Blog

Some positive people to follow on social media to help raise your spirits. 

Talking about mental health, isn’t always easy but having an open dialogue about mental health can really help and ensure that people find the help that they need. 

Our mental health champion, Louise, gives her some advice on how to switch off and unwind during the Christmas break (or any break for that matter!).

Even though teaching can be extremely rewarding school staff still love their time off for many reasons, so we asked our school staff what their top reason for looking forward to the holidays were and put together a list of what luxuries teachers get to enjoy over the holidays…

With Christmas being such an exciting time of year it’s easy to get swept up in the celebrations and everything Christmas, but not everyone in your class will be able to do the same. 

For those with different religious beliefs, who don’t celebrate Christmas or might find this time of year emotionally difficult, it can feel a bit isolating so we wanted to share a few ways you can help everyone in your class feel included.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Don’t suffer in silence. Here are some helplines below which offer support and advice on a variety of different topics to support you.

Christmas is just around the corner and both students and teachers are beginning to write their Christmas lists so we wanted to share what is on the top of our teachers' Christmas lists.

You may have heard of recruitment consultants but what are recruitment resourcers? Charlotte, one member of our growing resourcing team, explains more about the role that resourcers play in recruitment. 

Anti-bullying Week will take place from the 14th to the 18th of November and we wanted to do our bit to support our teachers and teaching assistants. We strongly believe that every child deserves to feel valued and comfortable in their classroom and one of the best ways to do this is to create a culture of kindness amongst your students. We’ve collated our tips from our school staff and shared them below. 

Everyone working in education is all too familiar with the problem of bullying within schools, from the 14th to the 18th of November it’s National Anti-Bullying Week, coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, so we wanted to share some tips on how to tackle bullying in your school.

In this blog, we wanted to honour National Anti-bullying Week by sharing the free CPD online anti-bullying training offered by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA).

From October 1st 2022, the way we are required to conduct right to work checks has changed. We’ve detailed the new changes and how this may affect you when registering or re-registering with us.

Black History Month is coming up and it’s the perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the black people in your community’s culture, history and achievements with your class.

For many of us in the Smile office, some of our favourite memories at school are fun-filled days with parties, dress up and celebrations so, of course, we were a little surprised about the recent decisions some schools have made to ban Halloween.

With such a difficult decision we thought we would share some of the reasons we found for and against banning Halloween so you can decide for yourself!

Seeing your students get excited about the upcoming celebrations is one of the best parts of teaching but it can be distracting when it comes to your little ones learning. We asked a few of our teachers and they have suggested a few ways you can keep learning alive during Halloween.

We are so proud to announce that we are the winners of Recruitment Company of the Year 2022 at the APSCo Awards for Excellence.

Speaking more than one language opens up a world of possibilities, from being able to communicate with a variety of different people from different cultures and countries to having an advantage when it comes to future career prospects, we believe every student should learn a language, here are a few more reasons why…

What is APSCo Compliance+ and how does it impact you? Find out more.

As we head into a new academic year, we felt it was important to reminder all of our school staff about the upcoming resignation dates and offer some advice on what to do and how to go about it.

As a lot of ECTs tend to choose short-term supply work to complete their ECT years with us, we know what schools are looking for and what you need to do to pass you ECT years.

With so much knowledge it would be selfish to keep it to ourselves so we wanted to give you a few pointers on how to pass with flying colours!

We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Albion Foundation since 2018 to bring football to children in primary schools across Birmingham. This year was no different and we had 15 schools join us for some football fun. 

We recently had the pleasure of working alongside the Aston Villa Foundation, the charity behind professional football club Aston Villa to organise, not one but two special needs football festivals. 

We understand that your time is precious and researching age-appropriate, LGBTQ+ inclusive books isn’t going to be on the top of your to-do list. This is why we have asked our school staff for their top recommendations for various school ages.

We work with many ECTs and know how daunting the application and interview process can be so we wanted to make it easier for you with this list of what schools are looking for from our schools themselves.

Our fabulous (and very hardworking) diversity and inclusion team organised our very own Pride party this month as part of our Pride 365 celebrations!

Diversity and Inclusion is one of our main priorities as an education recruitment agency and that is why we have given our school staff access to free Diversity and Inclusion training through our online training platform.

As it is Diabetes Awareness Week we wanted to share Elisha's experience working in recruitment as someone with Type 1 diabetes.

We recently asked our Instagram followers for any questions they may have about supply teaching with Smile. 

After getting a few questions in we thought what better idea than to pop our answers in a blog for you all, this way they’re extra-accessible for those that do have the same questions. 

Here are our answers…

With all of the Pride flags and celebrations over the next few weeks, your students will be curious about the history and significance of this month. As their teacher, you might be unsure about how to answer all of their questions so we have come up with a few tips on how to do so.

We understand that working as a teacher, although rewarding, can come with stress and pressure, especially when you are just starting out. This is why we have asked a few of our teachers, who have been there and done it, and have come up with a few tips on how to handle stress and pressure as an ECT.

Sophie joined our Graduate Academy in January and started doing roles such as exam 1:1 reading/scribing, cover supervisor and general TA support. She has just since secured an English academic coach role from April-July through us to continue to gain experience in a more specialist role. 

We asked her a few questions to help others who may be considering joining make a more informed decision. This is what she had to say.

Victoria graduated university during the pandemic and found the current job market challenging with many roles requiring experience that she wasn't able to obtain due to the restrictions in place. Our Graduate Academy has given her the skills necessary and the experience needed to find a job in the field of her degree; psychology.

We asked her a few questions to help others who may be considering joining make a more informed decision. This is what she had to say.

We're fundraising! Our Charity of the Year, Help Harry Help Others, does so much for those affected by cancer in our local area so we wanted to help them by raising money.

Our secondary and SEN teams came together and decided to create an Easter hamper and have a raffle to raise money for Help Harry Help Others. It was a huge success with school staff, our colleagues and family members all getting involved!

As an education recruitment agency, we work with real-life superheroes every day. Teaching children isn’t an easy feat but the world depends on it and teachers are here to help. This got us thinking, if Marvel superheroes were teachers what would they teach?

While working in schools you will meet students from all walks of life. You’ll support students of different ethnicities, religions, abilities and sexualities. As a teacher or teaching assistant you have the responsibility to ensure that students feel heard, safe and accepted and to ensure that students are prepared to collaborate with others regardless of their differences. This is why we have compiled a list of ways you can embrace diversity in your classroom.

With May 4th being the official Star Wars day it got us thinking, was Yoda a good teacher?

Once you have been offered a permanent role in one of our partner schools you might be wondering how you should go about accepting the job offer. As we have 13 years of experience in education recruitment, we know that it is always a good idea to formally accept a job offer so here are a few tips on how to do so.

When working in a school environment, knowing and understanding invisible disabilities is key to ensuring your student's success. We hope this blog can help you be as supportive as possible for those in your class with invisible disabilities!

We work with a variety of SEN schools and see how important it is to share positive representations of people from all walks of life this is why we wanted to share some teachers from around the world that have succeeded despite their disabilities and now inspire students and their communities to achieve their own goals.

With Easter just around the corner, teachers and teaching assistants may be scrambling to think of some new and exciting Easter crafts for their students, if you’re looking for something new, these activities are no yolk!

Easter is always an exciting time of year regardless of your age (we personally can’t wait for our Easter chocolate this year!). So it’s no wonder you would want to bring some Easter fun into your classroom this April. To help get you started we have asked some of our teachers for their favourite activities to get your class egg-cited for Easter!

Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? The month is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of women throughout history. As we’re an education recruitment agency, we wanted to focus on some of the amazing women who’ve had an instrumental role in ensuring that women across the globe have access to education. 

We couldn’t let Women’s History Month go by without mentioning some of the incredible female teachers who have changed the world. 

Meet Tia! She’s a graduate teaching assistant who has been working in one of our SEN primary schools. Tia is a valued member of Graduate Academy and joined us upon completing a degree in Counselling at the University of Coventry. 

Working in education means we deal with a variety of different people every day and are passionate about promoting and celebrating diversity. This is why we couldn't help but get involved with LGBTQIA+ History Month. 

Say hello to Ferida who completed our Introduction to Teaching Assistant Course with South and City College Birmingham back in September 2021. Find out how she found it and what she's been up to since completing it.

If you work with children in a school, nursery or another setting there are a number of policies you’ll need to be aware of, so we have highlighted the key policies you should know.

Offering to run an extra-curricular activity, even if only once a week, can really help you stand out in school (for all the right reasons!). Below we’ve shared some ideas of extra-curricular activities that you could run and how they’ll benefit the students.

Some teaching assistants will work with one teacher, however, most will spend their day changing between different classrooms and age groups and if you’re on supply you might be visiting different schools too! This is why the contents of your bag are so important if you want your day to be smooth sailing.

We couldn't let British Science Week go by without mentioning some of Britain's most influential scientists and giving a shout out to our amazing science teachers.

English teachers - hold on to your feathered, silk hats - it's Shakespeare Week.

While lockdown may seem like a lifetime ago many children, parents and teachers are still feeling the impact of school closures. Children are behind and as a result teachers and parents are feeling stressed. However, with children now back in school full-time and returning to their normal routines there is light at the end of the tunnel.

After speaking with our teaching and teaching support staff, we’ve collated some examples of rewards that you may have success with in the classroom.

February is LGBTQIA+ History Month. After talking to some of our teachers we have come up with a list of ways you can incorporate this month into your teaching.

We have decided to put our own spin on Pride 365 to celebrate diversity all year round!

After the prime minister’s announcement about easing ‘Plan B’ measures, you might be wondering what this means for you and our schools. Here is everything you need to know.

We have composed a list of all the terms and phrases you need to know as a SEN teacher to make your life in the classroom more manageable.

Not sure what the difference between a level 2, level 3 and level 4 teaching assistant is? We've got you, here's everything you need to know about the different levels and what they mean.

Following the Education Secretary's call for former and retired teachers to return to work, we've put together this FAQ to help answer any questions you might have about returning to the classroom.

Our team enjoyed taking part in Brew Monday an initiative Samaritans to encourage us all to connect.

Following the continued spread of Omnicron, Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, made a plea for ex-teachers to return to classrooms across the UK in a bid to support schools with the staffing shortage caused by the new variant. 

We are delighted to announce that our Charity of the Year for 2021/2022 is Help Harry Help Others. 

In a bid to spread some holiday cheer, we have trawled the internet to find some Christmas cracker jokes that only teachers would find funny. Enjoy! 

Here are a few scary stories to share with your students. 

Here are a few tips for leaders on handling stress & pressure. 

Here are a few tips on how you can be a good role model for your staff & students. 

Here are a few ways you can make your school, a great school. 

Fun places in Birmingham you can visit on a school trip.

We are so excited to announce our partnership with Smart Works Birmingham.

We are so proud to have achieved 99.5% in our 2021 APSCo Compliance+ audit.

We are really pleased to announce that we have signed the Mental Health in Recruitment Awareness to Action Pledge.  

The summer holidays might be here but that doesn’t mean that the learning has to stop. We’ve put together a list of fun places in the Black Country and beyond that you can visit with your little ones during the school holidays. 

We asked our Compliance Administrator, Georgia, to give us (and you) an insight into her day and the role of a compliance administrator in recruitment.

How school leaders can improve their wellbeing and better support their students and staff.

We thought we’d have some light-hearted fun and take a look at 10 Black Country sayings that you might hear in schools and what they mean.

Advice on how to become a headteacher of a school.

10 books that every aspiring and current school leader must read, what they are about and where to find them.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with The Albion Foundation the charity behind West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

Kash talks about his career journey at Smile Education and looks back at how far he has come.

For a while now, we have been working closely with West Bromwich Albion Foundation to bring sport to children who might not otherwise get the opportunity. Since running our first event in 2019, Smile Soccer Stars has grown into something more than we could have ever imagined - even the pandemic couldn’t stop it! 

Recruitment is a ‘boy’s club’ they say. Well, we are proof that that couldn’t be further from the truth.

An update on the furlough scheme from Smile Education.

Michael, primary recruitment consultant at our sister company, Smile Leadership, and spoken word poet shares his thoughts on the power of poetry in the classroom. 

Help us remember Leasa and raise money for Help Harry Help Others, one of her chosen charities. 

Jessica, one of our lovely supply teachers who like many teachers is having to get used to working from home. Here she shares some tips which have helped her during this time.

Our Graduate Academy is designed to help graduates take their first step on the teaching ladder and offers them a paid opportunity to discover whether teaching is the right career choice for them.

We asked Beth, who joined our Graduate Academy earlier this year to give us a run-through of what life is like in the classroom and what is expected of her - the good, the bad and the ugly. However, you’ll be pleased to know (as we were!) there’s no too much bad, or ugly for that matter! Here’s is what she had to say.

Think there are no similarities between working for Smile Education and being the Qeen (or King) or England. Think again! 

Find out what you'll learn from our Safer Recruitment Training for schools.

It's time to switch-off! However, we know that can be easier said than done so we’ve put together some tips to help you.

We’ve put together some tips to help make sure that your online tutoring sessions are as successful as they can be!

To help you find the right tutor for you and your child, you’ll need to ask each of the tutors you’re considering some questions. We’ve put together some of the questions we think are most important for you to ask below.

As a tutor there are some key questions you should be asking both parents and students to establish what they are looking for from a tutor and how you can help. We’ve provided some examples of key questions for both below.

Priya started her career in recruitment and joined the Smile team just under two months ago but she’s already the very proud winner of our monthly special achievement award.

We asked Louise, our Compliance Team Leader, to give us an insight into life at Smile and what it’s like to work for a company that doesn’t just value results.

We are in a great position to have not one, but two experienced and qualified Tutors who can deliver these skills to those in need. Here Louise, one of our Team Teach Tutors (and our Compliance Team Leader) talks about the Team Teach course, why it’s important, who should do it and what she likes about it.