Early career teachers and trainees joined forces at Central Library on Tuesday 7 November 2023 to share their top tips for starting a career in the classroom.

Teach Portsmouth, a Portsmouth City Council initiative to recruit teachers, teaching assistants and leaders for the city’s schools, held a Love to Teach event, designed to support those taking their first steps towards a career in teaching.

Councillor Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“Working in education is one of the most rewarding careers out there, as you inspire young minds to become the best versions of themselves. It’s also important that we encourage the right people into the profession who have the resilience when challenged in the job.

“By doing this at an earlier stage, we can provide people with the right information, at the right time, before they apply.”

Those who attended the event met with training providers who work with schools in the city and watched a presentation from the National Careers Service on funding.

Attendees also heard from trainee and early career teachers who shared their experience from primary, secondary and post-16 training.

Lena Garner who trained with Portsmouth Primary SCITT and is now a second-year early career teacher at Cottage Grove Primary School shared her experience with attendees. Lena said:

“It was fantastic to be able to share information about my journey into teaching as everyone’s experience will be different. I started off as a teaching assistant in a local school and wanted to become a teacher. I found it quite challenging to navigate what type of provider I should choose.

“I wish this type of event existed when I was looking at my options as it would have been so useful to speak with providers in one place. If you’ve considered becoming a teacher – just do it!”

For those who want to look at their options for September 2024, Teach Portsmouth’s route finder tool presents course information from providers linked to the city.

Find out more at www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/training.

Teach Portsmouth has launched a new initiative to get more people into the classroom as a teacher at an information event on Tuesday 7 November 2023 at Portsmouth Central Library from 3pm – 5.30pm.

Since the pandemic, there has been a reduction in the number of people applying for teacher training across primary and secondary schools, partly due to a lack of awareness of the different training routes that are available.

Teach Portsmouth’s Love to Teach event acts as a first step for people trying to navigate their training options as applications open nationally.

Cllr Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“Teaching is a worthwhile profession that is both fulfilling and enriching. You might be looking at your first job after university or considering a career change, but it is often challenging to know where to turn when there is so much information out there.

“Teach Portsmouth’s new Love to Teach event brings together training providers and local experts who can provide information on this very subject. If you are still undecided about joining the profession, this event will give you practical advice on how to become a teacher in Portsmouth.”

Training providers will be exhibiting at the event, helping attendees understand what’s on offer in Portsmouth. The National Careers Service will also be delivering a presentation on what loans, grants and bursaries are available to help fund teacher training.

Emma Cornish, school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) lead, at Portsmouth Primary SCITT said:

“We’re really pleased to be supporting Teach Portsmouth’s event to get more people into the classroom as trainee teachers. We, along with other training providers, have seen a decline in application numbers in recent years due to many factors, some of which may be a lack of awareness about people’s options and worries around pay and workload.

“Both training providers and schools are working hard to ensure staff wellbeing is front and centre of their decision making and a national increase in pay is coming soon. The future for teacher training looks bright.”

While there are qualifications you will need to have to become a teacher, these are not required to attend Teach Portsmouth’s Love to Teach event.

Mike Stoneman, deputy director, education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“There is an urgent requirement to train more people to become teachers in the city, ensuring pupils have the professionals they need to excel.

“The Portsmouth Education Partnership was created to signpost resources to support those into the profession as well as offer continuing professional development once they have joined. We continue to develop this programme through Teach Portsmouth’s regular events.”

To attend Teach Portsmouth’s Love to Teach event, please register for a free ticket in advance.

Get your ticket

Portsmouth parents and carers will have the chance to recognise the work of early years education staff and school governors for the first time.

The popular Teach Portsmouth Awards for staff in schools and colleges returns for 2023 with brand new categories for early years professionals and governors.

The new awards sit alongside a host of existing categories recognising the contribution of education professionals who have gone above and beyond for children and young people in nurseries, schools and colleges.

All nominations are reviewed by a panel of education professionals. Those shortlisted will be invited to the Teach Portsmouth Awards ceremony, hosted by Lucy Ambache, radio presenter and broadcaster at Nation Radio.

Councillor Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“The Teach Portsmouth Awards is one of my favourite events of the year as it gives us a chance to celebrate the incredible efforts of teachers, support teams and head teachers across the city.

“The last couple of years have been tough in education. The cost of living continues to impact our families and schools and colleges continue to step up to support them in so many ways. Everyone in education has played a key role in helping our community and deserve recognition for their work. I would like to thank every single person for their efforts to support those who need it most.”

Catherine Holloway, who is a manager at Manor Infant School and Nursery has been shortlisted in the early years and childcare award category.

She has worked there for several years and was nominated by parents and carers for the support she gives children. In particular, going above and beyond to ensure children could still attend nursery when the site’s heating system failed.

Catherine said:

“When I found out I was put forward for an award, I was shocked. No one has ever done that for me before – it was such a lovely gesture. To then find out I’ve been shortlisted is incredible. It’s really nice being recognised. I love my job – it is challenging but super rewarding.”

Governors have also been highlighted in this year’s shortlist for the first time. This voluntary position sees people give up their own time, to support schools and colleges and their leadership teams by sharing their own experiences to improve outcomes for pupils.

Phil Harris-Bridge who is chair of governors at Castle View Academy has worked at the school for the last five years. He has been shortlisted for the governor’s award in recognition for his work which was highlighted in a recent Ofsted inspection.

Phil said:

“It’s an amazing feeling being recognised for what you do. If you have the time to volunteer, becoming a govenor is so worthwhile. You can use your own life experiences to help schools and their students.”

The winners will be announced at the Teach Portsmouth Awards on Thursday 29 June at Portsmouth Guildhall. To view the shortlist, visit: teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards

A series of jobs, training and volunteering opportunities will take centre stage at Portsmouth Guildhall in a bid to boost employment in the city.

Teach Portsmouth, a Portsmouth City Council initiative to recruit the best professionals for the city’s schools and academies will welcome people to The Teach Portsmouth Jobs and Opportunities Fair on Monday 22 May 2023 from 10am – 2pm.

Located on the first floor, the event will provide people with a range of ‘opportunities’ tailored to their needs. Exhibitors will include local schools, colleges and academies who will promote non-teaching vacancies as well as training providers offering information on apprenticeships and short courses. Visit the Teach Portsmouth website to explore the full list of exhibitors.

Mike Stoneman, deputy director for children, families and education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“Teach Portsmouth has enjoyed early success with their information events to encourage more people to become teaching assistants. We know there is a need to promote other roles within schools and colleges to ensure communities have the people they need.

“This new event will showcase a wide variety of non-teaching jobs across education. Whether that’s supporting pupils in the classroom or managing the front desk at a school, everyone plays a vital part in the learning and development of children and young people.”

Since launching the ‘become a teaching assistant’ events in July 2022, the council has supported employment and training opportunities. This has resulted in 20 people starting English and maths functional skills courses (equivalent to a GCSE qualification) and three people who have started an apprenticeship or a job in a school.

To further extend interest in these roles, a new taster morning scheme was trialled at a recent event with an academy and school. Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT) took part in the trial, resulting in five applications for teaching assistant vacancies and one person being placed as a volunteer.

This partnership will continue with TSAT becoming an official sponsor of the Teach Portsmouth Jobs and Opportunities Fair.

Stuart Gardener, CEO at the Thinking Schools Academy Trust said:

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Teach Portsmouth on the Jobs and Opportunities Fair. We feel it’s a fantastic way to shine a light on the many exciting and rewarding opportunities within the education sector.

“We acknowledge the challenges that schools face when recruiting, but by collaborating with partners, we can attract those who want to start their careers in education sooner. We are excited to meet new people and inspire them to explore opportunities with us.”

Those who attend the fair can also visit the Opportunities Room, a space where presentations take place throughout the day. There will be information on apprenticeships and short courses, how to become a teaching assistant, working in a school if you are an international student and flexible jobs in education.

The event is free to attend but will require people to register for a ticket before arriving. An event ticket gets you entry into the venue and all presentations throughout the day.

Find out more

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our webinar on how to write a great nomination for the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2023, hosted by Frances Soul, independent chair of the Portsmouth Education Partnership. Frances was joined by Davina Wise, deputy head teacher and Lukasz Plaza, winner of the new teacher of the year award who shared why Admiral Lord Nelson School nominate their staff.

Nominations now open!

Nominations for the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2023 are now open and will close on Friday 10 March 2023.

To submit your nominations, visit www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/nominate.

Full descriptions and criteria for each of this year’s award categories can be found at www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards.

Watch a recording of the webinar

• Are you co-ordinating your school/college’s submission for this year’s Teach Portsmouth Awards?
• Are you new to the awards and need some pointers on what the shortlisting panel look for?

To help you write your awards submission, Teach Portsmouth organised a special webinar, hosted by Frances Soul, independent chair of the Portsmouth Education Partnership and chair of last year’s shortlisting panel for the Teach Portsmouth Awards.

Frances has previously sat on the panel for the Pearson’s Teaching Awards and is best placed to help those co-ordinating nominations in their school or college.

Davina Wise, deputy head teacher and Lukasz Plaza, winner of the new teacher of the year award join Frances as they explain why Admiral Lord Nelson School nominate their staff.

Need some inspiration? Read some of last year’s winning nominations:

Teaching assistant of the year award
Debbie has dedicated over 20 years of her career to supporting young people with special educational needs. She is 100% focused on securing the best outcomes for young people, be it academic qualifications or helping them handle themselves in social situations. In the last 4 years, Debbie has worked tirelessly with young down syndrome students – ensuring that they can access a full curriculum and become part of school life. This includes trips and extracurricular activities. Debbie is also very thoughtful about the wellbeing of others.

Innovation in teaching award
The team have begun a reading revolution at the school. The pandemic led to significant gaps in reading ability for our year 7s and year 8s, which could limit their life chances if they are not closed. The team designed a curriculum based around reading for year 7. They have innovated by using technology to “level the playing field” in terms of access. They have embedded the use of immersive readers and other accessibility tools. They have also embedded a reading culture with a home learning program that utilises the Microsoft Reading Progress app. As a result of their drive, the school has seen an average increase in progress score of +5 months between September and February.

Community and collaboration award
The curriculum team have organised ‘kindness week’ with a focus on the local community and strengthening relationships with them. The school also wanted to use it as an opportunity to say thank you to everyone in the community. During this time, their relationship with Southsea Fire Station has blossomed. The team have helped with the school’s work on fire safety. At Easter, the fire station visited the school to give a workshop with each child receiving an Easter egg. For Remembrance Day, the fire station team came and hung a wall of poppies on the school. For ambitions week, they gave up their time to talk about their role in the hope of inspiring pupils to become firefighters in the future. The school is proud of their work with Southsea Fire Station.