Live webinars aim to attract more teachers
Advice on routes into profession
A DRIVE to recruit more teachers to Portsmouth schools has gone online with a series of live webinars.
The initiative has been launched by the city council due to ongoing Covid restrictions preventing in-person events.
The webinars will be hosted by former teacher and cabinet member for education, Cllr Suzy Horton, and will provide people with the opportunity to find out about different routes into the teaching profession as well as the chance to ask questions.
Cllr Horton said: ‘With many events going online this is a new and innovative way to reach more people who might not have considered teaching in Portsmouth before. This webinar will help you learn more about the routes into teaching.’
Prospective candidates will also have the opportunity to speak with two teachers currently working in the city’s schools about what inspired them to get into teaching and their experience so far.
Emily Brown, who teaches at Court Lane Infant School, said: ‘I’m really excited to be joining Teach Portsmouth for their brand new webinar. As a newly qualified teacher, Portsmouth is a great city to work in with plenty of opportunities to develop.
‘Knowing where to start can be tricky, so it’s good to hear from people who have already made the journey. The path you take is really personal. Generally, a schoolbased route may offer more classroom time whereas a university route often provides more opportunities to learn about theory – it really depends on what you want.’
The first webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 4 between 4pm and 5pm and will focus on the differences between a more vocational school-based route and the more traditional university option. Two further events are also planned looking at ‘changing career to teaching’ and ‘progression in teaching’.
With an ongoing national shortage of teachers, particularly in subjects such as maths and the sciences, the local authority hopes the webinars can help attract new teachers as well as encourage the return of those who have left the profession.
Deputy director for children, families and education, Mike Stoneman, said: ‘Covid19 has made council teams consider digital alternatives to deliver services. Webinars allow us to reach different people who might not be able to attend in-person events.’