The Headteacher of a top Worcestershire school says teaching is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding professions with endless opportunities.
“As a teacher, it is indeed a privilege to guide and shape future young lives,” said Dr Tony Evans, Headteacher at Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham (Ofsted Outstanding, 2024), as he encouraged others thinking about a career in teaching to “come and join the profession”.
“Teaching is an amazing job,” he said. “Having the chance to work with young people in a subject you are passionate about is just so rewarding. It is hard work, but it is full of personal and professional fulfilment and there are so many benefits.”
His comments come as the Government has launched its campaign to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers for the nation’s classrooms and announced an increase in teacher pay.
“It’s positive what we are hearing from the Government,” he said. “We need more people coming into the profession. And in my experience once most people do, they find they really enjoy it. It becomes a vocation, a way of life. There are endless opportunities to keep on learning and to progress as a professional both inside and outside of the classroom”.
Dr Evans trained to be a teacher at the University of Worcester, which received arguably one of the most glowing reports on teacher training for Primary and Secondary teachers this century from Ofsted, who rated the University’s provision as ‘Outstanding’ in May 2023.
He completed his PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) Biology in 1997, going on to serve as Head of Biology, Head of Year, Assistant Head and Deputy Head at three different schools in Birmingham and Worcestershire, prior to joining Prince Henry’s High School as Headteacher in 2012.
“I would encourage anyone considering a career in teaching to talk to professionals involved in education and look out for open events where you can find out more about the courses available and the routes into teaching,” said Dr Evans, who is receiving an Honorary Fellowship from the University in September in recognition of his outstanding career. “It really is one of the most rewarding jobs.”
Last month, the University of Worcester created an additional 100 places for people to train to become teachers in response to the Education Secretary’s announcement to boost teacher recruitment.
Additional places are available to study this September on Worcester’s outstanding one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which includes Primary, Secondary, and Further Education, as well as on the University’s acclaimed undergraduate primary teaching course.
There are places for most subjects including Physical Education, English, History, the Sciences, Maths, Computing, Design and Technology, Psychology and Geography with bursaries of up to £28,000 available for some subjects.
If you are interested in finding out more about teacher training, email [email protected] or visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/campaigns/train-to-teach-worcester