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Axcis Education is delighted to announce their extended partnership with nasen

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:00:00 Z

Axcis Education is delighted to announce their extended partnership with nasen, the National Association for Special Educational Needs. The extended three-year partnership which will run until 2027, will see Axcis continue their headline sponsorship of nasen.

As leaders in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) recruitment, we feel that it’s important to demonstrate our commitment to the sector. That’s why we have long-standing relationships with nasen and have supported many other charitable organisations and events over the years. We do this because we know how vital the work these organisations do is for young people as well as their families and the wider community – and they can’t do this without financial help. That’s where we (and of course their other supporters) come in.

nasen is a charitable organisation that exists to support and champion those working with, and for, children and young people with SEND and learning differences. It seeks to ensure that all education practitioners across early years, schools, post-16, and wider settings are equipped to understand, identify, and support those with SEND and learning differences.

The charity is currently reaching 77% of schools in England and has over 100,000 members from SENCOs, senior leaders, teachers and TAs to local authorities, Trustees, Governors and those with a professional interest in SEND.

To find out more about the work nasen do, please click on the logo below.

Speaking about the partnership, Annamarie Hassall MBE, Chief Executive of nasen said:

“Over the last 32 years, nasen have been committed to providing the most effective and relevant support for all those working with children and young people with SEND.

We are delighted to continue this partnership with Axcis and know that with our mutual interest in the workforce for schools and settings, this is a beneficial relationship for nasen, for the sector and most of all, for children and young people. With their continued support through sponsorship, we can continue to provide up to the minute resources for education professionals working within the SEND sector”.

Paul Gold, CEO of Axcis Education said:

“We are thrilled to confirm the extension of our partnership with nasen, until 2027 and continue to support the fantastic work they are doing within SEND across the entire education spectrum”.

To find out about our other charitable partnerships, please visit our Charitable Partnerships section on our website.

National Epilepsy Week 2023

Fri, 19 May 2023 12:00:00 +0100

From 24^th May to 30^th May, National Epilepsy Week will be taking place to raise awareness for those affected by epilepsy, what epilepsy is, who’s affected and what can be done to help those who suffer from this condition.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the brain and causes recurring seizures or fits in people. Due to an uncontrolled increase of excess electrical activity in the brain interfering with the normal functions, this causes a short interruption to the relay of messages in the brain.

Who’s affected?

Approximately 500,000 people in the England are diagnosed with epilepsy, affecting people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly.

What can be done to help?

Learning to recognise the symptoms of a seizure is a great place to start helping those affected, as well as knowing what to do when a seizure occurs to minimise the harm done to both the person and those around them. You can also look into lobbying for more support for those affected by epilepsy, so they can get the treatment and care they deserve.

All in all, epilepsy is a condition affecting more people than you might think, and by knowing the early warning signs and what to do when a seizure occurs can make a big difference helping those affected by the chronic condition.

This years’ theme

This year the theme for the week is #epilepsymatters. Visit the Epilepsy Society website to find out more on National Epilepsy Week and much more.

Epilepsy Training

Did you know Axcis have their very own in-house Epilepsy Awareness and Buccal Administration trainers? Our three trainers travel the length and breadth of country providing vital Epilepsy training to our candidates who work with students’ affected by this condition to ensure the students are provided with the best possible care should it be required. Please contact your local Axcis office for more information or get in touch directly with our Candidate Training team.

Credits: www.awarenessdays.com & Epilepsy Society

Are you looking for SEND staff or work?

If you're looking for a SEND teaching or support job in England or Wales, why not register with Axcis, the SEND recruitment specialists? Or perhaps you need to recruit staff for your school or provision? If so, why not take a look at the Axcis Website, or get in touch today to find out how we can help?

Nasen Live 2022 – proudly sponsored by Axcis Education

Mon, 30 May 2022 12:00:00 +0100

Axcis is delighted to share that we are sponsoring nasen Live again this year.

What is nasen Live all about and why should you attend?

nasen Live is a vital annual SEND CPD event hosted by our revered corporate partner, The National Association of Special Educational Needs (nasen) for all education professionals and anyone interested in exploring 'Inclusion by Design' across early years, schools, post-16 and specialist settings, including parents / carers and people with lived experience.

What to expect?

Themed ‘Inclusion by Design,’ this one-day conference will offer delegates the opportunity to share SEND best practice and network face-to-face with colleagues. Attendees can also enjoy a variety of CPD seminars from sector-leading speakers, as well as a full SEND exhibition from a diverse range of leading suppliers.

In addition to a host of excellent speakers and exhibitors, there will also be a complimentary lunch, so get your day of leave booked in now and get your ticket for nasen Live 2021 – Click here to book!

About the Axcis and nasen partnership

The partnership between Axcis Education and nasen has been running for some years now. We have supported them with various events and initiatives which help to develop good practice within the sector and hope to continue doing this for many years to come. You can find out more about our partnership here.

Are you seeking SEND work or staff?

If you’re looking for a SEND teaching or support job in England or Wales, why not register with Axcis, the SEND recruitment specialists? Or perhaps you need to recruit staff for your school or provision? If so, why not take a look at the Axcis Website, or get in touch today to find out how we can help?

Review Axcis on Google today

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 12:00:00 Z

At Axcis we regularly receive lovely feedback about the hard work being done by our teams to find teachers and support staff jobs across the country. But we also know that self-published reviews don’t carry the same weight as those which have been independently published. That’s why we are inviting you to review Axcis on Google – find out more here.

Review Axcis today

If you have been working with Axcis, and would like to leave a review of our service, you can do so using the following links:

Indeed Reviews

Alternatively, if you applied to Axcis via Indeed, please feel free to leave your review on the Indeed website.

Facebook Reviews

We have been receiving some lovely reviews on Facebook – but not everyone is on Facebook. That’s why we’d love it if you can share your experiences of using us on Google as detailed above.

Here are some of our Facebook reviews, just in case you’re interested but are not a user:

"Love working for Axcis, very supportive and helpful consultants. Training courses available with them as well."

"If you are in any way involved in SEN, either as a parent, teacher, carer, assistant or someone who wants to better understand their own condition, the information on the Axcis Education page is gold."

"An excellent agency to work with compared to all the other agencies I signed up with. I would highly recommend Axcis! Thank you Martin K / London office / and the team for making my time working there both enjoyable and fulfilling. Thank you so much."

"Brilliant agency, so reliable and the consultants are so helpful and professional."

"Highly organised and methodical in approach. Guaranteed job satisfaction"

Not already working for us but would like to?

If you’re not already working for Axcis but would like to – why not register on our website today? It only takes 10 minutes, is completely FREE of charge and could result in us matching you to your perfect SEND teaching or support job within hours! What do you have to lose?

COVID and the lost transition time – where will it leave our children in September?

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 13:06:22 +0100

UK news has been dominated in the last few weeks by reports of how many children have been missing school due to being at home self-isolating. But June and July are critical times for preparing children for their September transition, so what will the fallout be like in the new school year and how can schools mitigate against the impact of lost transition time?

The numbers

At the time of writing this article, The Metro reported that:

"On July 8, 11.2% of all state school pupils were recorded as absent, up from 8.5% on July 1 and well over double the rate on June 24 (5.1%).The vast majority of pupils missing from classrooms are self-isolating due to a possible contact (747,000) while 39,000 have tested positive. A further 39,000 stayed off school with a suspected case but had yet to return a positive test."

That’s a lot of children missing school at the end of June and into July. Some might argue that this is not really a problem because it’s the end of the school year and children are mainly revising or doing fun activities now anyway – so in theory not a great deal of learning has been lost. However, it is a critical time for transition activities which take place to prepare children for a new teacher, class or school in September.

What are transition activities and why are they important?

Transition activities are activities aimed at reducing the stress of transitioning to a new teacher, school or year group. They usually involve students doing fun things with their new teacher so they can get used to them and start building a positive relationship ahead of the new school year. For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), this can be especially important. Autistic children for example thrive on routine and knowing what comes next. It is therefore likely to be especially stressful for them to come to a new provision or class where they will not know their surroundings, teachers or support staff. For some individuals, this can trigger extremely negative reactions such as school refusal or emotional meltdowns – which doesn’t exactly set the stage for a successful term.

Even for children without SEND, it’s a lot to handle. My son is moving to year 3 in September in a lovely village school, but it took him a long time to get used to his year 1/2 (it’s a 0.5 form entry school) teacher and to develop a positive working relationship with him. He has been at home self isolating with me for two weeks (once because of being a contact then again when he contracted the virus). As a result of this, he has missed out on a host of opportunities to spend time and have fun with the staff who will be working with him next year. I’ve discussed in previous blog posts the importance of having positive relationships between children and their teachers – especially with children who struggle with social and emotional issues. Without this foundation, are teachers likely to launch into the curriculum with high expectations of their students in September without first having built a valuable relationship foundation? And will this lead to issues along the way making the transition more difficult for staff and students alike?

What can schools do to mitigate lost transition time?

It is really important (in my humble opinion) that schools take the time to think about how they can mitigate against this lost transition time. Here are a few ideas I have had which could help:

1 – New Teacher Pen Pal

What if the new teacher sent a note or a video message to each of the children they will be working with in September, telling them a bit about themselves and asking for the child to write or send a similar video message back? This could work while children are at home self isolating or during the holidays (which I know is non-contact time for teachers but we are living in unprecedented times…) Just seeing a familiar face and feeling like you know them a little bit can take a lot of the stress away for children when starting with a new teacher.

2 – Video Tour

If a child is due to start at a new provision or in a new classroom in September, being familiar with the surroundings can be helpful. It might therefore ease the transition if the new class teacher could do a video of the provision and/or classroom, telling the students all about it in a friendly and informative way. They could show them where certain resources are, how to get to the toilets and anything else that might be handy. Children who are particularly anxious about the move could watch the video as many times as they like until they feel familiar and less worried about their transition.

3 – Online Class Games

The provision or teacher aren’t the only things that could be new in September – some children will also be dealing with getting to know new classmates. Another suggestion might therefore be a whole-class group activity or two – perhaps a quiz or some show-and-tell sessions – anything that allows the children to see the faces of others who will be in their class come September and afford them a bit of familiarity. If it’s a transition to a new school, students could be coming from a range of settings, so an activity like this might be best done in an evening for maximum attendance – but again, it could prove to be worth it’s weight in gold.

4 – Start Slowly

If transition activities are not possible this side of the new academic year, how about doing them in September? Taking time to play games, build relationships and spend time together doing something fun for the first week or so of term could be of huge benefit to many children. Even better if a staff member already known to the children can be involved and gradually “hand over” to the new teacher.

Your Ideas?

Above are just a few suggestions for COVID-friendly transition activities that schools could run to support their students ahead of the new school year, but you may have more ideas… and we’d love it if you could share them! You could post a comment below or visit our Twitter page (@axcis) and use the tag #transitions to get the conversation going. You never know, your ideas could help children who have been stuck at home this half term!

Are you looking for a teaching or support job for September?

Why do more females than males work in education and how can we attract more men?

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 13:04:56 +0100

In June 2021, the DfE released updated statistics on the school workforce in England. It shows that on average, 75% of teachers are female – this is consistent with data from previous years. But why is teaching still a female-dominated profession and how can we attract more males into the education workforce?

First, some stats

The most recent School Workforce Census reveals some interesting facts about the breakdown of staff in the sector. Some of these findings are summarised below:

962,638 staff members are employed in the education sector – of these, 5 in 10 are teachers, 3 in 10 are teaching assistants and 2 in 10 are other staff
461,088 teachers are employed – that’s an increase of 7000 since 2019
271,370 teaching assistants are employed – that’s an increase of 6000 since 2019
43,516 people have entered the profession since 2019 – that’s a decrease of 4%
34, 116 people have left the profession since 2019 – that’s a decrease of 17% since 2019
The mean pay for a teacher in 2020 was £41,799 – an increase of 3.1% since 2019
Pupil to teacher ratio is 20.6 in primary settings and 16.6 in secondary – that’s fairly consistent with previous years
75% of classroom teachers are female, and 67% of headteachers are female

So why are there fewer men working in education?

Tradition?

There could be a number of reasons why men are less likely to enter the teaching profession in England. One such possibility is that in the past, teaching was seen as more of a “women’s role”. This was because women were thought to be more nurturing by nature and more suited to this sort of work – perhaps because it involved children and historically, women stayed at home to care for the young while men went out to work. It is possible that this perception is still echoing through the ages. In my personal situation, it certainly played a part in my decision to undertake teacher training. Working term-time hours would allow me to be at home for any children that came along when they were on school holidays. Meanwhile, my boyfriend was out chasing the pound and getting into highly paid sales roles… so in part, an element of tradition may come into it.

Pay gap?

It is no secret that there is still a pay divide between men and women. The gender pay gap in 2020 among all employees was 15.5% according to the Office of National Statistics. The teaching profession keeps gender on a relatively level playing field when it comes to pay – there are nationally set pay scales and clear routes for progressing through the teaching ranks, so perhaps women are more inclined to go for a profession which is ultimately more likely to treat them fairly when compared to men. However, this does not hold true when looking at senior appointments as (proportionally) more men make it to headship level than women in the sector – so there is still a clear divide there.

Flexibility?

Women are more likely to require flexible work than men. They are likely to need a decent maternity package at some point in their lives and are more likely than men to request part-time hours due to family and other commitments. It is therefore possible that more women enter teaching with this in mind, whereas men may focus more on the “bread winning” aspect of their profession when choosing a career.

Why does the profession need men?

Regardless of the reason why fewer men join the education workforce, it doesn’t change the fact that more men are needed in the profession. At Axcis, we are regularly contacted by schools who feel that a man would be more suited to a particular role than a woman. This is often to do with the child or children in the class or the nature of the role. For example, a male PE teacher might be needed for an all-boys school because they will be required to enter changing rooms and a woman would be perceived as inappropriate for such a posting. Or in some SEND settings, older boys may need help with personal care matters such as going to the toilet and would be more comfortable receiving support from a male member of staff than a female. In other SEND situations, it may simply be a relational issue – children with SEMH concerns who have experienced trauma at the hands of a female may be better supported by a male staff member. Some children are also very strong, so schools supporting teenagers who are prone to explosive, physical outbursts may perceive that a male staff member may be better suited to work in such a class. Or a child may simply be lacking a male role model in their life and a school may feel that a male member of support staff would be appropriate. Whatever the reason, the profession needs more guys!

So how can we attract more males into the education workforce?

That is the million dollar (or pound) question. As employers advertising for staff, we are not legally allowed to discriminate on the basis of age, gender or a host of other factors, so we are treading on dodgy ground when it comes to advertising for male staff. That’s why we don’t see a great many adverts asking for this. However, it doesn’t change the fact that many schools are crying out for more male staff members. Perhaps the solution is for the government to make it a more attractive career option for men, but how could they do this? Simple – the same way that they make it more attractive for everyone – by listening to the workforce and responding.

Take South Korea for example, they have no problem recruiting male teaching staff because in their society, teaching is a very high profile job. Teachers have outstanding pay and conditions attached to the job and as such the profession has huge numbers of applicants. They can therefore be highly selective when it comes to who they take on and can balance gender etc. more easily. It also tends to raise the bar in terms of the quality of applicants. This in turn raises the public profile of teachers and keeps it an attractive career prospect. In contrast, when I trained as a teacher, I received comments ranging from “those who can’t – teach” and “must be nice to have a part-time job and all those holidays”. Public perception counts for a lot!

Are you looking for an education job?

Whether you are male or female, young or old, if you’re looking for a teaching or support staff role in the education sector then we’d love to hear from you. Axcis Education specialises in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This ranges from roles for support staff in mainstream primary and secondary schools and teachers for pupil referral units and MLD schools (which make ideal posts for mainstream teachers looking for a role that’s a bit different) to staff for more specialist settings for children with profound autism and learning/physical difficulties which generally require people with a bit more specialist knowledge. Whatever your level of expertise, why not get in touch with your nearest office or register on our website to start applying for our current jobs?