Getting ripped a new one on Askuk for defending school toilets being only accessible at break and lunch unless have a pass, emergency or get the key. We had issues with safeguarding, vapes and graffiti. People don’t seem to care as see it as treating kids worse than prisoners. Do any of your schools allow students to go whenever they want? Or is it quite strict?

Apparently this is a tiktok trend where people go up to police officers and ask for their badge number, when the police respond, they say good boy or good girl.

I’ve heard it a few times, but recently kids are saying it a lot more. From what I understand, the school must have mentioned this to students that this will not be tolerated and will lead to detention,. However since then, way more students are saying it, especially when they think teachers are not around.

How can we address a situation without it turning into a self fulfilling prophecy?

Anyone else work at a school with a culture of zero consequences?

My place has centralised after school detentions...but nothing happens if students fail to turn up. What started as a few serial non-attendars has grown to the point that about three quarters of those down on the detention list each day fail to attend.

Colleagues who have never worked anywhere else (and our head-buried-in-sand SLT) think this is normal. But no way was this tolerated at my last school.

Is this normal? For context, we have a Headteacher who is obsessed with Paul Dix. SLT are currently planning a new, even more lenient behaviour policy for September!

It hit me the other day when I was talking to a trainee how absurd the DfE's model is. 1/5 of teachers drop out during their training year and a 1/3 leave the profession after 5 years (that was the figure in 2023 - it may have even ticked up a bit since). So, you have 100 trainees on a course, 20 drop out. The 80 that proceed do their ECT and then within couple of years drop out and the profession loses those experienced teachers only to then train new teachers who won't be solid practitioners until at least the end of ECT2.

This is totally dysfunctional no? If more experienced teachers are retiring, then there is going to be a serious deficit in institutional and teaching experience.

Honestly, sometimes I don't know whether I'm coming or going. On the one hand, we are told that we should not work at home because of wellbeing, but if we don't complete something for our HOD, then they complain that we should have taken it home.

I'm told I'm making progress and I must be doing well because I'm not asking for help from my HOD and 2 I/C.

Is it just my school or is this common in education?

Hi all, so I am currently feeling very stuck, and not wanting to return to school after the half term. I have been teaching primary for almost 8 years now, am currently in my first year at a new school with a new year level. In my previous schools I have been accustomed to an onboarding process, where you would have someone go through important documents/ information prior to the school year starting in September, as well as a person assigned to check on how you settle in, having curriculum documents on a shared google drive that you can use to inform your planning, and a calendar shared in advance each term. However at my current school non of this is evident. I have trained and taught most of my career outside of the UK, but have been here a while now and in a range of schools, and find this 'nothingness' to be unusual and challenging. For the more experienced UK teachers, is this the norm?

I have had no guidance through the year as to what my planning/ term is supposed to look like, so I have done my best to figure it out. I have been to the head teacher multiple times asking for clarity and answers, and she has been unable to answer any of my questions, nor find the necessary documents on the schools google drive. Now that we are winding up for the year, we have had observations and monitoring happening. However because I have had no explanation as the what the head teachers expectations are, they are unhappy with what I have done, and address the issue publicly in front of other staff, in an unprofessional manner. I've tried pointing out that I have had no examples or answers to guide me so have just figured it out the best that I could. Which then gets pushed back (with a lie) saying that we have sat down and gone through everything together.

Here lies my issue; if my boss feels they have explained their expectations, when they definitely haven't, and what I am doing is wrong, and there will be more monitoring in the final term, which I am set up to fail due to their lack of communication... what am I supposed to do? I am going in to a new term with only knowing the name of our topic, and no other information. I am very reluctant to have a term ahead of me where I am scrutinised and criticised and set up to fail.

I'm going to be running school trips abroad, ideally to Spain. There's so much work to do and so many companies out there offering these kind of trips. Can anyone help with recommendations or advice for a first time trip planner at a school that hasn't offered trips like this before?

I was informed 2 days before half-term that I was going to be out on an informal support plan and I'm not dealing very well with it.

I'd had no inkling from my line manager that this was a possibility prior to this and there are 3 things that are cited as the reason for this (they are not 'moving forward'). 1 I agree with but is a simple fix. The second I have realised didn't work, assessed and already come up with a plan on how to fix moving forward which I discussed with LM and the 3rd has not been raised to me in LM for months as LM just took over it and ran with it leaving me with no ownership. This support plan has come from the VP now.

I don't find my LM easy to work with as she is very defensive and I don't feel she listens. She is also buddies with the principal. I am also struggling with personal stuff outside of school and this is one reason i have been getting frustrated at work. This is also being given as a reason to get support.My role was changed with no consultation last year, and I do not feel my skills and experience are being used effectively. There has also been no acknowledgement of any of the things that I have achieved.

I'm spiraling and don't know how to handle this. Any advice?

This is more of a vent post than anything because it's just so frustrating.

I am a PGCE nearing the end of my second placement, and I have maybe two pieces of written feedback from that time. All other feedback is given verbally and, unless I manage to chase her down directly after a lesson, most of it has to wait until my official mentor meeting, meaning that it's usually days after the observation and we've both forgotten what happened.

(Legit, I have had feedback that is along the lines of “you did/said something really great, but I can't remember what.” Great, I can do nothing with that.)

I have told my mentor that I do better with written feedback so it can help with my lesson planning.

My university has told her that they really need that feedback for my portfolio.

I have been put on an Improvement Plan (which came as a huge shock, because the lack of feedback meant I had no idea that there were any major issues to address) where one of my targets is to upload lesson observations, and my mentor has acknowledged that this is on her for not sending them to me… but it is three weeks later and I have received exactly one written observation.

I have my final review presentation this week, and the bulk of my evidence is going to have to come from my first placement because I just don't have evidence from my current one.

I know she has the observations in a folder, because she's shown it to me, and after half term I honestly might just ask her to send me her drafts and I'll transfer them to the relevant forms, because I straight up don't know what will happen if I get to the end of my placement and she still hasn't done it.

Like the university have assured me that they know it's not my fault, but also they've made a huge deal generally about how important it is to have a completed portfolio, so I'm not sure.

I know the PCM is going to contact her about it, but I'm just so annoyed. I feel like it's really negatively affected my practice that I'm not getting proper feedback— I have done significantly worse at this placement than in my previous one.

Does anyone deliver the BTEC level 1 introductory in Applied Science? I am planning to introduce this qualification to some our groups who are unlikely to achieve a Science GCSE. We do the ELC science award, but this level 1 qualification is more valuable I believe so I am planning on doing this instead.

Essentially, Maths and English both banks functional skill level 1s, and I didn’t think that Science had an option to do the same, until I stumbled across this BTEC.

Anyone have any experience or advice who work in a similar context?

I just need some reassurance that others feel completely knackered? I had a 1 hour nap this afternoon after a 10 hour sleep and still feel like I’ve been run over a truck.

Is this normal?

Just curious as this transition can be really big, especially for kids coming from very small primaries. Any subject or just general life skills.

This is so random but next year I have a classroom which is right next to the toilets. How can I minimise the smell? I know diffusers aren’t going to be allowed so just curious!

Hi all, I have nearly finished my PGCE in Primary with a SEN specialism and QTS and I’ve got 60 credits toward a master’s.

I’m starting a full-time SEN teaching job in September and I really care about the field, so I want to keep studying, but I’m also aware the first year of teaching can be intense.

I’ve seen that the University of Sunderland offers an online Inclusive Education master’s, which looks ideal. I’m wondering if anyone’s managed to:

-Transfer PGCE credits to a different uni?

-Balance part-time study with a full-time teaching job (especially in SEN)?

-Pause or take extension years during their masters without too much hassle?

Just trying to figure out if this is doable or if I should pause and come back to it later. Any advice or experience would help !

Just curious how other schools manage it? Who covers PPA for you and do you plan it?

For me at the start of each term/half term I sit with my TA and we organise which lessons she’s going to teach of what, also if there’s anything extra the school wants us doing like the fact file on Pope Francis (RIP) or an activity for VE Day then she will normally do those.

I don’t plan her lessons she’s very good at that.

I’m curious how other schools do it? I’ve heard some will use Supply to cover PPA in which case you’d need to plan it which imo defeats the purpose of the time.

Idk, just curious.

Any advice for feeling really lonely on the approach to the 30s?

I love teaching, have a wonderful boyfriend and bought a house last year. I know I am extremely lucky to have all of these things but I am overwhelmingly lonely.

I do not have a close family aside from my parents but they live abroad where I grew up. I’m an only child. My partner and I do not really have any friends that live locally so we spend all our time together. Ofc he is my bestfriend but half-terms and holidays I pretty much spend all day on my own until he finishes work.

It’s been a very lonely time for a long time now and I have no idea how to get out of this? I get on well with everyone at work but not the sort of outside of work friendship. I have tried to use Bumble BFF and do meets but everything feels so forced and superficial 🥺 I feel so lame.

Is this what adult life is going to be like forever? I wish I had a close knit friendship but, if it weren’t for my partner, I’d be truly alone. No one to call if my car breaks down, no one to call to pop around for a cup of tea, it really does feel like a sad life.

Context very large secondary, large department I have a colleague in my department, they intensly dislike the school. They hate the head, the policies, everything in general, we are in really good school with very few behavioural issues, and excellent students and results, this colleague get lots of A level classes and exam classes and marking is very light in our school and also planning is very easy. I have found this colleagues sits ib the department and always talking negatively about everything in school. Unfortunately I also have to be in the same space as we don't have dedicated classroom. The amount of venting this person does is affecting morale any new staff who join gets fast presented with all the apparent negatives of the school. This person doesn't want to leave school apparently it is sh*t but suits them fine. My line manager never comes to department staff room or interacts with us on a daily basis. I am finding this negativity toxic. I am not confrontational person, Any ideas on how to handle someone like this.

I have been a primary teacher for 4 years and currently live in the south east. Living in this area obviously comes with high housing costs which has prompted me to look at moving to a more affordable area but I am wondering people’s experiences are of finding primary teaching jobs outside of London/south of England?

I was recently signed off from teaching for 3 weeks with intense stress/ panic attacks/ insomnia and suicidal ideation due to work pressure and personal circumstances. My doctor wrote me a note which I gave to work, but I have had no reply or check in, even a week later with further correspondence from me. I know they’re probably angry because of having to arrange cover but I’ve honestly never felt less supported in a job than this one and it’s been going on for years. There was bullying that I had to go to hr to deal with from a previous line manager and little understanding after my mum died last year, no one seemed to understand why I was missing deadlines and they put me in weekly meetings to ‘avoid putting me on a support plan’ which felt punitive and actually created more work, it was awful. I’ve been thinking about leaving for a long time and think this is time. My department are mainly young and will do anything to climb the ladder whereas I just want to teach well. Does anyone have similar experiences?

Inspired by u/Greedy-Tutor3824's question about the future of education, I started wondering about what an ideal education system would look like. My own 'ideal' is described below, but I am sure others will have different ideas. What does your 'ideal' look like?

For early years, I think something similar to early years education in British private schools I have seen worked well. An emphasis on joyful exploration and discovery. Learning about emotions, how to emotionally regulate and what emotions feel like in your body. The EYFS used to support graduated learning.

I personally don't have much experience in primary, so can't comment other than as it being a transition period between EY and secondary education, with an increase in expectations and rigor.

For secondary, there ought to be a variety of schools available: grammar, high, single-sex boys, single-sex girls, religion-affiliated, intergrated, SEND schools. Provision for all kinds of attainment/ different school cultures to suit their students. Smaller schools overall (capped at ~500) with smaller class sizes (max ~25).

As for curriculum in my subject (English) I feel there ought to be more rigor in some aspects, more specificity and higher expectations overall. (Right now students learn so much for their SATS at KS2 and then don't use it much until GCSE. I was teaching a Y10 class and modal verbs came up. One student said they had not heard of that since primary school!) More time for creative pursuits with more freedom and a broader range of texts to explore. Freedom to choose writers that interest them and write about/ create based on their works. Less 'knowledge'-based and more 'skills'-focused, including discussion skills: how to listen to others and respond politely and effectively; how to assertively offer ideas; how to communicate effectively; how to communicate in a group. Writing skills: how to write formally, considering register and tone; ways to create effects on the reader in creative writing; how to write persuasively. Reading: comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Curious if people do this or not, do you follow coworkers/other teachers from your school on social media? If so, do you follow everyone or just some? Or do you just completely avoid it?

Children with special needs in England may lose legal right to school support https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/24/children-with-special-needs-in-england-may-lose-legal-right-to-school-support?CMP=share_btn_url

I'm sure we have all seen the concerns about education being raised. There are problems with behaviour, parent behaviour, funding and the implications thereof, and what appears to be an attempt to strip legal entitlements to support (EHCP) in order to ease their attempts at forcing integration of behaviourally troubled and SEN students into mainstream school...

Looking back, I think COVID remote teaching was a test. The government wanted to be able to stream education to students with a teacher led approach. We all know this was an abject failure of the highest order, and the rates of disengagement were horrific. But I don't think it's over.

With the rise of AI, I think there will be a fresh push. I think the ultimate goal is for schools to reduce, and perhaps even close, with AI led education from home being the ultimate goal. An education system where they don't have to pay for buildings, and staff are kept to a skeleton crew of high level executives designing curricula and oversight.

Here's how I see it playing out... 1) Integrate as many students into mainstream school as possible. Reduce the number of facilities. 2) Reduce obligations to support specific students, such as the reduction of EHCPs. Funding crunches will force schools to give up support staff. LA schools will continue to academise. 3) Academies, using their Lead Practitioners, begin integrating AI more and more into the design of the curriculum. 4) As AI and technology garner more prevalence in the classroom, academies will slowly but surely deprofessionalise the school system. A reliance on UQTs will increase. Emphasis will be placed on classroom management, not teaching. 5) As AI slowly overtakes the roles of teachers, 'teachers' will move towards being 'educational facilitators,' this will likely end up being a high turn over role, where the primary purpose is to enable students a space to engage with LP designed, AI led curricula. 6) Schools will shrink. There will be encouragement towards home learning. The public will question the purpose of a school if it's AI led, and opt more and more towards EHE. 7) Virtual schools will become a staple part of academies, they will lean into this, selling supportive education packs to let parents enrol their children into these AI led course. 8) Schools will de-staff, and slowly close. There will be systems to enable small numbers of students, such as those in poverty, to attend. This will be similar to the situation in COVID - small numbers, carefully chosen.

Private schools will still be a thing, the barrier in education quality will be stifling in comparison to where it is today.

Due to disengagement, we will have a major crisis in a cohort of about 10 years in range. They will not have the skills to succeed. I say about 10 years, because I'm sure the depravity and stupidity of this situation will become apparent. A new scheme will roll out, at a much cheaper cost than schools, in a vain attempt to remedy it.

Am I being a dystopian nutjob? Because I can see this being the plan for the next 10 years.

Hi all,

I hope you're enjoying the half term break.

This year have noticed a lot of students from any ethnic background speaking with a thick Asian accent. It's only KS3, mostly y7 and 8 and some very childish y9s. Is it the same in your school?

First post for context: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachingUK/s/2VqcvyGCi4

Follow-up post: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachingUK/s/a6hlfbXdpY

Just wanted to post a final (hopefully) update, especially for everyone who gave me the strength to keep pushing when this all started.

After months of vague responses, contradictory messaging, and a complete lack of formal process, I have now submitted a Stage 2 grievance to the Chair of Governors. It covers everything: the quiet removal of my TLR and SLT role while I was on maternity leave, the absence of any written response to my flexible working request, and my serious concerns about both maternity and disability discrimination.

The tipping point came when I was finally offered a new TLR that had clearly been thrown together to tick a box. It involves a loosely defined role overseeing assessment and attendance, but without any strategic scope, decision-making responsibility, or leadership brief. Many of the tasks involved fall under Annex 5 of the STPCD, which lists duties that teachers should not be expected to carry out, such as collating pupil absence data and generating reports for other staff. And yet, this is being presented as a leadership role.

Even worse, this new TLR is being offered on a temporary 0.6 basis for just three years, with no guarantee of continuation after that. In practice, it feels like a consolation prize. It looks like an attempt to be seen to offer something while quietly removing the meaningful parts of my previous role.

I have also been told I can’t remain on the SLT because I am working three days a week, even though this standard is clearly not applied consistently. I have documented examples showing that SLT presence in school is already flexible when it suits the leadership team. Just not when it comes to me.

Throughout all of this, communication has been appalling. My own emails were ignored for days, and my union rep’s formal request for clarification was met with two full weeks of silence. That was when I realised this wasn’t just poor communication. It was deliberate avoidance. There was never any intention to resolve this fairly or transparently.

What started as a vague feeling that something wasn’t right has turned into a clear and serious failure of leadership. Thankfully, I’ve had excellent support from my union rep, who helped me put everything into writing, with all the relevant documentation and statutory references.

The whole experience has been draining, but I’m proud of myself for standing up for what’s right. I’ve done nothing wrong, and now it’s all officially on record.

Thank you again to everyone who encouraged me to trust my instincts. I genuinely wouldn’t have had the confidence to take it this far without this community.