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Media releases > Approval from education community
Charity offers one year placements for the first time and launches guide to sabbaticals in education
(19 October 2003)
VSO has announced that it is to offer one-year overseas placements to UK primary teachers for the first time. VSO's standard placements are traditionally for two years. The shift in policy towards a more flexible approach to volunteering comes in response to increased demand from some of the world's poorest countries for primary teacher expertise.
The first one-year renewable placements will start in January 2004 and VSO hopes to receive applications from at least 200 primary teachers by the end of March 2004. There is particular demand for teachers in Pakistan where the charity is due to reopen its primary programme following its closure due to security concerns post September 11, 2001.
The one-year placements are accompanied by the launch of a new VSO guide for teachers who are considering taking a sabbatical. It will offer teachers practical advice on approaching their employers for leave of absence and includes answers to frequently asked questions such as the impact of a sabbatical on pensions, how to keep up with education developments within the UK while on leave and eligibility to attend refresher courses upon return to the UK.
VSO, as a personal development opportunity, has received much support from the UK education community and the guide has been endorsed by the DfES, the General Teaching Council for England, five leading teacher unions and 57 LEAs.
Arthur Jarman, Assistant Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT). says of VSO,
Qualified and experienced teachers can transform the education and the life chances of children and young people in deprived communities. Through VSO, British teachers have the opportunity to 'make a difference' while at the same time enriching their own educational experience and furthering their professional development. The National Union of Teachers is fully supportive of VSO and of its members who commit themselves to teaching youngsters in countries of great need.
Penny Lawrence, International Programmes Director at VSO adds,
World leaders have committed to achieving education for all by 2015 but there are still 115 million children of primary school age out of school. VSO volunteer primary teachers are supporting their colleagues primarily through teacher training in order to increase access and improve the quality of primary education in some of the world's poorest countries but we urgently need more applicants. The support VSO is currently receiving from the teaching unions and LEAs is an important milestone for us and we hope that the increasing support for sabbaticals in education will have a direct benefit to the work of VSO.
As primary education is the only formal education many children receive, VSO's support in this area is a fundamental step to enabling more disadvantaged people to improve their incomes, health and environment.
The one-year placements and the Guide to Sabbaticals have both been informed by Time In, a report published last year by VSO and the Institute of Education which illustrated the positive impact VSO has on teacher morale and retention. As a result VSO is looking to make volunteering more accessible for teachers looking for alternative professional development opportunities.
Editors' notes- For more information or to speak to a VSO spokesperson or a volunteer, please contact us.
- 57 LEA's endorsing VSO placements as a professional development opportunity for teachers. (List available)
- The five Unions endorsing VSO's A Guide to Sabbaticals In Education are NUT, NASUWT, NAHT, PAT and SHA
- For further information on opportunities for primary teachers visit www.vso.org.uk/primary
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