NCTL launch a new campaign to attract more people to the teaching profession in Oldham.
A major new print and online campaign from the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) launches this week with the specific aim of attracting more teachers to the profession.
The multi-media campaign will focus on Oldham, Scarborough and Blackpool, each identified as an area needing more trainee and graduating teachers.
As the campaign reaches out to potential new recruits, all eyes will be on those teachers, trainers and trainees selected to be a part of the campaign, two of whom are Anna Nelson, Initial Teacher Education Lead at The Blue Coat School, and Blue Coat Computer Science teacher, Andrew Mkandawire.
Both Anna and Andrew have very strong connections to Manchester Nexus School Centred Initial Teacher Training which is based at The Blue Coat School. Anna leads the training for the teacher trainees based at schools in the North Manchester area. Andy is a recent graduate of the school-led scheme where the majority of the training takes place in the classroom, an approach which is reported to produce teachers much better prepared for their early years in the profession.
Andrew and Anna, who work at The Blue Coat School, an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ school with GCSE results at 80% A*- C including English and maths, part of The Cranmer Education Trust, and lead school of Manchester Nexus, will become two of the faces of the campaign. Their photos will now form part of the marketing material that will be seen around the Greater Manchester area.
So how do they feel about being part of such an important campaign?
“I was really happy to represent teaching, teacher training and the area – the north of England. It made me reflect on my career, how much I’ve learnt and how far I’ve come. It reminded me of the moral purpose – teaching is such an important job and so rewarding. My friends found the idea of my face on a bus hilarious!” Anna Nelson, ITE Lead.
“My family and friends were delighted for me, and so were my colleagues. They do, of course, have a laugh about it, saying they were surprised that I had been chosen.” Andrew Mkandawire, Teacher.
The campaign will aim to attract more people to teaching. With some of the best schools in the country and providers like Manchester Nexus based there, the North West is leading the way in teacher training.
“I really want to encourage more people into the profession and encourage them to look at North Manchester as an area in which to train and teach. Manchester is an exciting area to live, there’s so much going on, and it’s affordable. Travelling into North Manchester is quick now, and you get the opportunity to train in a range of different schools, all with fabulous young people. I hope the campaign helps potential trainees understand that there are a lot of professional development opportunities in teaching.” Anna Nelson, ITE Lead.
Manchester Nexus SCITT is a nationally accredited Teacher Training Provider. Nexus awards both Qualified Teacher Status and ensures that all trainees can take the Postgraduate qualification (PGCE), which means they can teach anywhere. This is a great achievement for The Cranmer Education Trust, based at the Blue Coat School, Oldham, and testimony to the hard work of the Northern Alliance schools, a group of secondary and primary schools across North Manchester.
Julie Hollis CEO of Cranmer Education Trust said: “Getting the best teachers for all our young people – recruiting them, developing them, preparing them for school leadership – is the most important thing we do. Great teachers transform students’ lives. It is wonderful to see Nexus taking off, attracting trainee teachers from across the region, and I’m delighted that has been recognised, and that our lead trainer, Anna, and one of our ‘graduates’, Andy, have been chosen to be the face of this campaign.”
The successful Multi-Academy Trust is currently consulting with the public, via its website, on their proposals to open a new secondary school in Oldham. http://cranmereducationtrust.com
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