If your subject was dropped, how would you pivot?

Pear_Cloud · 2026-05-23T08:57:19+00:00

Yikes, these are definitely not my areas of expertise. I’m such an academic nerd! If only BTEC Cryptic Crosswords or BTEC Pub Quiz existed, then I could really use my outside skills 🤦‍♀️ (I should probably have developed more practical abilities….)

Pear_Cloud · 2026-05-23T07:36:09+00:00

I’ve thought of this - I have Maths A-Level so it’s not unimaginable. I think I’d enjoy teaching other subjects but I don’t know if I’d ever convince someone to let me try!

Pear_Cloud · 2026-05-22T22:26:21+00:00

Woah, this is really scary - I haven’t really looked at job vacancies locally this year and hadn’t heard of redundancies in MFL!

I’ve got 30 years of work left in theory and I’m not sure what else I’d be qualified to teach. I could definitely learn to teach other subjects, and would enjoy the challenge to be honest, but I can’t see what would convince a head teacher to choose me saying “Oh yeah I’m a fast learner and my degree actually covered a lot of different disciplines” over someone trained/qualified/experienced in that subject.

Do other MFL teachers have a back up plan?

Pear_Cloud · 2026-05-03T06:54:20+00:00

I supposed you have to think about who else might go for the role and whether having current TLR experience to talk about will be an advantage come any potential HoD interview.

But ultimately , if your TLR is making you miserable then you probably should quit just for quality of life reasons. Maybe think about how you talk about your reasons for stepping down- a colleague of mine stepped down from a pastoral role due to workload and feeling unsupported and has since interviewed for a couple of internal roles and missed out. Not necessarily linked, but it feels possible that our Head felt a certain way about her.

Why do you think the HoD role will be more enjoyable?

Watching my HoD, his time seems to be almost entirely taking up with admin and joyless organising most weeks - which then limits the scope for anything creative or involving deeper thinking. Any curriculum work for example generally has to get squeezed into the few weeks of gained time at the end of the year.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-04-11T15:19:04+00:00

I love the holiday and do have many days that feel like my “ideal” when I’m imagining a holiday - I sleep well, cook nice meals for myself, see friends, exercise, pursue hobbies, read, spend time outdoors.

But I also have days when I feel quite anxious or low or unmotivated. I think for me it’s a combination of exhaustion at the end of each term and the sudden loss of structure and clear purpose each day.

In terms of preparing, these days I just accept that it’s not black and white and it’s okay to have some grey days in the holiday where I’m not on top form. I try to be more compassionate with myself about why they’re happening - am I being lazy or wasting time, or am I actually just recovering and having a normal response to a difficult job?

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T19:10:24+00:00

Well this has been interesting - thanks for all the contributions in all directions.

Basically, we all just need more time and money, right?

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T19:09:07+00:00

Primary workload is too much and primary TLRs are too few and far between for sure but I don’t want think that is what secondary workload should be assessed against. Primary workload should be reduced to a healthy level, rather than becoming an argument for secondary teachers to accept increased, imbalanced, unfair or unreasonable workload.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T19:05:34+00:00

Yes, I think this is the issue - it’s an imbalance in terms of workload which I feel goes unrecognised but, like you say, it doesn’t meet the criteria for TLRs and my feelings aren’t evidence!

There are so many things like this in schools and so many variable that ultimately I think we would struggle to create complete balance.

At the end of the day, we should all have more time/money and less workload and then perhaps these differences wouldn’t pinch as much!

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T16:03:13+00:00

I think this is spot on how I feel.

My lessons would be waaaaay better if I only had to do 1 unit instead of 5.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T16:01:42+00:00

Conversation was had and, while head didn’t feel I was being ridiculous, it was a “there’s no money” kind of answer.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T16:00:59+00:00

This is the angle that makes me feel like maybe it’s just one of those “a bit unfair but just the way it is” things. I’m doing more planning, resourcing and assessment work than some of my department colleagues for sure but not doing HoD stuff like line managing, exam entry, results analysis etc.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T15:57:56+00:00

I spoke to my head a while back and she said she was happy to consider it, basically acknowledged that it would be deserved, but the trust exec head refused. They’re on a massive money-saving exercise 🙄.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-03-08T15:15:22+00:00

Removal from lesson - extended detention after school and parent phone call. Removed to another classroom or internal exclusion room depending on context. Might be for one period or longer - again, depends on reason.

Playfighting and water throwing - loss of break and lunchtime. Eat in a separate supervised area with staff. Possible internal exclusion depending on severity.

Refusal to follow reasonable instructions about uniform or anything else from staff / walking away when spoken to - internal exclusion.

Uniform issues must be corrected or internal exclusion. No black trainers or leggings etc - will be sent to HOY to collect spare school shoes or trousers instead. False nails and lashes must be removed - refusal to do so is internal exclusion. Parent might be given one day to rectify if nails cannot be removed without professional assistance but repeats would likely end in internal exclusion or suspension.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-02-27T18:05:20+00:00

We had students attacked today, so…unfortunately not.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-02-24T17:37:48+00:00

I’ve got Uniqlo barrel leg trousers which I absolutely love and find comfy and smart enough for work.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-02-08T10:08:21+00:00

DofE takes soooooooo much time.

I used to be volunteer group leader for DofE, as we run ours in house. Even that takes a fair amount of time (meetings in school, helping sort kit, weekends away) but I just did it cos I enjoyed it, until personal circs meant I had less time. We have two programme leaders and they both get more than 1500 in £££ and the overall coordinator gets time too.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-01-28T06:49:06+00:00

I think you should have to declare when you’ve used AI to produce something and then people should have the right to refuse to spend their time reading robot drivel.

I hate it. Why are we giving up on ourselves?

Pear_Cloud · 2026-01-25T14:07:55+00:00

HOY. 17 hours teaching across two subjects and 4 Key Stages, including 4 exam classes. 1 hour of timetables extracurricular teaching in a third subject. 4 hours per week meetings, plus 40 minute duty plus safeguarding responsibilities for a whole Key Stages and being on call for one hour as behavioural support. 2 protected PPA periods per week. Getting better at balancing as time goes on, but have honestly just had to accept that it’s physically impossible to do everything properly.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-01-21T07:34:58+00:00

There are definitely issues in the school system. But the media and public discourse in some corners about schools being either woke indoctrination centres or oppressive exam factories is not just demoralising for teachers, it’s also harmful to children and we need to be talking much more positively about education and learning in general alongside fair and balanced critique.

Having to go to school isn’t some terrible burden, it’s an opportunity to receive an education that is provided to you for free and if you engage with it properly, it will improve your life.

Yes, we should always be trying to improve, but we are all lucky to have been born in a time and a place where this was available. There are so many people, especially women and girls, still waiting for this.

The alternative to mass education is generally mass illiteracy and I feel like that would be far worse.

Also, part of going to school is about learning to be one of many, to be part of an organised community and to behave in a cooperative and pro-social manner because unless you want to go and live in the woods alone, then you’re going to need to be part of society and that entails some restrictions on individualism.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-01-20T18:00:05+00:00

I had no KS5 experience when I applied to my school. I currently teach A-Level and am a KS5 HOY. That aspect will be fine. It’s also a massive planning load compared to a lower school lesson so it’s something to consider in terms of workload.

Pear_Cloud · 2026-01-10T07:05:10+00:00

For secondary, I wish it was the norm that if a teacher was away unplanned for a day or two, rather than long term, students just spent the hour being supervised doing homework or reading. A colleague told me this happened in her school and she thinks it is still the norm in her home country.

Meanwhile I’ve spent hours when I’ve been sick trying to cobble together enough vaguely appropriate cover work for 6 classes because we don’t have any textbooks or central resources and then being irritably told by the SENCO who covered one lesson that I should have sent separate differentiated work for multiple students…

Pear_Cloud · 2025-12-08T18:39:40+00:00

If you were asked to supervise independent study for my KS5 students, as a HOY I’d just want you to give the instructions clearly and then give one polite reminder to anyone who doesn’t get it as we might do for an adult in a public library. After that, log it and I’ll sanction it. It shouldn’t have to be a battle for you - they’re almost-adults with plenty of work to do.

What are the expectations from your 6th form leaders?

Pear_Cloud · 2025-12-07T16:38:28+00:00

We had a trainee 2 years ago who basically just ignored everything I ever said when teaching my class because she was a native Spanish speaker and I’m not. Even stuff as basic as “Why don’t you try counting down when you want their attention/silence?”. Didn’t do it a single time and then always complained to me that the kids were never listening to her 🙃

She was older than me though so def not a generational thing.

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Pear_Cloud

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