) and what resources or support can you access next year to improve?
  8. What things can you put in place to empower your pupils and make your job easier?
  9. How can you make your classroom more efficient so you can spend more time doing the fun stuff?
  10. What parts of your job do you love? And which are the bits you find difficult? Be honest with yourself and think about what you can learn from each.

In addition, ponder your failures and your successes. Think about how you can improve your communication with parents and colleagues. Think about how you can overcome challenges. Most of all ask yourself what are the most important things your students need from you and how can you make their learning experience a fun and happy one.

Reflect away and enjoy the summer break! The next school year is going to be great.

Filed Under: Advice, Information

Life is so much more than numbers

July 30, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Children Making Team Gesture

We can’t help but share this heartening tale from one headteacher concerning the recent Sats results and more succinctly the view that life is more important than numbers.

Brian Walton, headteacher of Brookside Academy in Somerset wrote for Tes (formerly The Times Educational Supplement), of his life affirming experience on Sats results day. It wasn’t from the results, but from the laughter and friendship of a wonderful school community remembering one of their pupils who had passed away.

Mr Walton argues that schools are so much more than year 6 outcomes. “Life is a bigger test than Sats. Children need more from us because there is so much that we will come across in life. Deep down we need school communities that are at the heart of this.”

On Sats results day Mr Walton took 59 year-5 pupils swimming at the local outdoor pool. That number should have been 60 with Callum. The school tweeted ‘We are here Callum.’ Callum was a valued member of the school community. Mr Walton described him as “a brave, strong and wonderful young man adored by all his friends and remembered with such love and companionship.”

Mr Walton writes that Callum’s family have been incredibly supportive of the school. Despite their tragic loss, they have been there for Callum’s friends and his class.

On the future, Mr Walton says, “We need schools to focus on what is right rather than “bow down” to politics that are so detached from the communities and the realities of school life that they lose sight of what really matters. When the UNICEF index of child wellbeing puts children in the UK at the very bottom, you would think someone, somewhere would begin to change this for the good. Instead, it seems we are still obsessed in ensuring that grades are high – even when wellbeing is low.”

A recent poll by Tes found that almost half of children are stressed by primary school tests and a YouGov survey of parents of 7 to 14 year olds found that 63 per cent of parents felt children were under too much pressure. Last year a National Union of Teachers (NUT) survey of primary school teachers found a widespread lack of confidence in the Government’s current system of assessment and accountability.

This head teacher’s story and the sad loss of a valued pupil reminds us of the importance of community at school. And as Callum’s mum reminded head teacher, Mr Walton, ‘Life is about so much more than numbers.’

Filed Under: Information, News

Kickstart programme to teach primary pupils about finance

July 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Boy counting money at a table

Leading City institutions are calling on the government to include financial education in the primary school curriculum, a report in the Guardian reveals. Twenty leading savings and investment firms in the UK have joined hands to set up a ground-breaking financial education project called KickStart Money.

The collaborative project is taking financial education to over 18,000 primary schools in the UK with the aim of catalysing “a movement to build a savings culture for the future.”

On the project, Lord Hutton, former Secretary of State for the Department of Work & Pensions, said,
“Learning about the basics of money is essential if we want to build a more financially literate nation. KickStart Money is an exciting and much needed new project aiming to help young students to understand the consequences of debt as well as the importance of saving and investing for their future.”

The educational programme consists of three 75-minute workshops with expert trainers from the charity MyBnk. Reports so far indicate that 70 per cent of pupils who receive the training continued to work towards a saving goal three months after taking part.

Findings are being presented to MPs and peers at Westminster. The KickStart programme organisers are hoping to convince policymakers that teaching children about money management will help a generation to become more financially literate.

According to KickStart many parents don’t talk to their young children about money, when in fact behavioural attitudes to money are formed by the age of seven. Co-chair of KickStart, Jane Goodland argues that while basic numeracy skills are helpful, being competent with numbers doesn’t necessarily equate to being good with money.

Earlier this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Just Finance Foundation argued that primary school pupils should receive compulsory lessons on how to manage money as part of the response to growing levels of financial insecurity and problem debt in the UK.

It is hoped the KickStart pilot scheme will be met favourably by government. Suella Braverman (formerly Fernandes), Conservative MP for Fareham and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry into the effectiveness of financial education in UK schools said:

“Financial education has the potential to transform people’s life chances by equipping them with the vital skills to manage their money well and plays an important role in helping young people to navigate these new financial and consumer landscapes. Kickstart Money is a great new project which will help children up and down the country to learn how to manage their personal finances, setting them up to deal with the financial challenges of later life.”

Filed Under: Information, News

Supply teachers give the most honest account of pupil behaviour

June 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Child with sling shot

Pupil behaviour is a perennial topic in schools. But reports on behaviour between senior staff and those on the ground vary widely. The government’s DfE behaviour tsar has said school Governors should speak to supply teachers if they want to know the truth about behaviour in the classroom.

Behaviour tsar, and Tes columnist, Tom Bennett said he had seen much evidence of poor governance in schools. He highlighted the fact that some governors do not visit their schools during normal opening hours at all, and many that do are led around the school and only shown good classes.

The Department for Education requires governing bodies of maintained schools (local authority funded) to publish a statement of behaviour principles for their school.

Mr Bennett is urging governors to seek an honest and truthful picture of any behavioural problems in their school so any issues can be reflected in future school behavioural policies. At the recent Festival of Education, he told the audience: “Go and see transitions. Go and see the start of the day and the end of the day. Go and see the NQTs. Go and see the supply teachers.

“Go to your local supply agency and ask them ‘what’s behaviour at my school like?’ I promise you, it will blister you.”

In an interview with The Telegraph last year, Mr Bennett spoke out about behaviour in schools, saying pupil behaviour in England is a national problem, which isn’t being taken seriously enough.

In a report Mr Bennett said teachers were afraid that telling pupils what to do would curtail their freedom. But he argued that expecting good behaviour is not oppressive and that pupils had to be taught “self-restraint or self-regulation” in order to be “truly free”.

Naughty pupils in class at the elementary school
The report carried out by Bennett gave an independent review of behaviour in schools. His paper, Creating a Culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour was published last year. In it he states that how a school is run is an even greater determinant of school behaviour than any one of a number of well-trained staff working in isolation.

Why does behaviour in school matter? The way students behave in school is strongly linked to their academic outcomes. The culture found in successful schools included visible leaders, consistent practices, effective communication and high and detailed expectations, high levels of support staff, parental commitment and thoroughness in the execution of school policies.

Understanding that there is a behavioural problem in the first place is key in enabling schools to turn the tide. Governors should ask supply teachers for an honest account.

Filed Under: Information

How to build empathy in the classroom

June 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment

message of love

This month, on the 12th June it was Empathy Day. It was a great reminder to schools, parents and children of the need to focus on empathy so we can build a more caring society.

In our increasingly digitised world, we are in danger of creating a generation of disconnected children. Bullying, cheating and mental health issues amongst children are on the rise. Cultivating empathy in the classroom is now more important than ever.

Every teacher passionate about what they do is invested in not only teaching children the curriculum, but also in inspiring children to love learning outside of the classroom. Children need to be able to enjoy experiences with other people, visit different places and seek learning opportunities outside of school.

Teaching empathy is an essential anti-bullying strategy. It is also essential for diminishing social prejudices and encouraging social behaviour. What is more, empathy education has been shown to boost academic success. Educational psychologist, Michele Borba, has written a book, UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. It is a book that all parents and teachers should read.

Start your empathy building programme in the classroom with our 4 top tips.

1 – Connect with new people and places

It is partly through connecting with different people and places that children can be exposed to new ideas and perspectives which help to break down barriers and build empathy. One school, based in New York, uses Skype and Google Hangout to connect pupils with museums and other professional places students wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to visit.

Another way to connect your students with new people and ideas is through a charity. Get involved with a local charity. Get the charity to come into the classroom and talk to the children about what they do.

2 – Random acts of kindness

Set up a set day each week or each month where students are encouraged to show a random act of kindness to a teacher, caretaker or peer at school. It could be something simple, like thanking someone for help or for the great job they are doing.

3 – Encourage listening and sharing

Group Of Elementary School Children Working Together In Computer Class

Listening and the sharing of views without casting judgement is fundamental to growing empathy. Create spaces within the learning environment for children to have their views heard. Encourage listening. Understanding how others feel is an important part of building empathy.

4 – Provide collaborative opportunities

Project work where pupils can share ideas and get a sense of others perspectives is a great way to teach empathy. The ability to collaborate is a life skill that children need to succeed and to function and participate in society. Just like any other skill, how to collaborate can be taught and will help children to grow empathy for other people and understand their different points of view.

Filed Under: Advice, Information

Why we need more male primary school teachers

May 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Arts and crafts in school

The Huffington Post recently reported that head teachers are calling for more men to join the education profession, particularly in early years and primary schools. Male primary school teachers support the call and argue that children need more male role models to reduce gender stereotypes in career choices and to more frequently encounter role models where they may be lacking.

According to the most recent government statistics, just 15.4 per cent of nursery/primary school teachers in England are male. And just three per cent of teachers in early years education, who teach two to five-year-olds, are male.

The NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers) trade union and professional association is calling for the Department of Education to acknowledge the low numbers of men employed in early years and want the government to work with the sector to identify ways to encourage more men into the profession.

Talking to Schools Week, James Bowen, head of the school leaders’ union, NAHT Edge section, said, “Early years education is one of the most vital moments in a child’s education, and the point at which attainment and life chances can be set.”

“A diverse early-years’ workforce can help children, especially those from deprived backgrounds, to visualise their futures and fulfil their educational potential. It’s important for all children to experience positive male role models, and to understand that men can be interested in education, science or reading, just as much as in football.”

According to Schools Week News, the NAHT’s early years sector council has participated in a government task group, conducting an in-depth review into the shortage of male teachers in early-years education.

Sally Bates, head of Wadsworth Fields Primary School in Nottingham and a member of the council, said, “Young children need male role-models, boys need to see education settings as reflecting their interests.

“The problem of society being suspicious of men working in this sector means that recruitment is low and this perception needs to be loudly challenged at every level.”

Adam Robbins, deputy head teacher of Roding Primary School in London, also states how important it is to promote interests beyond stereotypes, such as sport. Robbins explains, “My school has a male in-house storyteller, artist and musician. This gives all children in the early years, but particularly boys, more diverse examples of all the things men and boys can be interested in.”

A recent BBC report identified four ways to get more men teaching kids, stating:

1 – Challenge the stigma – early years teaching isn’t just for women
2 – Early Years Teaching salaries need to rise and government needs to offer more bursaries
3 – Government should act on gender diversity targets and offer more training
4 – Change the job name – ‘nursery nurses’ should be changed to ‘early years professionals’

Speaking to the BBC, Patrick Foley, head teacher at Southborough Primary School in Kent, said “Men should be encouraged to join these professions and the barriers to men making these choices should be investigated and removed.

“More men in these key roles would improve outcomes for children in their early years, which would have tremendous benefit for all children.”

Storytime at Nursery

Filed Under: News

5 things schools can do to help children’s mental health

May 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Mental Health Foundation Stress Banner

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the Mental Health Foundation is focusing on stress. According to the Mental health Foundation “two thirds of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetimes, and stress is a key factor in this.”

Tes’ mental health columnist, Natasha Devon, argues that schools can help Mental Health Awareness Week by sending an unequivocal message that mental health matters, not just during Mental health Awareness Week, but all year round.

The Guardian recently reported that “The number of referrals by schools in England seeking mental health treatment for pupils has risen by more than a third in the last three years, according to figures obtained by the NSPCC” (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

Research indicates there is a growing crisis within children’s mental health and that leaves many teachers having to deal with an increasing number of pupils suffering from stress, anxiety and panic attacks, as well as depression, self-harm and eating disorders.

Many teachers are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges they face as a result of the rise in mental health problems in children. But there are things schools can do to help. Here are five ways schools can help support children’s wellbeing at school.

1 – Start talking about mental health

There is still a stigma about mental health in mainstream society so it’s really important that schools open up a dialogue about it. At the very least more open discussions will increase understanding and reduce stigma around some of the issues children face.

2 – Address bullying in school

Students need to feel safe at school. Educating children about the effects of bullying and having a positive anti-bullying policy in school will help children to develop respect for each other.

3 – Support staff well-being

Staff can only improve the support they give to pupils when they are feeling supported and healthy themselves. Wellness at work will have a positive impact on the school environment and will definitely filter down to pupils.

4 – Offer training in mental health

Last year the Guardian reported that more than half of primary school teachers say they do not feel adequately trained in supporting children with mental health problems. Early intervention is crucial for children’s wellbeing and for that to happen teachers need adequate training to identify any issues. With many schools having to cut their pastoral and mental health support services because of budget pressures, it is up to headteachers to demand mental health training for all new teachers.

5 – Run after school social activities and mentoring

Extracurricular activities have been shown to have a positive effect on children’s wellbeing. Equally, peer mentoring and staff mentoring for vulnerable students provides an extra layer of support for those struggling with emotions and the challenges at school.

Filed Under: Advice, News
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