Introduction
I am a secondary school teacher who has moved into further education (FE). I want to write about my experiences and observations, both as a way of developing my own ideas, and reaching out to other people. I will keep this blog anonymous for now – not because I intend to be rude about my colleagues, but because I would like to write frankly without putting anyone at risk.
One motivation for this is the relative lack of debate between professionals in FE. There is a rising grassroots movement in secondary and primary school teaching, led by teachers who are taking the initiative and leading the discussion over what works and what doesn't. This is not happening so much in FE. Why should FE have a separate debate, though? Aren't the challenges all the same? As anyone who has worked in both sectors will tell you – absolutely not. There are huge differences between state schools (and even sixth form colleges, which retain many of those characteristics), and further education. In my first few posts, I will try to outline the main differences I have encountered.