Two applications have just arrived in your inbox for the new head of humanities. The two candidates are identical. Well, almost.
They both live close to the school. They both have a 2:1 degree in geography. They have both been teaching for five years.
The only difference is that Charlene has worked in three different schools, while Ama remained in one school throughout.
Who would you choose?
Do you fear that teachers like Charlene are flighty, unreliable or even captious? Perhaps you think Ama appears to be dependable and therefore a sensible choice?
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More than just numbers
Technically, Charlene and Ama seem equally experienced, because they have both been key stage 3 leads for two years.
However, there is a monotony that eventually comes, especially for early-career teachers, when they remain in the same school. Working with similar leadership, teacher and student profiles for a long period of time can become repetitive.
Working in a variety of school settings can help diversify the teachers’ skill set in a way that working in the same setting or similar settings does not.
Learning from your leaders
I believe that school leaders should value the experience that their prospective new teachers who have worked in a variety of school settings can bring.
These teachers, who have moved and experienced different schools, have worked alongside a different group of students and parents, as well as engaged with the mechanics of various organisational structures formed by various senior leadership styles.
Thus they can be better equipped for creatively establishing solutions for a variety of potential issues that may arise in the new school and in their new middle-leadership role.
Fortune favours the brave
And there are more reasons to look upon these applications favourably. We know moving schools can be a complex decision; there is the potential risk of taking a new job at a school where you do not feel supported and valued.
Personal experiences that may force you to move, or prohibit you from moving. And it is for this important reason that I do not seek to promote school changes as a necessity. What I do want to highlight are the potential benefits available to teachers and senior leaders in this scenario.
Adaptability
Having worked in two significantly different school contexts, I quickly realised that the differences were not just between the two schools’ systems and protocols, but also the interpersonal relationships with every stakeholder.
All of these changes happen at an overwhelming rate, and although some leaders are gracious about the new teacher settling in, the change still requires a great sense of adaptability to feel as though you’re functioning effectively and as a purposeful member of the team.
In order to adapt to these changes well, a teacher is likely to develop their reflection skills. It is not always necessary to share these reflections during team meetings, but this quiet and confident understanding of the protocol or staff dynamic in the new school, as well as the ability to evaluate and adapt to these differences, can be a real strength.
Creativity
Creativity, in its simplest form, is the ability to formulate new ideas from your imagination - and in this instance, experience, too.
A teacher who has worked at different schools is able to adapt great ideas from their previous workplace to improve efficiency at their current workplace.
With time and reflection, you can fine-tune these ideas. An example of this experience for me was being able to use a systematic style of curriculum planning that I had observed from my previous school, to help develop the curriculum strategy for the English literature GCSE course in my middle leadership role at the school I moved to.
This was “new” and creative in the new school, but it arose from my experience, not solely from my imagination.
Both of the above qualities are very important for middle and senior leaders to develop, and by changing school settings, teachers are able to develop and refine these qualities.
Lesley Nelson-Addy is a PGCE curriculum tutor at the University of Oxford
