Alarming new figures revealed by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows almost 60% more children in their last year of primary school are classed as ‘severely obese’ than in their first year.

The LGA which represents 370 councils in England and Wales obtained statistics which shows children rapidly gaining weight and becoming unhealthier as they progress through primary school.

It warns the severity of child obesity rates are contributing to a ‘multi-billion pound ill-health time bomb.’

Each year, Public Health England produces figures on childhood obesity and for the first time this year. They included a ‘severely obese’ category. The statistics are worrying and action should be taken now to prevent an obesity epidemic which is costing the NHS more than £5bn every year.  

The first data of its kind for 2016/17, supplied by the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), shows a total of 22,646 out of 556,452 (4.1%) of 10 and 11-year-olds in Year 6 are classed as severely obese. This compares with 14,787 out of 629,359 (2.35%) of four and five-year-olds in reception class.  

How obesity is calculated
To determine a healthy weight in adults Body Mass Index (BMI) is used and its calculated using weight divided by height squared). Because children under 18 are still growing, their BMI is plotted in a chart with reference to the heights and weights of a comparable population – in this case the measurements of British children and young adults from nought to 23 years old collected between 1978 and 1994. This measurement is known as the UK90 and is used to create a fixed point of comparison, so that while the population as a whole gets heavier, the threshold of what we consider healthy doesn't creep up. A BMI of 40 or above means a person is severely obese – at least 60 per cent higher than the upper healthy weight BMI limit of 24.9. Severe obesity puts people at serious risk of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. It can also shorten a person’s life by 10 years. Using the UK90 measurement, any child whose BMI is in the 95^th percentile is obese, and those above 99.6% are severely obese. In 2017 40,000 children were classed as obese and a further 20,000 as severely obese by the time they finished primary school in England and Wales. The LGA’s prevention work, including the ability of councils to provide weight management services for children and adults, has been hampered by a £600m reduction in councils’ public health budgets by central government between 2015/16 and 2019/20. The LGA is calling for reductions in public health grants to be reversed by the government and for further reforms to tackle childhood obesity. This includes councils having a say in how and where the soft drinks levy is spent, better labelling on food and drink products, and for councils to be given powers to ban junk food advertising near schools. Councillor Izzi Seccombe, chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “These new figures on severely obese children, who are in the most critical overweight category, are a further worrying wake-up call for urgent joined-up action. The UK is already the most obese nation in Western Europe, with one in three 10- and 11-year-olds and one in five four- and five-year-olds classed as overweight or obese, respectively. Severe obesity rates are highest in children living in the most-deprived towns and cities, and those from black and minority ethnic groups, which the LGA suggested shows a need for more targeted interventions. “Unless we tackle this obesity crisis, today’s obese children will become tomorrow’s obese adults whose years of healthy life will be shortened by a whole host of health problems including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.” “Cuts to councils’ public health grants by government are having a significant impact on the many prevention and early intervention services carried out by councils to combat child obesity. “This short-sighted approach risks causing NHS costs to snowball due to the ill health consequences of obesity in our younger generation.”  

'Ban cartoon characters and junk food advertising before 9pm' - demand ministers
The government published a childhood obesity plan in 2016. Many health campaigners criticised the lack of new curbs for junk food advertising. A group of MPs is demanding a complete ban on junk food advertising before 9pm as well as removing influential cartoon characters such as Tony the Tiger and the Milky Bar Kid that promote unhealthy food.                                     
However characters like the Jolly Green Giant could still promote healthy food. The committee also calls for:

• supermarkets to be forced to remove sweets, chocolate and other unhealthy snacks from the ends of aisles and checkout areas
• junk food price promotions, like multi-buys, should be restricted
• local authorities should have the power to limit the number of fast food outlets opening in their areas
• government to ban sponsorship of sports clubs, venues, youth leagues and tournaments by brands associated with unhealthy products
• social media firms like Facebook should reduce children's exposure to junk food advertising

Dr Wollaston, the committee chair, said: “Children are becoming obese at an earlier age and staying obese for longer.” “Obesity rates are highest for children from the most disadvantaged communities and this unacceptable health inequality has widened every year since records began. “The consequences for these children are appalling and this can no longer be ignored.” She called for a “whole systems approach” to fighting obesity where local authorities can use planning and licensing powers to reduce the number of junk food outlets in their jurisdiction while ministers bring in tougher restrictions on marketing unhealthy treats. The government has already introduced a sugar tax on fizzy drinks, but the MPs called on it to go further with "fiscal measures". That includes extending the sugar tax to milk-based drinks such as milkshakes.  

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our childhood obesity plan is among the most comprehensive in the world – our sugar tax is funding school sports programmes and nutritious breakfasts for the poorest children, and we’re investing in further research into the links between obesity and inequality. “However, we have always been very clear that this is the not the final word on obesity, and we have not ruled out further action if the right results are not seen.” "We are in the process of working up an updated plan, and will be in a position to say more shortly."  

Between 2014-2015 and 2017-2018 schools in England have made 123,713 referrals for specialist mental help according to statistics obtained by children’s charity the NSPCC. Worryingly, more than fifty percent of referrals came from primary schools and alarmingly the youngest child being referred for help was just 3 years old.

Over this period referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has steadily risen with an average of 200 referrals being made every day over the past year. The information was released under Freedom of Information laws to the NSPCC. The charity discovered that of the 53 trusts which provided information there were 25,140 referrals in 2014-15 rising to 34,757 in 2017-18 – the equivalent of 183 every school day. The number of children aged under 11 referred for specialist support rose by 5,183 from 2014-2015 to 18,870 in 2017-2018.  

Esther Rantzen founder and president of NSPCC’s Childline said the issues children were referred for included depression and anxiety, sometimes these were so severe that it can lead them to the brink of suicide. “Our research shows schools are increasingly referring children for specialist mental health treatment, often when the child is at crisis point,” Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said. The charity also revealed that thirty one percent of referrals from schools to CAMHS were declined treatment as they did not meet the criteria for support.   Sarah Hannafin, senior policy adviser at the National Association of Head Teachers, said "More pupils are suffering from mental health issues and there is much more awareness in schools for spotting potential problems and intervening early to get support.” “Schools have referred these pupils because they are concerned about their mental health and know that the child needs more specialist support than could (and should) be offered by school staff.” "However, many of these children are not meeting the thresholds set by Camhs - many are concerned about how high these thresholds are. “The other concern is about what support those children can then get if they have been turned down by CAMHS."  

The NSPCC is now calling on the government to invest in early support services for children. It said its Childline service has seen a twenty six per cent increase in the number of counselling sessions with children about mental health issues over the past four years. Mr Wanless said "Childline plays a vital role in supporting children with their mental health, and many turn to us when they are struggling to get access to specialist treatment. Early counselling from Childline could also help relieve the pressure on CAMHS." “We have seen a marked increase in counselling about mental health, and fully expect it to continue. It is vital that government urgently provides more funding to Childline and help children who don’t have access to support elsewhere.” Separate figures published by charity the Mental Health Foundation show that one in three young adults aged between 18 and 24 had self-harmed because of stress and thirty nine per cent had experienced suicidal feelings. A government spokesperson said: “Making sure children and young people get the right support when they need it is imperative. That is why are allocating £300 million, over and above the additional £1.4 billion being invested in specialist services, to provide more support linked to schools.” "This includes new mental health support teams to provide trained mental health workers to work closely with schools – including primary schools – to provide quicker support to children.” "We know we need to do more which is why we have extended our schools and NHS link pilot to deliver training in 20 more areas of the country this year. This will improve links between up to 1,200 schools and their local specialist mental health service."    

How to look after your mental health
Mental health is so vitally important. Fortunately there are lots of practical things we can do to look after our mental wellbeing - and help others to do the same.    

Numbers to call
Samaritans: ☎ 116 123 www.samaritans.org
Childline: ☎ 0800 11 11 www.childline.org.uk
MIND: ☎ 0300 123 3393  www.mind.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness: ☎ 0300 5000 927 www.rethink.org 

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) have published a report which suggests new teachers entering the Education system in subjects (i.e. physics) where there is a high shortage of teachers should be given a salary supplement in order to tackle the retention crisis and encourage them to remain in the profession.

The report argues that not enough is being done to make the teachers already in the profession stay, instead, the focus is on recruiting on new teachers.        
Unions have criticised the idea and suggest it would damage morale. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of NAHT, warned that giving extra money to some teachers but not others would be “viewed as a kick in the teeth by many existing teachers.” “A differential approach to pay will do nothing to improve retention and will sap the morale of existing teachers who have endured seven years of cuts to real pay,” he said. “Lifting the pay cap for all roles in schools would be a start but it absolutely must be fully funded by the government because school budgets are already at breaking point.”

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of NAHT and Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said the report was “yet more evidence of the government’s failure to ensure there are enough teachers in our schools.” “The NEU does not, however, agree with the EPI that the government should prioritise retention ahead of recruitment,” she went on. “It needs to stop tinkering around the edges and address both problems by cutting workload and offering better pay.” Natalie Perera, executive director and head of research at the EPI, said the research shows that “growing shortages are likely to be tackled most effectively by focusing on retaining the existing workforce.” “Some subjects in particular are seeing acute shortages in the number of quality teachers,” she said. “If the government wishes to ease these growing pressures and safeguard educational standards, it should consider policies which offer financial and other incentives to teachers in these subjects early on in their career.”  

Teachers leaving the profession has been at the highest rate in the last decade and the Department of Education (DfE) have failed to hit teaching recruitment levels for the past five years. Teacher training applicants have also dropped by a third adding more concern and fuelling the recruitment crisis. Such shortages means teachers spending longer days in the classroom or bringing in staff with lower qualifications. “Some subjects in particular are seeing acute shortages in the number of quality teachers,” she said. “If the government wishes to ease these growing pressures and safeguard educational standards, it should consider policies which offer financial and other incentives to teachers in these subjects early on in their career.” By 2026 the government expects pupil numbers to grow by four per cent at primary level and 20 per cent at secondary, meaning a surge in teachers is required to cope and prevent class sizes from rises. Ninety per cent of pupils are expected to study EBacc subjects by 2025 and more teachers will be required to deliver this.  

The EPI report suggests there is “strong empirical evidence” that targeting financial incentives in subjects where there is a shortage of teachers can help improve retention rates, but acknowledges that although schools can currently make these payments they are unable to do so due to budget pressures. After the one per cent pay cap was lifted on public sector pay, the government is under pressure to announce additional funding for schools. Unions say the pay rise teachers need must be fully funded to schools so they can afford to award it.  

A spokesperson for the DfE Education said: “The education secretary has been clear that there are no great schools without great teachers and that his top priority is to make sure teaching remains an attractive and fulfilling profession. There are a record number of teachers in our classrooms – 15,500 more than in 2010 – and increasing numbers are returning to the profession. “We want to build on this, which is why we recently announced a strategy to drive recruitment and boost retention of teachers and are working with school leaders and unions to strip away unnecessary workload, on top of the range of financial incentives we already offer to help attract the brightest and best into our classrooms.”  

With only 4 months into 2018 London has already seen over 50 people killed in knife and gun crime. Many of the victims are teenagers who’ve either been caught up with the wrong crowd or been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Angela, a head of department at a secondary school in South London has been a teacher for 28 years. She told the BBC "It's not a shock anymore. It's not a surprise anymore, if something happens in the area, you hope it's not somebody you've taught." Last year one of her former pupil’s was stabbed to death. The killers included another former pupil, who’s younger sibling was till at the school. "I taught them. I knew them," says Angela. "It's the worst feeling. It's horrible. They're not the typical cliché kids you know, in a hoody, wearing a mask. They're the same students I taught who got their GCSEs."  The incident did not change the atmosphere in the school. "They already know somebody who had been stabbed," she says. "They know brothers, sisters, people they know who've been stabbed or are involved in gangs. It's part of them. It's where they live. It's really part of their culture now. "And that's all colours, creeds and ages I would say," she adds. Angela says the murder case was high profile and the people involved became "sort of stars" locally. But many stabbings do not result in deaths and "are not public, not big court cases or anything". She says she knows pupils as young as 11 who carry knives out of fear. They believe a knife hidden in their own jacket will give them some protection on the streets. By their mid-teens, carrying a knife is "part of the 'I'm part of the gang culture'". "They're not scared. It's something they are so used to, they're actually not scared," Angela says.

‘Staff routinely search for knives’
Abdul Chaudhury a Maths teacher and a branch secretary for the National Education Union’s Tower Hamlets branch supports staff at the local pupil referral unit for pupils who cannot cope with mainstream school. Pupils are smart enough to know if they attempt to bring knives into the unit they will be confiscated. So staff routinely search for knives in drains and bushes where pupils have hid them. "Who would imagine that a teacher would have as part of their job, walking around the school building picking up knives?" he asks. He says knife carrying has become normalised among certain groups of teenagers and the rest of the community are resigned to it. In the past, he says, people would report individuals carrying knives to the police - but these days there is no point. "There's no expectation something's going to be done about it," Mr Chaudhury says.

Primary teacher, Richard, from East London says it’s no longer possible to explain away stabbings or terror attacks as "one offs". Last year a parent at his school died after being punched on the street, with a devastating effect on the community. "When friends and family are the people who have been involved and have been hurt, it's a challenge as a teacher to explain that to children," says Richard. Lack of communication skills are the root of much street violence according to Angela. "It's like they've lost the ability to actually speak to another person and air their grievance," she says. The first reaction to a problem is too often "a knife or a fist." Some think about it for 30 seconds and might start arguing." "I call it peacocking around you know, but after that, the knife will be coming out." South London Science teacher and a National Education Union vice-president, Kim Knappett, also agrees better communication skills are key. "I think we're very used to seeing toddlers have temper tantrums because they don't have the language to communicate what they want." "I sometimes think our young people feel they don't have the language, or don't feel that we would understand their language if they tried to explain how they feel, what's frustrating them, what pressures they're under," she adds. But she argues that lessons these days are so tightly packed there is little time for discussion, while personal, social and health education "has been squashed." An ideal solution would be to have more money for the "really excellent external providers" who bring ex-gang members into schools to talk to young people their real life experiences. "A young guy coming in and saying I was in a gang and this is what happened and my mate got killed actually starts to break through to them," says Ms Knappett.  

Due to school budget cuts there’s not enough money for these groups and the pupils who need them miss out. Youth clubs are disappearing fast leaving many pupils nowhere to go after school, while too many teenagers leave school with few qualifications, and without a job, or the chance of further training. Angela says, in an ideal world, schools would devote time and money to finding out what these teenagers need "to get out of this gang and this culture". It is a matter of "giving these children hope." "They don't see life beyond their area. There's no hope and there isn't any sort of progression. They are just in this cycle," she argues. She feels both pupils and teachers need more help, particularly when "something has happened, because it is going to happen again."  

Job hunting can be stressful. Not only do you need to for every role you apply to, there are so many different sites to use and so many rules to adhere to. It can be difficult to know what the best approach is to take. What’s more, facing a series of knockbacks can be disheartening and make the whole process even more taxing.   The good news is, there are some foolproof tips to help you boost your job search. And there’s no better time to look for work; CV-Library data reveals that education jobs were up by 2.8% in February compared to the previous year. Read on to find out 3 ways you can boost your education job search.    

1. Know your goals

Before completing any task, you need to have an end goal in mind. Are you looking to work with a particular year group? Do you want to work in a private or public school? Do you wish to become a head of department? Or do you simply want to find work that’s closer to home? Make a list of what you want from a job so you can cross-reference this with the opportunities you come across. Alongside this, it might be that you make a comprehensive list of the schools in your area that you’d like to work at. Having clear goals in mind can help you to stay motivated and determined to find the right position for you.  

2. Use the right channels

Once you’ve set out your goals, you need to make sure that you’re using the right platforms to look for work. There is a range of channels you can use. You may wish to sign up to a recruitment agency that focusses on education – like TLTP. They can put you forward for relevant education jobs, based on what you want from your next position. Working with TLTP you will have your own dedicated consultant who will work hard to find you the role you want. Your consultant will help you with creating your CV and keep in regular contact with you. By registering with TLTP you will also benefit from certain perks such as refer a friend bonus. Alternatively, you could register your CV on a job board, which gives you the opportunity to search for roles using a range of keywords and criteria. You may also be headhunted by recruiters on these platforms.  

3. Tap into your network

Finally, never underestimate the power of your network. Consider seeking advice from past colleagues and even asking them to recommend you for a role. You never know when these relationships may come in handy, so it’s always best to keep in contact. What’s more, it’s not just your professional network that you should tap into – consider your personal one too! If you don’t have a network to make the most of, you could always join a professional body in the industry, or attend relevant education events. The more knowledgeable you are about what’s going on across the industry, the better chance you’ll have at securing yourself a new job. Overall, searching for a new job doesn’t have to be hard work. Make the most of these top tips and you’ll stand a better chance of boosting your education job search.  

View the latest jobs

Following yesterday’s (Wednesday 21^st March 2018) announcement that more than one million NHS staff will receive at least a 6.5 per cent pay increase over three years, teaching unions are putting pressure on the government for a similar pay rise for school staff.

The National Union of Education (NEU) is demanding an immediate 5 per cent pay increase which is fully funded and will look at possible strike actions over pay at their annual conference next week. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary, of the National Education Union (NEU), said there was “optimism” that there appeared to be movement on the public sector pay cap. However a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers would not be enough to solve the recruitment and retention crisis, he added. Data from the National Foundation for Educational Research discovered teachers' average hourly pay had fallen by 15 per cent between 2009-10 and 2015-16, while that of nurses fell by 4 per cent, Mr Courtney added: “But 6.5 per cent across three years? That’s a long way short of us saying we want 5 per cent, fully funded, this year.”  

Workload
“Crucially, teachers are looking at their working hours and they are making a calculation about the hourly rate they actually get," Mr Courtney said. “When young teachers are reporting that they work 60-hour weeks and they calculate their hourly rate, they are thinking their pay is nowhere near enough." Earlier this month Damian Hinds, Education Secretary promised to cut teacher workload by removing pointless tasks that have no impact.

Mr Courtney added: “We have already a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention – and if we don’t act soon it will be a catastrophe.” He said that there was “optimism” from the NHS pay announcement – but he added that entry-level teaching salaries were still not competitive with other graduate salaries.  

Action needed now
The government has schools at breaking point. Teachers previously had annual pay increases as they gained experience. But those policies have largely been replaced with performance-related pay, increasing uncertainty. “They need to act on workload and they need to act on pay, and in some areas in addition to that they have to act on housing as well if they are going to avert the coming problems,” said Courtney.      

Andria Zafirakou an arts and textiles teacher from North London has been crowned the world’s best teacher in an Oscars-style awards ceremony in Dubai. Ms Zafirakou who works at Alperton Community School in Brent, beat teachers from more than 170 countries to scoop the $1m prize (£720,000).    

Ms Zafirakou's success came from her deep roots with the diverse local community where gang culture was a big problem in the area. Alperton community school is in one of the poorest areas of the country, and pupils come from a variety of backgrounds. About 130 languages are spoken in the borough of Brent. In an effort to build links with her pupils, she has learnt basic phrases in many of the 35 languages spoken at school including Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil and has visited family homes.  

“By getting pupils to open up about their home lives, I discovered that many of my students come from crowded homes where multiple families share a single property,” Ms Zafirakou said. “It’s often so crowded and noisy I’ve had students tell me they have to do their homework in the bathroom, just to grab a few moments alone so they can concentrate.” In response to this, Ms Zafirakou organised extra lessons during the day and the weekend, including giving pupils a quiet place to work. “What is amazing is that whatever issues they are having at home, whatever is missing from their life or causing them pain, our school is theirs.” She also redesigned the curriculum with fellow teachers to make it relevant to pupils and helped set up girls-only sports clubs for those from deprived communities. She’s also set up a boxing club after school so that pupils protect themselves whilst providing good exercise and most importantly keeps them off the street in the evenings. She called for more support for the “power of the arts”, saying schools can make a positive difference in children’s lives through creative subjects. “I have seen how the arts help students to communicate. The arts help to give so much confidence and really create incredible young people.” To prevent pupils getting caught up with gang violence she personally stands outside the school gates escorting pupils on and off the buses. She works closely with the police to identify potential issues and recruiters. “You can’t let that come through the school gates,” she says. “We have to protect our pupils – at all costs.”  
Prime Minister Theresa May said in a video message broadcasted to the ceremony: "You have shown enormous dedication and creativity in your work. "Being a great teacher requires resilience, ingenuity and a generous heart. These are the qualities that you share with your students every day. So, thank you for all you have done and continue to do."  

Some of the nominations from Andria's school

• "I am submitting a nomination for a teacher who is a true gem, one who inspires such possibility and potential in her students, their parents, the staff, her peers, the local community, and future teachers and leaders."
• "A phenomenal teacher and leader. She is guided by a moral compass that underpins a passionate desire to give every student at her school the world - no ceilings, no limitations, no boundaries."
• "She is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to ensuring that students deserve the best education possible."
• "One lady with care and passion can make a huge difference to the lives of many. She is upbeat, full of character, highly regarded and I wish all schools were blessed with a senior leader such as her!"

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation which runs the competition, said he hoped "Andria's story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day". It is expected that Ms Zafirakou will use some of her prize money to support art projects she says are vital to deprived youngsters. She will be asked to serve as a global ambassador for the Varkey Foundation, remain working as a classroom teacher for at least five years and will be paid the prize money in instalments. (images courtesy of The Vareky Foundation).

In an attempt to resolve the teacher recruitment crisis in England’s schools, Education Secretary Damian Hinds has promised to cut teachers’ workload.

Although unions have welcomed the news, there is criticism as action on funding cuts and low teacher pay is needed to solve the crisis.

 Hinds addressed head teachers at the Association of School and College Leaders’ (ASCL) conference in Birmingham that the Government will “strip away” pointless tasks, that add to increase workload pressure, including excessive lesson plans and unnecessary marking, which do not help children learn. He also confirmed there’ll be no more new changes to primary tests, GCSEs or A-levels.    

The newly appointed secretary who’s been in the role for three months admitted that an increase in pupil numbers is making it harder to recruit and retain teachers for schools. On one hand the number of secondary school teachers have been falling since 2010 whilst on the other secondary school pupil numbers are due to increase by 540,000 by 2025, according to the Department for Education’s (DfE) official forecast.  

He acknowledged heavy workload of teachers and school leaders has led to one of the biggest threats to retention and recruitment. “Too many of our teachers and our school leaders are working too long hours, and on non-teaching tasks that are not helping children to learn,” said Hinds. He told head teachers: “It has been tough, , I don’t deny that all.”   However there were calls from the conference floor for Mr Hinds to "answer the question" over problems with school funding. The education secretary accepted: "I understand why that's people's number one issue. I understand why, for everyone in this room, the funding of our schools and colleges is such an important topic." In his first speech to heads and teachers since becoming education secretary, Mr Hinds said that tackling the teacher shortage was a "top priority." Mr Hinds said long hours and red tape were among the "biggest threats" to recruiting and retaining staff. For five successive years, recruitment targets for teaching have been missed and schools have complained of the expense and disruption of relying on temporary staff or having to use teachers who are not specialists in the subjects they are teaching.  

Unnecessary Bureaucracy
Damian Hinds together with Ofsted chief, Amanda Spielman spoke of the need to avoid any unnecessary bureaucracy around inspections. She promised a review on how Ofsted can help to reduce teacher workload. She spoke: “It really doesn’t matter what an inspectorate thinks if we can’t attract good people into teaching.” “The record number of good and outstanding schools won’t be sustained if the people, who make them run so well, are burning out and leaving the profession.” “When I see newly qualified teachers brimming with passion to change young lives for the better, I think it an utter travesty that so many end up losing their early enthusiasm, because of the pressures of the job. Especially when so many of those pressures are entirely unnecessary.” “Because that’s what endless data cuts, triple marking, 10 page lesson plans, and, worst of all, Mocksteds are - a distraction from the core purpose of education.” “We must do all we can to support removing unnecessary workload for teachers and school leaders ... and direct the focus back to what matters.”

Unions welcome the focus on reducing teacher workload[/caption]   Mr Barton, ASCL's general secretary, supported the push to cut workload. The heads' union has warned repeatedly of the recruitment problems facing schools, particularly in maths and science. They’ve warned that the ways into teaching have become confusingly complicated and need to be simplified. But Mr Barton said head teachers should work differently to reduce workload in their own schools, such as cutting needless meetings or administration. "In the longer term, we're the generation who needs to redefine what it is to be a teacher in the 21st Century, to make sure we don't become the Luddite profession, doing things in the way we've always done them."  

NEU's joint general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said cracking workload required more school funding, and the accountability system needed "fundamental reform, not tinkering". He welcomed the recognition of the “teacher shortage crisis” but he called on the Government to look at low pay and funding cuts. Mr Courtney said: “The Government needs more than ambition if these efforts are to work.” “The Government needs to recognise that funding cuts are also now driving up workload – with class sizes increasing in two-thirds of secondary schools and teachers facing cut backs in preparation time.” He added: “And the Government needs to recognise that it must deal with the growing uncompetitiveness of teacher pay.”   Labour's shadow schools minister, Mike Kane, said: "This government can't offer a solution to the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention because they created it. "If the government were serious about ending the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention they would match Labour's fully-funded commitment to scrap the public sector pay cap and give our teachers the pay rise they deserve."    

An art and textiles teacher from a north London has been shortlisted as one of 10 finalists in the running for a $1m global teaching prize.

Andria Zafirakou, who works at Alperton community school in Brent, was chosen out of more than 30,000 nominations from more than 170 countries.   The nominations were announced by technology billionaire Bill Gates via a video message. The Microsoft co-founder said: "When you think about what drives progress and improvement in the world, education is like a master switch - one that opens up all sorts of opportunities for individuals and societies. And research has shown that having a great teacher can be the most important factor that determines whether students get a great education."  

Other finalists include a history teacher at a private school in South Africa, a Turkish pre-school teacher, a creative writing teacher from the Philippines, a maths teacher from Australia and an English teacher from Norway. Education is the "master switch" for progress in society and individual lives, said Mr Gates. The Varkey Foundation prize was set up to recognise exceptional teachers who make outstanding contributions to the profession and to highlight the important role teachers play in society.  

“I found out that I was shortlisted about 15 minutes before a Year 9 parents’ evening,” said Andria. “I nearly fell off my chair, and hearing Mr Gates say my name was mind-blowing. Andria joined the school as a newly qualified teacher in 2005 and has worked her way up to become a member of the senior leadership team. The school said her success was built on being rooted in the local community, which had given her an understanding of the deprivation that affects many of her pupils’ lives.  

360 degree viewpoint
Andria has been described as “going against the grain”, taking the time to understand student lives beyond school by visiting their homes, riding with them on the bus and sometimes standing at the school gates with police officers to welcome pupils as they arrive at the start of the school day. To break down the barriers and crucially help in beginning to establish relationships with their parents, many of whom do not speak English, Andria has also learned the basic hello-and-goodbye greetings in many of the 35 languages spoken at her school, including Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil and Portuguese. One of Andria’s greatest innovations was to bring police officers, mental health workers and teachers to the school table to discuss pupils from a 360 degree viewpoint, enabling everyone involved in their lives to work together to help them succeed. “By getting pupils to open up about their home lives, I discovered that many of my students come from crowded homes where multiple families share a single property,” Andria added. “In fact it’s often so crowded and noisy I’ve had students tell me they have to do their homework in the bathroom, just to grab a few moments alone so they can concentrate.” “I also found that some were being forced to play truant to cook meals in the allocated time slot they were permitted to use their shared home kitchen. Others could not participate in extracurricular activities after school because they had to take on parental responsibilities like collecting their brothers and sisters from other schools.” “Discovering all this prompted me to organise additional provision within the school day and often at weekends to help students have the opportunity to progress.This included giving them access to a quiet place to do their art work, as well as time to participate in extracurricular activities.”  

One-size-fits does not fit all
The prize committee were impressed by her efforts to reach isolated young people to help them engage in school life and perform to the best of their abilities. “She quickly realised that a one-size-fits-all curriculum would not resonate with all her students so she set about redesigning it from top to bottom, alongside fellow teachers, in order to make it relevant to her pupils’ lives,” the committee said. Andria was one of four UK teachers who made the shortlist of 50, including Eartha Pond, a deputy headteacher at the Crest academy also in Brent, north-west London who raised more than £100,000 for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. The committee makes its assessments based on the candidates’ success in the classroom, their innovative teaching practices, their achievements in the wider community and their example to others who might want to become teachers. Andria said “The whole experience so far has been amazing. The Alperton community has been incredible in getting behind me. I have had children hugging me in the playground.” “I am a bit out of my comfort zone, but it is amazing for the teaching profession, art and the borough of Brent to be recognised.” “You don’t come into teaching if you want to do a 9 to 5 day,” said Andria Zafirakou. “You do it because it’s in your blood” The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on March 18.  

When Daniella Lang took the role as headteacher at Brimsdown Primary School, she knew she had her work cut out. There had been two requires improvement Ofsted inspections, and it was judged to be in the lowest 10% for year 6 reading progress.

She knew she had to do something to improve the troubling school and she knew she had do it fast writes The Guardian. Together with her leadership team two changes were made. A new English and phonics scheme was implemented and to combat low morale a staff wellbeing team was created.   Many of the teaching staff volunteered to help. Two years later, the results have been extraordinary. The school’s Ofsted rating has improved to good with three outstanding elements and the school has gone from being in the lowest 10% to the top 20% for progress in reading and maths. The staff are much happier and the school has more of a family feel to it. Ms Lang encourages other schools to adopt this approach and has a few pointers to help get them started with their own wellbeing teams.  

Home truths
It is very important each staff member is honest and open about what they felt. The first meeting included a lot of hard truths but it was needed. It was clear that the changes from the top had implemented had caused staff a great deal of stress, but they were still keen to engage with further training and development. “While I was part of the problem, I also wanted to be part of the solution” said Ms Lang. All staff were encouraged to complete a wellbeing survey so that the leadership can understand the main concerns and use this as a benchmark for ensuring performance. At the beginning of our journey, 42% of staff said they got the support they needed for their job, 45% felt supported by their line manager and 20% of staff didn’t feel inspired to do their job. Dealing with change was the biggest issue along with issues around fairness and consistency in the school, in terms of staff hours and overtime and behaviour expectations. Certain procedures, including a behaviour policy was introduced, which went some way towards addressing this. Workload, in particular the administrative side was a huge burden on all the teaching staff.  

Workload
Something that was clearly an issue for all staff was getting their work-life balance in check. It’s not new news teacher workload has been spiralling out of control and one of the reasons attributed to why so many are leaving the profession. As well as the new photocopier and help with laminating by employing an intern, the school ran training sessions for the school’s new English and phonics scheme. A member of the senior leadership team would go to the year group PPA (planning, preparation and assessment) sessions and offer support, working alongside the teachers. During inset days’ time was set aside to prepare resources. The teaching assistants, many of whom took phonics groups, had their own weekly PPA session to prepare resources, share good practice and ask the phonics lead teacher questions. In September 2016 a no-marking policy across the school, meaning all feedback is given verbally. “It’s a change we were nervous about but which has had an immeasurable impact on our staff,” said Ms Lang Ideas on how to manage workload effectively were shared amongst the wellbeing team through regular staff meetings. Sharing resources between different teams has been an effective approach, as well as writing weekly priority lists and doing mindfulness activities.  

Little things to lighten up the day
The wellbeing team started off with small light hearted gestures and initiatives. To start with a wellbeing board was displayed in the staffroom and fun, motivational posters were put in the staff toilets. Next the team started to “mug” people – by leaving mugs filled with treats, sweets and stationary for a particular member of staff. This proved particularly popular. It was up to staff who they chose to give a mug to, but the wellbeing team did also focus on those who seemed in need of a pick-me-up. The next idea to be implemented is a weekly fitness after school class.  

The board is filled with details about staff nights out, information about coping with stress, and “shout outs” for staff to praise each other. The team have set up a book and DVD swap in the staff room, and the school pays a housekeeper to tidy after lunch so it can be a haven for staff (our cleaners only work in the morning). Not all ideas can be followed up, receiving fresh flowers and fruit baskets in the staff room is something budgets cannot stretch to.  

Open door policy
The school has been a much happier place since leadership team have moved to an open-door policy, prioritised staff training and supported the wellbeing team. The survey was ran again six months after the first one took place. Almost all (96%) of the school’s staff felt inspired to do their job (this was despite support staff redundancies happening at the time), 96% felt supported by line managers and 100% of staff said they had friendships within work – all huge improvements from the March survey.  

Staff also felt less stressed. In January 2018, this stress level has gone down even further from a previous average score of 3.31 out of 5 to an average 2.43 out of 5. “Now, staff are proud of where they work, feel supported and want to see the school go from strength to strength. Some members of the wellbeing team have left, others have stayed, but it remains a force for good in our school. I don’t know how we’d get by without one,” concluded Ms Lang.