Ensuring that you are up to date with all the latest changes in the curriculum, and keeping your knowledge current on a whole host of topics including technological developments, will ensure that you can deliver the highest quality teaching, which will have a direct impact on pupil outcomes. We’ve looked into the key aspects and the importance of supply teacher training in more detail.
Supply teacher training
Supply teachers won’t always benefit from the same training provided as their permanent teaching counterparts. This makes it imperative to take ownership of your development and the skills you focus on to align with present and future school demands. This doesn’t, for example, only incorporate the more technical aspects of teaching, such as having to deal with unruly behaviour and adapting teaching styles to individual needs. It goes further, incorporating emotional health, wellbeing, safeguarding and even offering pastoral care. It requires a learning mindset.
As you’ll know, the pandemic made it harder for schools to provide the level of training needed and coupled with workload pressures, finding the time to dedicate to development is never easy. But given that the number of pupils identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has grown in recent years, knowledge of areas such as neurodiversity, including ADHD, autism and dyslexia as well as speech and language difficulties is extremely important. There are lots of resources available, as well as National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses that you can enrol in.
In fact, the courses available are wide-ranging and while supply teachers won’t be expected to be experts in all areas, you must at least have a good foundation in the main topics. Bullying awareness is one such area, particularly given the worrying rise in cyberbullying on social media platforms. The right training will also greatly help you, for example, look out for signs of neglect.
Providing students with a relevant and engaging experience means adapting to different methods of teaching, thereby providing those under your tutelage with a variety of learning formats and stimuli, both verbal and audiovisual. Ever since the dark days of COVID, when teaching was forced to be carried out remotely using online collaboration platforms such as Google Classrooms, the demand for technology to be used in the classroom hasn’t stopped. Online blended learning platforms such as Moodle or online grading systems such as PowerSchool have grown in popularity to improve teaching outcomes.
The many benefits of personal and professional development
Many of these platforms are of course powered by AI, so ideally you should be equipped with the skills to understand these tools, both their benefits and limitations. Indeed, the value that such technology brings is widely recognised, and research has revealed that many need support and training on how to best implement these game-changing developments. Many teachers recognise that AI can not only boost productivity but also foster creativity, so ensuring that you are well-versed in all its various applications is fundamental to improving teaching results.
CPD will also help hone those all-important soft skills such as empathy, patience and adaptability, all traits that any supply specialist will have to lean on in the classroom. Communication is obviously key to better understanding the needs of pupils and how you can tailor their methods to suit individuals. And by focusing on their development, you will be able to self-reflect and identify areas for improvement, which ultimately will make you better at your roles. This personal and professional growth will also have a positive effect on your mental wellbeing and job satisfaction, ensuring that you remain energised and enthused.
An often-overlooked benefit of CPD is the opportunity that it provides for supply teachers to meet other professionals and build their networks. In doing so, you can further advance your learning by exchanging ideas and best practices with peers, which can then be applied in the classroom. This exposure to others in a similar position will also stand you in good stead when taking on new assignments, as you will settle in far quicker and feel less daunted by your new surroundings.
By taking on development opportunities, supply teachers will not only be better equipped to provide a superior teaching experience, but they will also gain confidence and motivation as you can witness firsthand the impact that it is having on students. CPD should be a consistent focus for supply teachers and many schools will support you with training. You must however take ownership of your own development to enhance your subject matter knowledge and skills in specialist areas of interest. This will make you a more rounded teacher while helping you to advance in your careers.
The Supply Register, partnered with The National College, provides candidates with access to a broad range of online statutory learning opportunities to strengthen their professional development. When candidates register with us, they are automatically set up to complete all the necessary courses to ensure they are compliant.
Want to learn more about our accredited CPD courses? Get in touch today.
