Education

‘Get Into The Classroom’ Initiative Launched by Yorkshire’s Principal Resourcing to Address School Staff Crisis

News TeamApril 10, 202434 Comments0369

In response to the escalating crisis in school staffing, Principal Resourcing, Yorkshire’s education recruitment experts, have initiated the ‘Get Into The Classroom‘ programme, specifically designed to alleviate the shortage of school support staff.

As per the March 2024 data, there’s a notable gap in the UK’s education system, with a fifth of teaching assistant roles unoccupied, leading to a sharp decline in the availability of school support staff. The vacancy rate in the East Riding of Yorkshire stands at 19%.

Principal Resourcing‘s innovative approach involves providing cost-free training for individuals aspiring to roles such as teaching assistants or cover supervisors, targeting those in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire without formal education qualifications but with valuable transferable skills.

Becky Scott, a candidate with Principal Resourcing, remarked on the relevance of her previous experience: “The transferable skills that I realised I had from being in healthcare were person-centred care, being nurturing, and being able to build positive, trusting relationships.”

The initiative by Principal Resourcing aims to bridge the gap in school support by equipping candidates with the necessary skills to become effective teaching assistants and cover supervisors.

Michelle Grassby, the Director of Principal Resourcing, stressed the ongoing challenges in teacher recruitment: “The need for qualified teachers in schools continues to be an issue, especially in certain subjects and in certain geographical areas.”

“While many teaching posts do get filled from schools’ own recruitment, the problems lie when sickness occurs and then certain subject specialists are not available. Maths, science and MFL continue to be a shortage area. Sickness can occur in any subject area and we, a supply agency, need to ensure we have a wide range of subject specialists available to cover in these cases.”

Principal Resourcing has two in-house trainers who collectively have 35 years of classroom experience. Training can be tailored to roles in SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) settings, to roles in primary or secondary education, or even to roles with specific schools.

Candidates are expected to dedicate a minimum of ten hours to training, alongside completing homework assignments and engaging with mentors. This process prepares them to join Principal Resourcing’s extensive pool of candidates deployed in schools across Yorkshire and beyond.

Kerry Holt, Principal Resourcing Candidate Development and Wellbeing Manager said: “There is a huge shortage in support staff for schools, especially for working 1-1 with individual students who have additional needs.

“Using the benefits of my 20 years plus experience in schools, I provide candidates with bespoke training in a wide range of subjects.They bring their skills, and I add to those skills, tooling them up for the classroom. This training provides schools with additional support staff and candidates with the real opportunity to enjoy a career in the classroom that they might not have thought possible.”

Those interested in helping to fill the labour shortage of teaching assistants should take a look at the ‘Get into the Classroom’ initiative. Enquiries submitted on Principal Resourcing’s website will be responded to within 24 hours.