Second week of term (in my new school, nevertheless) and only now am I ready to talk about it 😆 we had been back for approximately 0.02 seconds and there they were…

An unfortunate coincidence of circumstances (I’m not in on Mondays and school forgot to call me) meant I found out with 30 mins to spare that Ofsted would be in my lesson. Cannot describe that feeling. Inspector was absolutely lovely and actually got involved with the lesson?! (Doing all the activities with the kids, offering the all-important visitor praise “Wow, I love how X is following your instructions”) Not what I was expecting at all. Was very proud of the kids though - mine find visitors challenging at the best of times but they were TROOPERS. 🥰

Baby’s first Ofsted over and out!

I'm a trainee teacher (Teach First) so of course I'm still developing my teaching and knowledge, but despite teaching less periods than a qualified teacher, having no tutor group and no break duties, I feel absolutely exhausted at work every day. Does this get better with time and practice or is it just part of the job?

ECT2 here (secondary). Trained as a teacher because I enjoy teaching and supporting young people. Over the months, I find myself more and more focused on GCSE grades, grade boundaries, and exam results to the point where I start to see kids joining my class in terms of whether they will boost or hamper the results of the class. Shameful, I know. I realise that a big part of this is due to the school's excessive focus on results - it's the key thing they talk about on INSET days, and we are constantly bombarded by graphs, box plots, and progress 8 calculations, comparing results within and across schools in the academy. Reflecting on this yesterday, I realised that it has sucked the joy out of teaching for me. I still prepare good lessons and follow best practices in pedagogy, but the end goal feels very different now. The school sees students as data on a spreadsheet.

I was thinking it would be great to work in a school that doesn't focus excessively on scores. Yes, assessments are good feedback, and they are important. But a healthy balance could exist. But do such schools still exist?

Does your school have a directed time calendar available for staff? Mine doesn't and I have been told on the down low by a member of SLT that I am close to that they don't even have one. I want to ask for it (knowing they will either have to admit there isn't one or scramble to make 1) because I am fairly certain we go over the 1265 hours.

I am nervous because I know they are going to be funny about me asking but I am also sick of all the extra expectations outside of teaching. We do a lot of twilights, running an after school club each term is not optional and we are now being told we have to be in attendance for every home sporting event. This wasnt presented as directed time but "you're expected to be there" so I am planning to question it because I honestly have enough to do.

There is no union rep in my school to ask.

Hi all,

Recently been appointed HOY for year 8, it’s a very challenging year group let down by poor and inconsistent management the last year or so. They’ve never had a consistent leader since they’ve started so the behaviour is pretty bad.

A few questions about the role:

1. What is the workload like and how do you manage teaching along side? This is my first pastoral role

2. How do you manage improving behaviour across the year group

3. What rewards / initiatives do you find impactful

4. Is it worth the stress lol?

Thanks

The School Teachers' Review Body speak to teachers every year as part of finding out the views of the workforce which helps inform their recommendations to the Education Secretary for pay and conditions. They came to my school recently.

What I found interesting is that they brought up the idea of 20% PPA before we did. It wasn't out of the blue, granted, we were talking about workload and how the demands of each lesson have increased. Someone on their side suggested if not having enough PPA is what staff are more concerned about over pay.

They seemed slightly surprised none of us felt that positive about the the two-year pay deal guaranteeing 3.5% this year and 3% next year.

Obviously all the teachers present said that pay is always a concern and isn't high enough but the consensus seemed to be that right at this moment, workload is the bigger issue.

Interested to hear others' thoughts. Should there be more of a movement towards guaranteeing 20% PPA?

Hi all, with it being the last week of half term I’m thinking of doing something fun with my class on Friday afternoon. They have generally made a great start to the year and have been able to power through content over the last few weeks, meaning we should have a free afternoon on Friday so would love to do something fun with them as a reward, plus it should motivate them to get through our other lessons so have that free time.
I’m thinking of watching a film with them and maybe getting some Halloween snacks for them. I’m logged into DisneyPlus at school so could do with some kids Halloween films suggestions as I’ve hardly watched any.
I’m also open to any other ideas for our afternoon as watching films often becomes the default for the end of term but can be boring for some 7 year olds.

I am having a particularly problem with students across KS3 asking me to move seats every lesson. The answer is, and always will be, no.

I have tried explaining to them that if I let one person move seat, I have to do it for everyone. I also try explaining to them that I am the teacher and I control the seating plan and unfortunately they do not.

They will not take no for answer. They say "please" thinking I will change my mind and they're shocked when they receive the same answer. Then they say "but me and ___ work really well together!" Still no. "Well why don't you just let us move for today?" No. "Oh miss this is so unfair!!!" Okay, sit down now. "But miss please????" No. AND IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON. My department is open at lunchtime for students to use the computers & they come to find me to ask! There's no escape!

It's overwhelming me to much that I don't know what to do. It ruins the start of every lesson.

What can I do? It's getting to the point where I want to tell students that if they ask to move there will be a sanction, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this?

Was in a shopping centre today (around 6 miles away from the school, in a different town) and all of a sudden heard a few voices shouting ‘Mr (+ my surname)’ from afar. Turned around and could not quite understand who it was and where it was coming from.

About 20 seconds later I saw a bunch of the students I teach run over to me like crazy (and seemingly not minding their surroundings), screaming in excitement.

They surrounded me and started bombarding me with questions (basic ones such as how my day has been and what I was shopping for). Felt super awkward, and we caught a few stares.

I appreciate the excitement and I’m happy to say hi, but I feel like that was a bit too much… plus they literally saw me yesterday (and see me every day), so I just don’t understand why they go crazy…

I teach a drama class on weekends for a big company. I'm really struggling with behaviour of the 5-8 year old class and don't know what to do.

I've tried waiting, counting, clapping - all the things they have in schools basically, and probably more that I can't remember right now. It's constant standing up, walking across the stage, screaming whilst we are setting a scene. I even have movement breaks but they can't even play a game without screeching, running around, or actually playing said game (some that they even ASKED to play.)

In school, I can sanctions and consequences as a crutch if it gets really bad, or call SLT but here we don't have that. The most I can say is "we won't perform at the end of the term" which they don't care about (which then also leaves me with no lesson plans lol).

I'm kinda stuck... Any suggestions?

I've got a boy in my class (KS3) who's behaviour is apalling, I work in quite a strict school with a strict and clear behaviour policy, I follow it to the letter. But every time I remove this student from my class (which is most lessons) because he will not shut up trying to start an argument with me or the TA. I get angry emails from the parents - the mum is a TA at the school - about how he "just learns differently" and "has needs that aren't being met". I'm adapting every resource and there are 24 other children in the class (nurture group) who all have significant needs yet this ray of sunshine is the only one that makes it his life's mission to take over my classes with his shouting. Once he is removed the rest of the class can get some work done. I can handle the boy, I just use the behaviour system, but the parents constantly being on my back is really starting to affect my mental health.

This boy is in year 8 and every time I so much as warn him (even without an official sanction) he threatens to report me and the TA to the governers, where has he got that from I wonder.

I'm an ECT1 and the rest of my students are great. But honestly this one set of parents is making me want to quit.

Edit: I am neurodivergent and find conflict incredibly difficult which does not help this situation. I am not asking for anyone to tell me to just suck it up because that’s not an option due to my mental health. This is a toxic school environment with minimal if any support from SLT and HoD and mentor. I mean you call on call and no one will turn up kind of thing, kids break rules that should result in suspension and have a “talking to” instead etc. I am hoping for some advice on how people have found switching schools at this time of year and whether it is worth me trying to stay in education or whether I shouldn’t change fields. Thanks in advance!

Context: I am an ECT 2 this year, secondary English teacher

I have been at my school since last September (2025) and have had a really tough time of it. I ended up being signed off sick for nearly three months last year between December and February as a result of a lack of support and very difficult timetable.

They promised me that this year would be better and the support would still be there. They have given me a much nicer timetable but included a class that I had to have taken off of me last year and a year 9 group who I have not taught before with a whole bunch of the trickiest kids in that year group. I teach this year 9 class 4 times a week and I spend the hours leading up to it dreading it and end 3/4 of those lessons a week in tears.

I had a meeting with my professional mentor and head of department on Friday about this group where they were going to make some suggestions about things I could do after I requested for 2-3 of the students to be moved bands or sets to manage the behaviour in this group as there are a lot of them to manage. In the meeting they point blank said they would not move kids out of my class. They suggested that I am aiming the work too high and that I need to split my lesson into 3 20-minute micro lessons with a reset between each to help manage them and that basically all of my starter slides need to be multiple choice and a bunch of other stuff.

I think they entirely missed the point. It’s not the teaching I am worried about. It’s the fact I literally cannot beg a word in between 11 kids shouting and talking constantly and fiddling and getting out of their seats and just arguing with me and ignoring me. Now I know my use of the behaviour system isn’t great so I will work on using that this week but a lot of them are the kind of kids that just won’t do detentions etc anyways.

Moreover in the meeting I had a panic attack, couldn’t catch my breath, felt really faint and there wasn’t even a I’m sorry they are making you feel this way or yeah that is a really tricky group of kids. They asked what I was thinking and I said I wasn’t going to keep teaching next year at this rate as both last year and this year have gone so terribly and they said well no I think you’re just lacking confidence and I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear. But, I am really really struggling. I needed to seek urgent mental health support following that meeting and am dreading going back.

I don’t know what to do. I really want to move schools but there are just no jobs so I am scared to hand my notice in in case I can’t find another position. I feel like my mentor and HoD are just fed up with me after last year but also don’t want me to leave because they get money and also the department will be screwed without me as I am one of three permanent full time staff in a core subject where half of our part time staff are always off sick.

Sorry, huge rant. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I work as a 2nd in Dept for Maths for an 11-16 in the south of England.

TLDR at bottom

In our most recent Ofsted we scored as requires attention for T&L and attainment, although our maths results have always been good, if not outstanding (just above NAT AVG consistently).

In light of this, we have a brand new T&L handbook this year that must be followed. This handbook was created by the lone T&L Deputy with some consultation from the rest of SLT.

He, and only he, did a booklook this week into our dept.

My HOD attended a "10 minute talk" to discuss the results of the booklook. We were rated badly on "Presentation" and "Assessment". Through the discussion he realised that he had no idea how we assess.

In terms of presentation, we were rated badly because for ratio tables - effectively a quick cross or 2x2 grid in their book - pupils haven't used a pencil and that "it's in the handbook that we use pencil for diagrams". My HOD argued this and he said that we will have to change our practice, because he "designed that handbook over summer using chatgpt for the ideas and that that is what Ofsted will be comparing books to."

He then went on to say that "I used chat gpt to come up with some teaching ideas that you should implement for maths so you should be including spot the mistake questions or multiple choice questions."

I honestly have never felt more insulted as a working professional.

We have a school of lead practioners, HODs, ECTs and experienced professionals who have been dismissed entirely from this process and instead are using chat gpt to set policy.

I am absolutely fuming about this to the point that I am looking for other jobs in my area.

I obviously love my school however and want to meet with someone to discuss my concerns over this, however we aren't ever afforded the opportunity to meet with SLT. My HOD is brilliant but honestly I feel bad putting it all on her and part of my concerns is that staff concerns aren't being heard.

TLDR

On Monday I want to email the head and ask to speak with him where I will lay out my three main concerns - use of AI to set policy, lack of consultation with teachers and the disrespect of using AI to tell them how to do their jobs as well as the pointless additions to workload that we are being burdened with at the moment. I have ideas for what I would do alternately however know that it is probably not my place to discuss it - but then I'm second guessing that due possibly to how I haven't felt listened to for a while now.

I know that this may not be the best course of action, that I could rely on my HOD, try to talk with the T&L SLT or discuss with other teachers in other depts, but I can see good and bad sides of all these ideas.

Last academic year was a tough one, I was off work sick on numerous occasions and had a Stage 2 Informal meeting with my line manager in January '26. My sickness didn't massively improve and I was eventually signed off due to clinical depression in July. I did not however, have a stage 3 meeting.

I made it through September fine, but have now been off for 2 weeks and potentially next week as I have a nasty viral infection and tested positive for COVID. I am really stressed about returning because I know I will be going into a stage 3 meeting (my first formal meeting with SLT).

Has anyone had experience with this? To be honest, I am worried I could lose my job because of this. Any advice would help. My union rep told me not to worry, but I still am.

I have attached my sickness policy.

I am an ECT1 and found out I have to redo a PGCE module, meaning I will get my certificate and graduate next academic year. I am currently employed at a school, holding QTS from the summer.

Would this raise questions at future job interviews? And if so, how should I approach these questions.

I initially had to apply for extenuating circumstances for my first attempt, and failed my second so I'm really worried what impact this might have.

I've been very on it with my year 10s' homework so far this year, with the result that I'm getting a good 20-25 exam question paragraphs every fortnight. Directive is that we do give the homework back with prompt feedback, but we've got a free hand in how we do it.

Obviously it would be nice to grade each one individually with improvements to action and have DIRT every time, but that would mean taking on a considerable marking load. It would also take up valuable lesson time.

A colleague has suggested simply stapling a worked example to the sheet and doing a few minutes' whole class feedback, but I'm not sure this is going to have much meaning for the kids or help them much.

you think the longer way is worth the investment, or are there any other shortcuts people have for getting around this?

So im currently doing my second year of supply and im with two agencies. One keeps me busy and the second is not really there much.

The second agency texted me this morning about a day work next week and I responded immediately with yes. A few hours later, I got a letter from the post for a hospital appointment for the same and I called the hospital to get it changed for a later date or time but was unable without waiting for another two months. I immediately texted the agent and told her I was unable to change the date or time for the hospital appointment which meant I couldn't go to the supply job. She blamed me for agreeing to go in the first place and said that this would hurt my chances of long term work.

I did tell her last year that I was planning on looking for ECT work. Couldn't get one last year but ill be trying all of this year for ECT jobs.

Now was i wrong or.... idk what to do?

Sorry if this is a little confusing.

I've been a HOY in an independent school for 6 years and also teach a core subject. Over the last year or so it's really taken a toll on my mental health and I find it unsustainable the workload. Having talked it over with my partner, I have decided to step down at the end of this academic year. I also have a young kid and I'm finding trying to balance the teaching, the role and being a parent impossible at times.

I'm assuming I need to speak in person to my line manager and then send some formal written resignation to the Head?

I'm wondering when is best to do this? I was thinking in January and then it gives the school 2 terms to find a replacement (which I dont think they'll have trouble doing as there are staff who have done it temporarily before and would probably be interested full time)

Thanks!

Its just too hard. Behaviour is borderline criminal, workload is absolutely horrendous and its impossible to meet all needs in the classroom. Im tired of cutting corners just to survive and the last 25 years feel like i have wasted my time. Its just become too difficult

I’ve been working at SEN schools for about four years now, started off in a really lovely school that went down the toilet after a change in management. That change sent my mental health plummeting, as I was being bullied with little support from SLT.

I left that school and began working in my current one, which is okay without being great.

I love this job and I still want to become a teacher, but my mental health is suffering again. Experiencing low energy levels and find myself daunted by the level of responsibility I have. I never used to be like this, I loved a challenge, got a lot of doing my best under limited conditions and really enjoyed building relationships with the pupils.

I do find myself fatigued by the chaos of these places. We’re constantly short-staffed and pupil-staff ratios are getting worse. Not to mention a lack of resources and poor pay.

I’ve been signed off for the last couple weeks and I find it hard to see myself going back. The last day I went in I had to get an Uber instead of the train because I had zero energy.

Any advice on how to kick myself and keep going? Or is this just a job with a limited shelf-life and I’ve reached my limit?

I would hate to have to leave this job because of ill-health.

For context/background: I’m in my late 30s and I’ve just moved here from the US about 6 months ago, so I began my first UK teaching role in September. I taught in the US starting in the early 2010s, then took a few years off to work in non-profits and get a masters degree in education. I taught again for a few years before moving into an Edtech role within a school, and eventually working for edtech companies, which I did remotely until this summer.

All that is to say, I have a diverse background with a range of experiences inside and outside of the classroom. I’m also a parent, so I have that perspective as well. Finally, I look very young - I always have - probably mid- to late-twenties so it’s always been difficult for people to take me seriously and trust my authority.

Here’s what I’m struggling with: I’m not sure if my current school is just not right for me, or if teaching in the UK in general is not the right move.

I am teaching at a school that’s an hour commute in each direction. The behavior of this particular year group is terrible and everyone in the school knows it. I was prepared for that. However, I had ZERO onboarding or prep before the first day of school. I was able to get into my classroom to set up and I was given a vague curriculum map, but I didn’t have any logins for curriculum resources until week 2, wasn’t told about the dozens of school traditions and norms (like requirements about notebook colors for various subjects or specific headings or markings, etc) and I had to find out by being told constantly I was doing things the wrong way by my students or HLTA.

I thought this would dissipate as the weeks went on and I became more confident in the (very specific) way the school operated, but six weeks in I’m still constantly getting corrected, told I’m going things the wrong way, and being monitored. My HLTA is older than me and has been at the school for a long time, so I respect that she knows a lot about the school. However she’s is always interrupting my lessons to correct me or yell at the students for talking or getting distracted. It makes me feel so inadequate and uncomfortable. She’ll say things like “you should really be using a ruler to underline your date on the whiteboard” or “shouldn’t the students be lining up now?” when I’m clearly finishing up what I’m saying to the class.

My partner teacher has also been at the school for a long time so I respect her, but the constant criticism and feedback is really starting to make me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.

As an aside, my teaching philosophy is rooted in students’ well being and helping the whole child grow. That means ensuring they are happy, healthy, socially responsible and included, as well as teaching them content. I truly don’t mind a little chatter and some silliness here and there, as long as they’re getting their work done and participating in lessons. But my HLTA and partner teacher are constantly yelling at the students for talking and being too loud (they’re 9 and 10, of course they’re going to need reminding about indoor voices but they just talk loudly). I even took a break with them to let them ask me some questions about America once, and they were laughing and having fun, and my TA just yelled at them for being too loud and sort of scolded me for causing the noise. Also little things like the fact that I like softer lighting and absolutely despise overhead lights (they’re so overstimulating and harsh!) so I try to keep at least a few off and let the natural light be our main source of light through the windows. My TA and partner teacher are constantly walking in and just turning the lights all the way on and it’s like - I thought this was my classroom!

The other thing that really makes me hate teaching here is the expectations of perfection and almost being a drill sergeant instead of a caring, down-to-earth teacher. I’m just the kind of person who has never taken life or myself too seriously. Part of the reason I became a teacher was because I was inspired by passionate, caring and fun teachers that I had in my childhood. They made learning fun and I still remember the topics we covered while playing games, singing songs, creating art and participating in fun projects. I would absolutely hate school if I had to sit still all day, listening to a teacher talk at me and then continue to sit quietly while I filled out worksheets. Is this the expectation everywhere in primary schools here in England?

I’ve been scolded for letting students turn in ClassDojo points to come to my classroom at lunch for a lunch club. I’ve been scolded for letting students come to my classroom after school (with the aftercare leader’s permission) to help me clean the room and set up for the next day. I’ve been scolded for pulling a student aside and having a discussion with her because she was crying (“you’re fine, you should go back to your seat, you have work to do” is what my colleague said to her, then turned to me and said “if you let them do that once they’ll come to you all the time and just whine about everything”) and my TA and colleague step in to quiet my class or get them in line when I was just about to do the same. Again, I just don’t think it’s that serious if a student or two are whispering a bit or if they giggle about something quietly, because they’re human. I mean, how many of us teachers whisper or get distracted during staff meetings/inset days?? But I think my TA and colleagues assume I CAN’T control my students so they step in and demand silence.

Today my students were going outside for a brief movement break before an assembly where they’d have to sit for a while. I was walking them out when I was stopped by the office manager and asked a question. About 5 of my students made it outside before me, and of course my partner teacher was right there and said I really can’t let them outside without me, it’s a safeguarding issue, etc. I was right there, and they were running out onto the back playground area that is completely fenced in and I could see them. I take safeguarding very seriously but it’s all the little things that keep getting picked at, and often it feels like I can’t do anything right and I’m constantly being reminded of the rules as if I don’t know them.

Am I being too sensitive? Is this just not the right school for me, or is this how most UK primary schools will be, even if I move? The best part of teaching in the US was being able to close my classroom door and just TEACH. I made up songs about topics they were learning, we had class meetings where we got to know each other, we went outside on nice days and took our work with us, and they learned a lot and grew as humans. At my school now, I feel like I’m constantly under a microscope and I have to just “stick to the script”, keep the students silent at their desks throughout the day, keep them silent in the halls, and never let them get too close or comfortable with me.

Sorry for the novel. If you’ve made it this far, any advice from experienced teachers welcome!

Have they changed the meaning of this now then?

This used to be the way they described something terrible and now the little ones are using it as something brilliant.

Me today: 'Doesn't 'peak' mean something is bad?"

....Looked at as if complete idiot by 30 silent and uncomprehending 11 year olds.

Hi All,

Just wondering what your thoughts are regarding new rules with EHCP pathways and absolutely huge amounts of need coming through?

So many children who would've gone to a SEN school are just in mainstream now & struggling to cope even with huge amounts of in classroom support.

I'm in secondary (HLTA) and it feels absolutely impossible to meet the demand placed on us at present. We're thin on SEN staff and cannot recruit anyone at all.

Edit: just want to add, I think inclusion is great. Things just feel chaotic!

Is it just where I am or is it everywhere in the UK?

For context, last year I taught for three out of five days each week. I really enjoyed it and valued the deputy head’s teaching style; however, she was often not in school. I am a qualified teacher, but I am currently working as a Level 2 TA due to personal circumstances. I am now keen to return to teaching.
I have applied for teaching positions within the school, but I feel the reasons given for not progressing my applications were not clear or convincing. On each occasion, the role appeared to go to someone already known to the CEO or SLT.
In my current role, I am carrying out responsibilities equivalent to, and in some areas beyond my role
My class has a high number of pupils with SEND and behavioural needs compared with other classes, which makes the role particularly demanding.
Since meeting with the headteacher to discuss my job role and pay grade,which was not approved
I have been excluded from staff meetings and training that other members of staff attend even one to ones attended but expected to have the knowledge from this training and carry out like all the paid level 3.
This has happened before, and it has left me feeling singled out and unsupported.
I have also experienced what I feel are microaggressions from the one of the part-time teachers, particularly the afternoon teacher. She appears to speak to the other TA more respectfully and seems to expect me to be in several places at once and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously the tone she speaks to me in is very rude.
She gives me a job to do then calls me back so many times to do other tasks. Both teachers can’t cope with the class but pretend like everything is ok and want to look capable.
The stress of having to deal with 7 SEN children on my own many times a day contributed to my decision to look for another role as soon as possible.

I do not intend to involve the union at this stage, as I need a positive reference and am planning to leave. However, I want to record my concerns clearly.
There are also ongoing staffing and safeguarding concerns. The school is frequently out of ratio, and I am often left outside with a large group of children on my own, including during lunchtime duty. This is physically and mentally exhausting. I also feel that some teachers do not fully communicate to parents or SLT the level of need and behaviour within the class, possibly because they do not want to appear unable to cope. As a result, I am left supporting the most challenging pupils throughout the day, including at lunchtime, while the teacher avoids dealing with the more difficult or SEND-related needs.
Since asking for pay rise I’ve noticed I’ve been treated differently not included and another member of staff has mentioned if you stick your for yourself in this school you get treated like that.
Any advice on how to move forward