EMAT is looking for talented and diverse professionals who share its vision that every child deserves to be the best they can be and who represent the diversity of its pupils and wider communities.  

THERE IS an important reason why inclusion is one of the five key values of East Midlands Academy Trust. Across EMAT’s family of seven schools, 65% of its 5,000 pupils are from ethnicities other than white British/English and 48% state English as an additional language.

EMAT is on a quest to ensure its employees reflect the diverse demographic of its pupils and the wider communities it serves. Nationally, only 15.6% of teachers identify as belonging to an ethnic minority group and only 2.5% as Black or Black British.

The opportunity to work with pupils from such diverse backgrounds was one of the reasons Geraldine Tandoh, careers lead and English teacher at Northampton International Academy, was attracted to work for EMAT.

Geraldine said: “It was the diversity and inclusivity, being able to work with diverse students that represent me as a person, that I found really inspiring and rewarding.

“The school and Trust have been really supportive in allowing me to invite lots of speakers in, including a range of diverse authors, so I am really grateful for those opportunities, especially in improving diversity and inclusion.”

Another strength of EMAT, says Geraldine, is the collaborative and supporting working arrangements within the Trust.

Teachers benefit from regular working parties where curriculum leads in the different subject areas come together to share best practice and learn new techniques to enhance the teaching of their subject area.

“I feel supported by my colleagues because we meet regularly and everyone is really supportive on a personal level,” Geraldine said. “I also receive a lot of training which helps to support me in my role and also builds my confidence.

“I think being part of an academy trust helps because you can share resources with other schools and you also receive support and training opportunities. We often get the opportunity to liaise with heads of department from other schools as well, and see examples of good practice.”

With retention of teachers being a key issue nationally in the current climate, one of the main reasons teachers stay in the profession is strong training and development opportunities. With its own in-house training centre, this is another strength of EMAT and something its staff value greatly.

Geraldine said: “I’m currently doing an MPQ in leading behaviour and culture which I started in my previous role here as Head of Year 8. I will soon begin careers lead training for my new role as careers lead, so I’ve been very fortunate in receiving quite a lot of training and professional development opportunities.”

Effie Ghunney is a Year 2 class teacher at Shepherdswell Academy in Milton Keynes. She said: “I started at the school as a HLTA (higher level teaching assistant) and then I was offered an unqualified teaching position in Year 2.

“Since being an unqualified teacher, I have been supported in my teacher training to find a course that’s right for me and supported throughout my course not just by the staff in this school but staff in other schools as well and the whole Trust.

“There are a lot of CPD opportunities so if you’re somebody that wants to progress in your career and go on to the next step, there is always opportunity. Working within EMAT means that if there isn’t an opportunity within the school that you’re at, other schools in the Trust may have opportunities and are able to help with your progression.”

But with schools up and down the country competing to attract the best quality candidates, why should jobseekers choose EMAT?

Geraldine says EMAT is somewhere you can have a direct impact of the outcomes and aspirations of children and young people.

She said: “If you are someone who is really passionate about making a positive change for young people, this is the place where you should apply because you can actually have a real impact on individual lives here.”

And Effie adds: “I would 100% recommend EMAT because there are so many opportunities here – the opportunities are endless.”

EMAT and The Voice have joined forces to provide excellent job opportunities for those wishing to enter the Teaching and Education sector. Please see page www.voice-online.co.uk/recruitment/ or some of the job roles available.