Agency wants to improve teaching in Wakefield district

First Choice Recruitment has started First Choice Education to place staff in early years teaching positions right up to university lecturer posts.

The company’s head of education Dan Ingham said teachers were not being put in the right roles because recruitment services lacked local knowledge.

He said offering a localised service would enable teachers to be closely matched with schools, helping to fill gaps in staffing “with the right people”.

Mr Ingham, said: “Because we are local we can really get to know the schools, what they are like and what they want. We can then match candidates appropriately.

“Putting people in the right roles will improve the quality of teaching Wakefield children are receiving. And I think strengthening the teaching can only help to boost grades.”

Mr Ingham , who says Yorkshire is one of the worst hit by nationwide teaching shortages, particularly in core subjects like English and maths, is also planning to recruit staff from different industries.

He said utilising their skills in education could address some of the shortages in specific subject areas.

He said: “If you can get people from different industries coming into the different schools and put these good strong teachers into the right specialist positions, then you can improve teaching quality and specialist knowledge.

“I feel we can really make a difference in placing teachers and support staff into the right schools, colleges and universities at the right time. This can only be good for the people of the Wakefield district.”

Mr Ingham also hopes to run skills workshops in local schools and colleges, helping students to write CVs and preparing them for interviews.

And he plans to host forums bringing together key local players in the education sector including teachers and governors to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of education provision in the district and how it can be improved.

For more information about the service, visit www.firstchoice-education.com