Transcript:

One of the problems with primary teaching is that you are expected to be a jack-of-all-trades. As you are aware, this is quite unrealistic. Very few people are equally good at Music and English and Science and Art and Maths and P.E. Increasingly specialist teachers are being employed in primary schools. The argument against moving completely in this direction is the pastoral needs of younger students. The relationship a student develops with a single teacher can be valuable. The routine of moving from room to room－ or indeed of teaching style － can be problematic for younger students.

The ideal situation is a school where teacher’s special interests and passions can be complemented by the skill of their colleagues. Partial use of special teachers can be beneficial. As a teacher, if you love teaching Maths, then teach it! If Art is your thing, go for it! Children will be motivated by teachers who are passionate about what they are doing. This doesn’t negate the need for primary teachers to be solid in a range of areas but it does try to acknowledge the simple fact that no one is good at