There are a great number of children who have recently missed out on school learning due to the lockdown restrictions which closed all schools for a few months. Some parents are worried about this and want to help their children to catch up and so they are turning to private tutors to support learning at home.

Finding a tutor that can help your child to progress in their learning can be a difficult process as it is a good idea to try to get a tutor that specialises in a particular age range and has knowledge of the current curriculum. Once you have found a suitable tutor and have discussed the support your child needs, a timetable for tutoring will need to be agreed. It is sensible to have a couple of sessions a week initially so that good progress will hopefully be made. If it is possible to have contact with the school to ascertain the areas of concern it will be helpful in targeting support.

Paying for a private tutor is sometimes a problem for some families but it is a worthwhile investment in their child’s future progress and may be only needed for a period of time until the child has caught up with their peers.

It has been a difficult time for everyone over the last year not least the thousands of teachers in the UK who have been called upon to adapt their teaching methods and resources time and time again. From keeping in touch with children during lockdown to at the present time providing distance learning alongside classroom teaching it has proved a challenge for even the most talented and experienced teachers.

Once schools reopened for all pupils in September teachers found themselves taking on the role of cleaner, lunchtime supervisor and computer expert along with their normal heavy workload. Many teachers have as little as half an hour away from their bubble of children during the day and are prevented from socialising in school with colleagues. But, as usual, teachers have risen to the challenge and are working hard to keep children in their care safe and happy.

The teachers of younger children are having to adapt their teaching methods from a child centred curriculum to one that is more table-based which has been tough as research has shown that young children learn best through play but teachers have become very creative in the way they are delivering the curriculum and continue to adapt as necessary.

With the majority of children going back to school this week or next, many teachers are trying to ensure that the children feel happy to be back and can settle back in to a good routine. Many children have been off school for almost 6 months and so it may take a bit of time before things can settle down again. School is not like it used to be prior to the Corona Virus, so although much of the routine has been reintroduced, still many activities and they way the day is set out has changed.

It is a known fact that children learn better when a subject is taught in a fun and exciting way. Often adults remember one or two specific lessons from their time at school that were particularly exciting.

As a teacher you will have a hard job this year. There is a fair bit of work to catch up on. It is important to not get too overly worried about the amount of work to get through and instead focus on ensuring that the children are happy and able to adapt back to school life.

If you are struggling for ideas on how to make lessons fun but also Covid safe, then the internet can be a great source, full of educational websites and forums where other professionals share their ideas and previous success stories.

Going back into education can see like a backstep for some, but often you must go back to be able to go forward. Investing the time to go back in to education can open up a whole new world to you and allow you to go in to careers that were simply not available to you before.  When it comes to working or further education after school, you often have a number of options open to you. The government now states that any child reaching the age of 16 must stay in full-time education, for example at a college, start an apprenticeship or traineeship or spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training. This is until they reach the age of 18.

If this law was not in play when you left school, you may have chosen to not to stay on at school and complete GCSE’s or do A-levels. This may mean that you do not have the qualifications to go straight into a degree.  Often if you can do a simple one year access course at college which will get you back in to learning and give you an idea of what adult learning is like. you may decide that a college setting is more for you so you chose to enrol in one of those.

When you are working as a supply teacher either for a school that you are familiar with or through an agency it is not always clear what your responsibilities are beyond the obvious ones of teaching the class and making sure that safeguarding guidelines are followed to the letter. Some schools have a clear policy on what they expect of a supply teacher but many haven’t so if you want to be offered work on a regular basis it is important that you create the right impression and fulfil the duties expected of you in a particular school.

Some teachers whose classes you cover will leave work for the children to do and expect this to be carried out as their guidance. This is especially the case with older children who often have a fixed curriculum to cover in a given timeframe. If this is the case it is important to carry out the teacher’s instructions as fully as possible. A brief note to the teacher outlining how the day went is a valuable way to communicate but should focus on the positive aspects if possible.

Sometimes if a supply teacher is needed to cover for an unexpected absence no work has been allocated so it is a good idea to have lessons up your sleeve that can be adapted to the age group you are teaching. Always mark any work that either you or the teacher has set, checking with the school marking policy or a senior member of staff if in doubt as to the level of marking required.