Teaching in the UK

I frequently get asked the question, "what's the difference between teaching in Australia and teaching in the UK?" and the response is long winded, partially biased, limited to primary schools and formed from a whole 'one' years experience. However, the question is asked so I reply...

Teaching is teaching, education is education, no matter how you look at it. Schools operate in many similar ways and many different ways at the same time. This is even relevant when comparing Australian schools with other Australian schools. The same was clear after working at around 20 different schools in my first month in London. To answer the big question, I will use the loose analogy that schools are like stories or movies, they have the same plot line but different settings, characters, rising action, solutions and conclusions that repeat year after year.

So what is different about the setting?

The school building/s and grounds - large, two, sometimes three story buildings dominated most schools I visited. Playgrounds were small, mostly concrete or bitumen with the odd AstroTurf soccer pitch that the boys fight over. There are some 'grass plots', known as fields in Australia that can be used in summer, but they are usually too damp. Aussie schools have huge fields that always need more water, so send some our way. With the large spaces, comes small fences and unlocked gates, where as large fences usually encompass the school grounds in the UK and the gates are always locked. One of the coolest aspects I found was working in schools that are over 100 years old. Some of the teachers here may trade in the old for new, but I do like the history in the schools I have worked in over the year. One of the schools I walk past each day is actually older than Australia as a nation. Quite remarkable.

Timetables work differently as well, mostly because of the need for extended lunch breaks to ensure all children can have school dinners (lunch). A normal day in a UK school runs 8:45 to 3:15 with breaks at 11 - 11:15 and again at 12:45 - 1:45. With no lunchtime duties, teachers get an hour a day for lunch. Time enough to eat, organise and mark and even relax before finishing off the day, which is extremely different to my Aussie school. Most days you have playground duty and then only 30 minute to race to the staff room and tussle for the next microwave position before swallowing your lunch and returning for the afternoon. I think you can tell which I prefer. Come on Australia, bring on school dinners or extended lunch times.

School terms also run differently with English schools operating 3 long terms with half term breaks in between. In essence, it's 6 short terms. Again something I prefer as it seems your next holiday is just a few weeks away. However, one could argue I didn't experience this as my next holiday was never more than a month away. In truth, I would still consider 6 terms relevant to keeping staff and student burnout limited, particularly at the end of long 11 week terms as some schools have down under.

What about the characters?

Teachers

The teachers in both settings are hard working. I couldn't knock the effort and time put in by any teacher or leadership member I have come across. Knowing the amount of work that goes into running a school or a class, it would be dangerous for me to question anyone's commitment. Even when I have left the country. "To be fair" (a very common English term), I have benefited greatly from working with a range of teachers, as a planning, preparation and assessing (PPA) cover teacher in my permanent school. I have become a better teacher for not only having more experience, but from seeing the way other teachers operate on a day to day basis. Learning from your peers certainly is a great way to improve, which you are limited to as a full time class teacher. The teacher assistants or TA's are as ever helpful and friendly as those back home. A TA in UK schools may be a one to one aide for a student with a need, or, they are a year level aide for numeracy, literacy or general support. Its a good system for allowing one aide to know what each class in the year level will be doing and be best prepared to assist students with lower abilities, or extend those with higher abilities as they know the content before the lesson. Teachers in each year level have weekly planning meetings to share responsibility and workload over who prepares the teaching content and materials needed for the next weeks lesson. Something I hadn't been exposed to in Australia, but not to say it doesn't happen.

Students

Now we are talking characters. Many great ones. Schools I have worked in have really funny, talented and hard working students and this is not what I was told. The large fences mentioned earlier were portrayed to me as a representation of the troublesome children who were inside of them. Just like a prison. This has proved to be a myth. From my experience, I have witnessed more misbehaviour than my previous school in Australia, but considering the vast differences in demographic, socio-econimic status, cultural and religious backgrounds it is understandable. Even then, the schools do not take these as excuses for misbehaviour occurring, but rather have strict behaviour policies and strong teachers and leaders in place to promote a safe and supportive environment. The strategies may sometimes be similar but the implementation is much stricter than that required in my Australian school. It was certainly something I had to adjust to given my personal approach to teaching and behaviour management. Another difference I personally noticed was that in my Australian school, kids have it fairly good, at times really good in comparison with those in my regular school in the UK. I often found myself trying to cheer up some of them, make them feel good about themselves and make them feel that school is a great place for them. I sensed they needed it to be and needed more positive influences in their lives, I hope I helped in that regard. Now this a similarity but a difference; Australia contends to be culturally diverse, which it might be in Melbourne or Sydney, or with the Indigenous students across the country, but London wins the diversity game hands down. The varied ethnicity and religion within one school is vast and something I wasn't aware of prior to coming over. Many students at my permanent school are from African nations, Caribbean nations and a range of other nationalities that would total close to 50 different countries (*seeking factual confirmation). Over one third of the students speak English as an additional language, many quite fluently, but still it is a remarkable amount and poses challenges with communication beyond student and teacher. Some students are often translating between teacher and parent in many classrooms for homework advice, school information and even discipline, imagine that. Finally, working across the school has allowed me to get to know all of the classes fairly well and build rapport with many students, something I feel would benefit schools as communities if it happened more with classroom teachers and leadership staff. I am certainly going to miss the kids and I think that feeling was mutual following my last few days recently.

Rising action and Solutions

This is were my story/movie analogy causes me to find a problem and solution within the education system in the UK. However, my lack of experience hinders my ability to appropriately identify one. If I was to be tough and find one I would say that schools seem to be under constant scrutiny, causing leadership to put pressure on staff. The leadership know everyone is doing the best with what they have and they are still required to ask more of them. At times I think they would all be best suited to receive some praise and acknowledgement for the hard work they are doing. It would create a much nicer climate in schools and towards the governing bodies of them. But that's just my opinion. I will say, from the outside looking in at the school I worked at the most, everyone is doing a great job and deserve a pat on the back. I feel my school in Australia do this well and its a big reason I am so willing to return home and continue working in such an environment. Much can be said for that.

Conclusion

The end of the school year is the English summer. Not only are there 6 short terms in a year, the school year runs from September to July and allows 6 weeks off over the long sunny days of the happy season. That's a pretty good conclusion if you ask me. But seriously, as for as my conclusion on UK and Australian schools, I must say, the similarities are far more prevalent than the differences. Both do great work, one is just on the other side of the world. Teachers are the same, dedicated and resourceful, and kids are kids wherever you are in the world. The accent though is different, some kids say data (day-ta), I say data (da-ta) and if you say it differently, they will tell you about it, that has been fun. I have built some good friendships with the staff and feel strongly about the kids. It has made it hard to leave, but I am drawn home to my family, my friends and the great school community I left behind. The great staff at my UK school will carry on the good work and ensure the bright futures of the students. I hope that at least for one year I was able to influence them to smile and be happy. Not because I told them to, but because I showed them how. Maybe they will talk about me around the microwave.

A massive thanks to the wonderful students and staff I worked with at BJS. Particularly, to Ketu for making me feel welcome and apart of more than just the teaching team from the start. To Clair for all the help and direction she gave me, I hope I made your life easier not harder. To Rosie for having the best stocked cupboard in the school and for making me feel useful as your ladder. To my S.S for an interesting pair of gifts, and to everyone else for welcoming me to your school community. It was a great year, Thank you...

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