Teaching in academies (article)

[Novalee]

Not sure if anyone posted this but was just curious on opinions.

Anybody can teach! | Secret Teacher

[tech_guy]

Whoop, bring it on! Any vacancies anywhere to teach ICT? At least I'd know something about what I was teaching the students

[TechMonkey]

Problem is the type of academy I can see pulling this dont jump to mind as being the caring, supporting kind so I bet the poor chump who gets it will be lumbered with all the responsibility of a teacher (write schemes of work, do reporting, manage behaviour, prepare individual learning programs, etc, etc having had none of the training. So a year of stress for not a lot of gain.

[localzuk]

This is the eventual result of the policy being poorly thought out. The aim becomes cost cutting rather than raising standards. So, instead of people with excellent experience and industry experience taking the jobs at the same salaries as existing teachers, you end up with people who should be nowhere near a school.

[sparkeh]

Sadly not a surprise. This is direction that Gove is taking us in, clear out the TAs and replace experienced, qualified teachers with people holding 4 A-C GCSEs.

Just watch the standards rocket. That was irony.

[rich_tech]

I think its more to do with the wages side of it from what I read and make of that article, a UQT goes in at a lower rate than an average entry level QTS teacher (though I am not 100% on that), I assume the school is duty bound to vet a candidate with the appropriate background checks, regardless of "status".

 

I get the feeling this is more to play into the hands of the teacher "overpay" argument (I say that word overpay, but I am a techie and have no idea other than the broad scale of what teachers can get paid reported in media, I am not arguing whether its deserved or not here and am not for or against it) and the fact that the government just are not prepared to get to discussion directly about these things, same attitude they have with Doctors and the NHS, they just dont get to grips with anything directly, so indirectly start watering stuff down.

[Gibbo]

Statement from the academy:

 

 

There are factual inaccuracies in some of the press coverage. The South Leeds Academy is not in Special Measures, but currently is in ‘serious weaknesses’ in attainment progress.

 

There was an omission in the advert that was published. The advert should have made clear that this post was for the appointment of trainees to support the teaching of Mathematics with the potential opportunity to then progress as a trainee teacher. This was not made clear in the advert.

 

The Academy is fully committed to teaching as a Graduate profession and we are actively involved in the School Direct Teacher Training Programme. We currently have two trainees working at the Academy.

 

I've seen it in the past where a school has used a L3 TA or HLTA with aspirations or is on the path to obtaining QTS (they might have a placement arranged on a GTP or PGCE course) because I've done it myself for a few months. I was a qualified L3 TA with a confirmed place on the GTP and a guaranteed 2:1 honours degree to be bestowed on me within a few months.

[Ketlane]

If you look at the person description, the 4 GCSEs is only a starting point. They also expect a proven track record of teaching, of behaviour management, assessment, planning etc., and seek a Maths degree. The headline has given a lot of people a chance to play shock-horror, but I'm afraid, disappointingly for the tabloids, that there is less of that than meets the eye. Considering quite a number of Maths teachers don't hold a Maths degree, there is a different story to tell.

What is interesting is the pay scale.....