Teach Secondary Issue 13.4

50 Essential reading: On board this issue: David Voisin is a head of MFL Ama Dickson is a maths teacher FROM THE EDITOR “Welcome… KEEP IN TOUCH! Sign up for the weekly TS newsletter at teachwire.net/ newsletter If you push people and institutions too far, they will break. Yes, that’s a trite observation that should hardly need pointing out – and yet, key decision-makers at various levels of the education profession don’t seem to have got the memo. We’re all wearily familiar by nowwith the urgent issues that continue to bedevil schools, placing ever more pressure on staff to address them in the here and now, lest they become even worse. Whether it’s matters relating to recruitment (see page 43), the mental health of students (see page 25) or teachers’ workloads (see page 28), the severity of the challenges at hand seem to grow inexorably in scale, with far-reaching implications. And then, as if that weren’t enough, yet more issues flare up and get added to the mix, with the last couple of months gifting us vivid illustrations of the weaknesses contained within the outsourced services model that schools increasingly rely on (see page 19) and the suggestion that schools now have it in their power to actively prevent pupils from engaging in ceremonial prayer, should they wish to take that step (see page 37)... ...and breathe . Yes, when you lay things out like that, it can’t help but paint a fairly troubling picture. It is, however, important to remember that the profession is nothing if not resilient, having weathered plenty of storms before, and is more likely than not to weather its current travails too. And besides, it’s not as if there’s nothing to celebrate. For one thing, the readiness of staff to provide each other withmutual support remains both instructive and inspiring (see page 32). Elsewhere, there’s that deep-rooted desire in parts of the profession to constantly innovate and devise new, carefully researched approaches to areas such as curriculum delivery (see page 64). Yet the fact remains that this edition of Teach Secondary contains several articles themed around health and wellbeing, prompting from this editor the nagging thought that given a more empowered and less harried profession, such discussions wouldn’t feel so urgent – or even necessary. School teachers and leaders have plenty to give, and will keep on giving for as long as they can. But if you push people and institutions too far, they will break. Enjoy the issue, CallumFauser callum.fauser@theteachco.com Well read Should we teach students to read for ‘purpose’ rather than ‘pleasure’? Kit Betts-Masters is a lead practitioner for science Emma Hollis is Chief Executive of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers Anthony David is an executive headteacher Charlotte Lander is a teacher of English and psychology Hidden depths Why teachers should check for knowledge gaps below the surface 34 More guiding, less directing What makes coaching work in an education context – and what doesn’t 68 03 teachwire.net/secondary