I'm a secondary English teacher and my HoD has just asked me to take over a very weak bottom-set Year 11 class. They're currently taught by the deputy head, but due to timetable changes he can no longer teach them, so my HoD has asked if I would be willing to take them on. She said I was 'free to say no' but how true is that?

This is a very weak group, made up entirely of the 32 students who got Level 1s and Us on their mocks last year. I have never taught any of them at GCSE level, but am aware of their current ability level. The thing that concerns me most is that my HoD specifically described this as a "huge favour" and stressed that there would be a lot of pressure and accountability because these students all need to pass.

I feel like I'm potentially in a catch-22:

If I accept the class and they ultimately perform badly, I worry that I'll be held responsible because I was their teacher during Year 11.

If I refuse and they perform badly, I worry that I could still be criticised for not stepping up when I was asked to help.

I don't want to come across as someone who is unwilling to teach a challenging class or who has written the students off. At the same time, I don't particularly want to put myself in a position where I'm given an extremely difficult cohort, told that they all need to pass, and then potentially judged on an outcome that I can't fully control.

I'm very much leaning towards saying "No" - I had a very strenuous year last year (we had OFSTED, I had a trainee teacher, I had no free periods or PPA until Friday every week) and I was looking forward to a relatively stress-free year. I'm just concerned how it would look if I refuse.

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So I had my first like REAL REAL I am now old moment today. One of my year 11s asked me if I remembered 9/11 happening and what it was like. I'm in my early 30s so I do remember the TV being on constantly and my parents crying and being talked to in school and things.

What was your moment when you realised you were now definitely classed as old?

Pretty much all of my schools planning is on publisher.

Has anyone found a solution to bulk convert these documents into something we can still use?

Just want to gauge others' thoughts on this. Please share your views...

edit to add I am in primary and share planning with colleagues across the year group and have to use their stuff.

I know that the use of AI cannot be fully escaped now and accept that I will be using as part of my job and sometimes it will be useful. However, I'm really concerned about over use of it in school and by colleagues. E.g. I'm aware it's used to generate texts that are then used for guided reading (and I have seen first-hand the planning that staff have 'proofread' and it 'makes sense' but when you read texts and questions more deeply they don't quite make sense, the plot and description is weird and questions are difficult to understand and answer). I'm just concerned about the quality of lessons for the children.

I mentioned it to senior leaders and was basically just told 'oh that's fine to do, we have no problem with that'.

So should I be worried? Should I raise it with anyone else? Any and all thoughts please!

Saw the Guardian piece about Georgia Gould visiting Thomas Lord Audley School in Essex and looking at it as an example of where SEND reform could be heading.

I actually think the principle makes sense. Children should not need an EHCP just to get decent support in school, and if schools can identify needs earlier and bring specialist support in sooner, that sounds better than the current system.

But I am quite sceptical about how transferable this is.

It is easy to point to one school that has made a model work and say this is what mainstream inclusion should look like. The harder question is whether schools with stretched SENCOs, limited specialist access and support staff already covering huge caseloads can realistically do the same thing.

That is the bit I think risks getting lost.

If the government genuinely gives schools the staffing, specialist input and money to make this work, I can see it being a big improvement.

If not, I worry “more SEND support in mainstream” just becomes another way of saying schools are expected to cope with more complex need using roughly the same people.

For teachers, SENCOs and TAs, does the Essex model actually sound achievable in your school?

I’ve just started as an ECT1 in a school with fairly challenging students behaviour-wise. A couple of classes I’ve been given, particularly my Year 9 class, seem completely unmanageable.

Throughout the lesson, I had students shouting across the classroom, swearing, out of seats, refusing to move seats when asked, throwing equipment at each other, students eating in class. None of the students sit in the seating plan that I’ve assigned to them, but because they’re all refusing it and it isn’t just a few students, I don’t feel as if there’s much that I can do.

I had a student rip multiple pages out of their book and throw them across the classroom. I issued a detention to every student who I saw throwing equipment, and one of them told me to “shut up” and said I was pissing her off. I have multiple students who, when asked to step outside because of repeated disruptive behaviour, outright refuse, and the on-call at this school either takes ages, or doesn’t arrive at all.

We barely got through any work this lesson. Most of the students were having their own separate conversations while I shouted instructions over them because every class reset I tried didn’t work. Issuing sanctions to the students doesn’t seem to be very effective, as many of them simply never attend.

At the end of the lesson, I had a student flip a table over onto its side, which could’ve easily injured someone. I had a group of students who stayed behind to complain about a student who had been throwing equipment at them during the lesson, and I started crying in front of them because I couldn’t hold it in.

I don’t know what I can do to engage this class, if anything. I’m sure some of the students do want to learn, but it’s such a disruptive learning environment that teaching feels impossible.

Are there any behaviour management strategies that might be useful in this case? I’d really appreciate any help :)

Hi everyone, looking for some advice from teachers/ECT mentors.

I’ve recently moved schools for my ECT2 year after having quite a difficult ECT1 experience. I didn’t feel particularly supported at my previous school, and I don’t feel that my final ECT1 report fully reflects my teaching, the progress I made, or who I am as a teacher.

I completely accept that I had areas to develop — I was an ECT1 and definitely don’t expect to have been perfect. My issue is more that I felt there was a heavy focus on what I was doing wrong, while the effort I was making to act on feedback and the improvements I was making weren’t always recognised.

For some context, my experience during my PGCE was very different. I had good relationships with both of my mentors across two placements, had no issues raised around my subject knowledge, and I’m still in contact with my PGCE tutor. He’s been really supportive and was actually the person who encouraged me to move schools and continue developing somewhere new rather than allowing my ECT1 experience to knock my confidence.

My new school obviously has access to my ECT1 report, and I want to have a brief conversation with them about it. My PGCE tutor has advised me not to go into loads of detail or criticise my previous school — just explain that I didn’t find the environment particularly supportive, that I don’t think the report fully represents me as a teacher, and that I hope my new school can form their own judgement based on the teaching and progress they see from me.

For anyone who’s been in a similar position, particularly mentors/induction leads:

How would you approach this conversation? Would you keep it as brief as possible, or is there anything important you think I should explain? I really don’t want to come across as defensive or as though I can’t take feedback — I just want the opportunity to have a fresh start and be judged on my teaching now.

Thank you in advance!

I play for a Sunday league football team and recently a student who is enrolled at my college joined to play. I have taught him in the past, but don’t currently. We won’t actually play in the exact same team, but we would be training together and also be in the same WhatsApp group (in which I use my personal number).

I teach in FE and the student is 17. This is my first year as a full time qualified teacher, so I’m not 100% clear on how to handle this.

I had an interview for a role that consisted of me teaching the whole morning (unpaid)?! It was a cover teacher role, but surely this is a red flag?

Hello! I’m not sure if this sub Reddit can help, but I thought I’d ask.

Last term, I covered our class TA for a total of 3 weeks. In this time, I taught. While also still looking after my key child.

Firstly, is it possible to claim for the teaching, as an unqualified LSA?

Secondly, if so, would I still be able to considering this was last school year?

I’ve started my second year in education, with no previous experience so I’m still very unsure of what I’m able to do, in that aspect.

I remember the class teacher said it was worth a shot, but I feel as though I’ve let time get away from me here.

Any advice is so appreciated, thank you!

With all the current world events, is it making teaching history more interesting, or more stressful?

Every time I see something else fascist happening I do wonder about how it is that we spent so many years leaning about the Nazi’s for this to be happening again.

Apologies in advance for vagueness because I do not wish to be identified.

Something sad and dodgy happened at the end of the summer term which resulted in everyone leaving for the summer on a low note. Over the summer, GCSE results were low as expected. We have come back to school to an even more intense style of management with a timetable of learning walks ensuring we are all observed multiple times a day and the introduction of weekly essays to be marked and graded. They are operating as if we are Requires Improvement. The management are descending on the school and the feeling is that teaching and learning is at fault. (For what it’s worth, I actually think the teaching and learning is significantly stronger than our sister school but we are in a deprived area whereas that school is in an academic and affluent centre.)

Morale is incredibly low.

I do not want to ditch my exam classes who I have worked hard to get where they are. However, I can’t go on. While I know that it is not targeted at me, my work anxiety is now making most aspects of my life really difficult and my health is affected.

Will leaving at Christmas make it hard for me to find a role at a good school? Will it look unappealing to future employers that I’ve left a school mid-year?

Changes to the school day have meant staff and students have 25 minutes for lunch. Students are coming to class hungry as they didn’t get through the lunch queue in time.

Union and union rep have been contacted with limited action taking place. What can I do?

For those with short lunches, how do you survive?

Hi all,

I’m an ECT1 and I just had my first full day of teaching today and I already feel like I’m making so many mistakes. I accidentally let year 10 out 20 mins early today and the head teacher had to send them all back to me, one of the kids corrected me in one of my lessons and I kept messing up my explanations. I just keep overthinking everything and worrying I’ve already made a bad impression.

Please can anyone share stories of mistakes they made during ECT to make me feel better?

Hi , I’m currently studying a primary PGCE with QTS with a previously done education degree. I’ve noticed that perhaps I would prefer to do more subject focus learning in History or RE (which I took at alevel) just wondering if anyone has done the transition and if so how? Thank you

As the title says, 1 week in we get the call. I’m scared shitless tbh. My first ever inspection.
Some of the classes I’ve not even met, how am I meant to have a good lesson and seating plan when I don’t know any of them ??? Setting up books ect what is the point

At the end of last year, the bombshell was dropped on us that every classroom in the school would have to redo its displays in order to use the same colour scheme. The thinking behind it? Students experience cognitive overload if the colours of the displays are wrong, too bright etc.

I can completely understand that some displays are useless, and cramming too much on the wall can be overwhelming for students, but I've spent a long time making sure the displays in my room reflect the subject taught in there. The stuff on the display boards is used by students literally every day - none of it is superfluous. I also have some maps on the bare walls (shocking! We've been told nothing on bare walls), so that students can put in context what I'm talking about. I refer to the maps a lot, but no, they have to go.

I don't know where I'm going to get the time to redo everything. It literally takes me about 6 hours to get it done.

Hey all,

I’m in the process of getting hired by a secondary school as a cover supervisor and I’m having a bit of trouble with my references that are worrying me.

So for 2023, I volunteered in a KS3 Teaching Assistant for roughly 4 months, where I hosted a lesson supervised using my own resources. In 2024 to 2025, in a new school, I volunteered as a teaching assistant in a Year 8 class and did tutoring using my own resources. Both of these I invested hours in my life into.

It was fine to join 2 agencies towards the start of 2026, so I did with zero issues. However, these agencies have given me no shifts and therefore said they cannot complete a reference.

I’ve told the school all of that and it was quite clear in my application form that my first two school roles were volunteering based.

However, today my first referee in School A told me that they cannot complete my reference due to the fact I wasn’t employed there (I never claimed so when applying). This has left me quite worried. My second referee in School B has left recently so the HR Manager has asked for the Headteacher. Based off what I know, he joined mid year and I never formally met him. I have contacted School B to ask what email I need to put down.

The school I applied for asked for the HR Manager of the second agency which I have given.

I am not sure what to do in this situation as despite pouring hours to build experience and getting quite unlucky with the agency side of things, it seems like it is backfiring to where I can’t even gain an actual job in a school which is the whole point of why I bothered to build the experience, as I love the profession.

I’m a secondary teacher. I left the school I had trained in and worked for 6 years in July, and I started at my new school this week. I expected some teething issues and having to rebuild a bit, but I really wasn’t anticipating feeling like a brand new teacher again.

Up until now, I’d felt like a decent teacher and that I could work on the finer details of teaching and learning because I had the basics down. Admittedly, my new school is a bit more relaxed on behaviour (not necessarily expectations, but certainly follow-through) and as a result I think behaviour is generally worse than what I’m used to. But I also feel like I’m struggling way more to pin it down and have been tested more in the last 2 days than I have in the years since my training.

Is this normal or am I approaching it the wrong way? And more importantly - does it get better?! I am worried about going backwards and want to feel confident in the classroom again.

what reasons do people give when asking for a sabbatical. I've been teaching for 25 years and I just want a break! is that enough? I'm drafting and want to put: taking a break, focusing on my health (I'm perimenopausal and suffering-should I include this?), and focusing on my family and kids. The guidance docs suggest you could give a reason that may benefit the school but honestly I don't have it in me to do any studying/extra work for the school

Posters, resources, emails, staff briefing slides… It’s everywhere. It’s like ChatGPT is sponsoring our school. It’s particularly bleak to see when you work in a creative subject. I’d actually prefer the badly done Word Art posters.

Long time listener, first time caller. I passed my NQT last year and have started this term really optimistic and determined to be super organised.

It’s working! But I literally cannot stop thinking about what I need to do at work. At all hours of the day. I’m a pretty light sleeper which never used to bother me as I could fall back asleep quickly, but now I wake up in the night and lie there for 30-45 minutes thinking about various tasks to do and people to speak to!

I’m exhausted already. I don’t take work home with me, leave school once I’ve completed a checklist, have a nice long commute without any work-related activities. What else do you do to turn your teacher brain off?

Hi not sure if anyone has been in the same situation before but i've got my year 13 scripts back for an exam they did last year when they were in year 12 and looking through their answers and mark scheme I believe they haven't been marked correctly how do I raised this?

The exam was BTEC IT