August 10, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
This year we have been very lucky
to have a few nice blocks of hot and sunny weather. There have even been a few
heatwaves where the temperatures have reached in to the low thirties! This
weather can make people flock to the beach or pools in desperate need of a dip
but sometimes people also choose to venture to lakes and rivers. This can be
dangerous especially if you are not a strong swimmer.
It is very important that all
children are given the opportunity to learn how to swim from a young age. It is
a life skill and one that they may well need a number of times throughout their
life. Not only can it help to keep them safe when in the water but also possibly
help them save someone else.
Often schools only take the older
pupils such as years five and six swimming, so until they are around 10 they
may have little or no experience in the water. Some schools have started to see
how important it is for all pupils to be given the opportunity and therefore has
started taking the whole school swimming for a set number of weeks usually
through the summer.
Giving these children the
opportunity to get confident in the water and to learning to swim small
distances can be a lifesaving skill.
July 8, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
Many schools are now on the
countdown to the last few days of school. The government have announced that they
are hoping that from 19th July all social distancing rules will be
scrapped and that includes school bubbles. From September, when children return
things will hopefully be more like normal. Although each school will be able to
decide how exactly they operate, it is likely that children from other bubbles will
be able to play together again. It may be that assemblies can resume in the
hall, with al years taking part and even Christmas plays may be able to resume
this year.
Some children may embrace the
changes whereas others may find it a little too much or even worry about the
lifting of restrictions.
Teachers and parents all over the
country just want their child to be able to resume their education as much as
possible and enjoy their time at school. As restrictions have been in place for
a long time now, it may take a bit of adjusting back and you could find that there
is a noticeable change in your child’s behaviour whilst they adapt to the
changes. All you can do is offer support and make sure that you reassure them
of any changes that may be taking place.
May 26, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
Over the last 12 months many children
have missed out on a huge chunk of their education. There have been times when
the schools have been shut completely and parents or carers have had to try and
home school their children. Some parents did this religiously and others really
struggled and found that they couldn’t get the children to concentrate and complete
the tasks that were set for them. Most of the children will have fallen behind to
some degree due to these missed lessons. The UK is hopefully over the worse of
the restrictions and we are hoping that after the summer holidays schools will
be able to relax the bubbles and social distancing rules. The government and education
authority are now looking at ways in which they can help those students who
have fallen behind and also there are a few different ideas being batted around,
nothing has been confirmed as of yet. There were talks of cutting down the 6
week summer holiday, but the fact that this hasn’t been announced yet, looks
like it is unlikely to happen. The other options may include extending the
school day for everyone by 30 mins or running optional class from 8am until 6pm.
August 18, 2020 / Ben / 0 Comments
The government
have announced that all pupils (unless ill or isolating) should return to
school in September ready for the new term. Some students have now had 6 months
off school and this has put a lot of pressure on parents and there is a worry
that it is also affecting the mental health of many of the pupils too.
Although
many are keen to see the schools return there is also a worry for parents and
teachers as to how safe it will be and how social distancing is going to be
maintained. Most schools have adopted a policy of keeping children within their
own bubbles of either year groups or classes. This will allow them to try and
limit the risk of spreading the virus if someone does become infected.
Not only
have teachers got a lot of work to catch up on and may find that some pupils require
a fair bit of time to re-establish a routine, they also have extra job roles
such as cleaning equipment and possibly redoing lesson plans that involved
close contact with others.
The first
few months of returning to school will probably be quite hard and may require a
fair few changes before proper routines can be established again.
December 15, 2019 / Ben / 0 Comments
The job of a
supply teacher can vary quite a bit. In some instances, you will be expected to
just cover a day or so of lessons and not have to do much planning. In other
instances, where you are covering a class for a longer period, you are likely
to have to plan lessons, mark work and basically do the job of the usual teacher.
If you are
qualified as a teacher, then you have the decide to go in to supply teacher
rather than a permanent position or this may be a something that you do when
you are looking to go part time. A supply teacher will often find that their
role varies from school to school and often even from class to class meaning
that each day is different and there are new challenges.
Supple
teachers are often paid more per day than permanent teachers so often they only
need to work three days a week to earn the same as a permanent teacher who
works five days a week. It is important to remember though that supply teachers
do not get paid for the holidays unless they are on some sort of a contract
which states they will.
Many
teachers say that they enjoy supply teaching and find it more interesting than
teaching the same class day in day out.