BONUS: Martin Cutting (Classroom Secrets): Life/Work balance as SLT

In this episode, Claire speaks with Martin Cutting, a former primary Deputy Headteacher and now Product Manager at Classroom Secrets.

Martin begins by explaining his teaching journey, how he progressed from a class teacher to key stage leader, then assistant headteacher and finally deputy headteacher. Martin had a keen interest in computing and coding but always aspired to become a teacher. Martin talks about the changes he witnessed whilst working as a senior leader in a primary school and how funding cuts led to redundancies; including his own voluntary redundancy.

Martin speaks about how the education system has changed and the impact this has had on teachers’ LIFE/work balance. He also mentions the strategies his team implemented to help tackle teachers’ workload and how this had a positive impact on productivity.

In the podcast, Martin talks in detail about the role of Ofsted and how increased accountability and high-stakes environments can put extra strain on all teachers, especially SLT.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Asking for help is not a weakness.
  Teachers are very committed to their jobs and keep going for as long as they can. Some see asking for help as a weakness – it isn’t. Use the support that is available to you and share your concerns with your colleagues or someone you trust.
• Take steps to get a healthy LIFE/work balance.
  Some teachers use their spare time to meticulously create and resource lessons that are all singing, all dancing. Sometimes good is good enough. Remember an exhausted teacher is not an effective teacher. Use your spare time to relax and spend time with loved ones.
• Workload is an issue for all teachers including SLT.
  Although it may seem that workload pressures are usually imposed by SLT, it is important to remember that senior leaders also have their own workload and pressures to deal with. You would hope that in most cases, SLT will try find strategies to improve teachers’ LIFE/work balance.
• Do something that makes you happy.
  If you are finding that you are struggling to have a good LIFE/work balance and feel disheartened in your current role, look at different options. There are many opportunities to work in education but outside of teaching. Find the job that is right for you.
• Value your team.
  Consider implementing strategies to help improve teachers’ LIFE/work balance. Find ways to reduce workload or marking, reward staff by giving them time back and encourage staff to work collaboratively to find solutions together.
  
  

BEST MOMENTS

“If I’d carried on in education, I would have become even more jaded by it.”

“There’s a very quick jump to blame SLT in schools because they are the visible face for why teachers are doing the jobs they’ve been asked to do.”

“A massive problem in education is the accountability culture or the blame culture and Ofsted. They are a huge reason behind why SLT do what they do.”

“I was almost terrified of being asked a question that I didn’t know the answer to straightaway because I would be the one who lets the school down and we’re going to get special measures because of me.”

“Teachers generally are people who will keep going as long as they can. The overwhelming personality type amongst teachers is to not want to [ask for help]. They are so committed to their jobs and see that as a weakness and it’s not.”

“Looking back, I probably missed out on time with my children that I will never get back.”

“I was looking for little wins for teachers... If teachers were willing to run after-school clubs, they were paid back through a day for themselves and that was quite well received.”

“Ofsted serves a valuable purpose but it’s almost gone too far now where it has made it high-stakes for SLT and headteachers. That influences the decisions that headteachers and MATs make that then impacts on teachers’ workload and the demands on teachers in school.”

“Technology has been a huge change in education. If you have a bit of technical understanding, you become a go-to person in school.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/
Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/
Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/
LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/

ABOUT THE HOST
Claire Riley

Claire, alongside her husband Ed, is one of the directors of Classroom Secrets, a company she founded in 2013 and which provides outstanding differentiated resources for teachers, schools, parents and tutors worldwide.

Having worked for a number of years as a teacher in both Primary and Secondary education, and experiencing first-hand the difficulties teachers were facing finding appropriate high-quality resources for their lessons, Claire created Classroom Secrets with the aim of helping reduce the workload for all school staff.

Claire is a passionate believer in a LIFE/work balance for those who work in education citing the high percentage of teachers who leave or plan to leave their jobs each year. Since February 2019, Classroom Secrets has been running their LIFE/work balance campaign to highlight this concerning trend.

The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education.

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