Posted on 21/10/2015 by

I thought that returning to the classroom after leadership would give me a better work-life balance. Then I remembered how hard teachers have it.

I have recently completed a quest. This quest took several years and led me from the panic-stricken landscape of the newly qualified teacher (NQT), through the fraught and often terrifying forests of achievement as head of department, to the ivory tower of the senior leadership team (SLT).

Once I stepped inside, the doors closed behind me; I was swept away from the camaraderie of my colleagues and enveloped in a world of administration and posturing. I lived in the darkness there for more than four years, until I had no choice but to escape. Driven mad by bureaucracy, vain nobility and shadowy villains who sought to protect only themselves, I opted to fall upon my sword and return to the chalkface, where I would be reunited with my own morality. And so here I am – older and wiser.

OK, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I actually enjoyed being on the SLT most of the time, but some dramatic life events taught me that data, progression and status are not everything. My mother died within weeks of being diagnosed with a terminal illness and I realised life is for living. So I stepped away from the SLT and return to the classroom, thinking that I would have space to pursue my interests and improve my quality of life in the face of such sadness. I was in for a surprise.

This article has been extracted from http://www.theguardian.com, please click on this link to read the article in full http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/oct/17/secret-teacher-school-leaders-quickly-forget-how-tough-teaching-is

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We recognise the recruitment challenges that schools face on a daily, weekly, term, and yearly basis. Education and supply cover recruitment should never just be about placing a candidate into a school to bridge a gap, there should be a stringent selection process to identify the best candidate for the school and vice versa.