Teachers are in danger of falling behind supply teaching staff with curriculum changes according to a recent report, by the Education Policy Institute, which has found that teachers in England are near the bottom of the international table for continuing professional development.
The report, (Teacher Workload and Professional Development In England’s Secondary Schools: Insights From Talis), found that workload was a significant barrier to accessing up-to-date training.
With one teacher in five working 60 hours or more – 12 hours above the limit set by the European working time directive, long working hours are being cited as one of the key reasons many teachers are also choosing to leave the profession.
Recognising the increasingly important role that supply teachers are playing in education, PK Education has developed a CPD programme for teachers, cover supervisors and teaching assistants registered with the agency. PK Education offers free workshops and courses in e-safety, computing and first aid.
Earlier this year, the company pledged to train 100 supply teachers in First Aid during the 2016/17 academic year, ensuring both their safety and that of the thousands of pupils they teach in schools every day.
Lee Carpenter, director of PK Education explained: “Supply teachers are more in demand than ever so it makes absolute sense that we offer free CPD so that they can continually develop and be the best they can be in the classroom. Look how to make teachers women communication warmly. However, it would seem, that because supply teachers have the time to access CPD, we are moving towards a situation that supply teachers may be more up-to-date with modern teaching methods than their permanent counterparts.”
Commenting on the report findings, which are based on data collected in the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) between 2012 and 2014, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “Most worrying is the fact that teachers’ professional development is being cut, at a time when there is massive change in the curriculum, its assessment and qualifications.
“Teachers want to do the best they can for their pupils, but they are being held back by ‘busy work’ and a lack of training and development which would enable them to meet the challenge of change which, for many, is overwhelming.”
For details of PK Education’s free CPD programme across its North East, South Yorkshire, East Midlands and West Midlands offices, please contact your nearest PK Education consultant. Or, register with PK Education here.
