When a school knows that they can expect an Ofsted visit at any time, teachers can become very anxious and free an immense amount of pressure. The reason for Ofsted is to check that the teachers and school is performing as it should do, that the children are safe and being given a good education. Some teachers will say that although this is great in principle, it can have a negative effect on the way they are able to teach.

Teachers are expected to hit targets in order to retain pay grades while the pupils merely become a number on a spreadsheet. Many teachers feel that they have now become victims to Ofsted and that the powers that be are more interested in targets and budgets than the individual pupils needs. I strongly believe that our schools and teachers do need to be regulated but that maybe it’s time for a restructuring of how this is done.

If you have the option to do an NVQ whilst working in your current job you should grab it with both hands. Doing an NVQ when working requires little or your own time as opposed to doing a course at college or university and can very often be funded by the government.

With regular meetings with an assessor in your place of work, and very few tests, the majority of the work is coursework with you can spend quite some time on if you wish to do so. When first starting an NVQ you may be given the option to choose which level of NVQ you want to do so long as you have the relevant previous qualifications such as GCSE’s. Once you have passed your NVQ you then may be in a position to ask your employer for a slight pay rise and also will have another qualification to add to your CV if you do ever consider looking for another job.

Writing a CV which best describes your capabilities, and abilities, should be the aim of any CV. If you fail at doing this, it could indicate that you’ve gone one of two ways:

You could have used the opportunity to write about things which overtly talk you up, without actually providing any quantifiable information.  This positive impression that you are forcing upon the person reading your application can actually have the opposite effect, causing you to lose a solid opportunity.

The other potential pitfall, is when you provide a false impression on your abilities. Apart from this being moderately, to highly fraudulent, falsely advertising your capabilities will place a huge trap for yourself if you actually get the job, which may effect future opportunities as well.

To write a good CV, you should, of course, provide all of the relevant job history, and qualifications. From there, you should ensure that the application is well written, and clearly describes everything that you are trying to say. Creating a well-thought, straightforward, honest CV is always the best way to introduce yourself to a potential employer.