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Our Teaching Staff

Ready, Kind, and Safe

 

We know that teachers are the most important part of a school. We want you to feel confident that your child is learning from professionals who are safe, skilled, and kind.​ Below, we explain how we choose our teachers, what their qualifications mean, and how we ensure consistency across lessons.​

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1. Keeping Your Child Safe

Before a teacher joins SKOLA, we carry out strict checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children:

  • Enhanced DBS Checks: Every member of staff must have an Enhanced DBS check. "DBS" stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. This is an official check by the UK government. It looks at police records to prove that the person has no criminal history that prevents them from working with children (under 18s).

  • Employment References: We do not just rely on a CV (resumé). We contact the teacher’s previous employers and schools. We ask them questions to confirm that the teacher is honest, reliable, and has a good history of working with students.

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​2. How We Choose Our Teachers

We look for more than just paperwork. Every teacher must pass an interview process before we hire them. During the interview, we test them on three main areas:

  1. Being Safe: We test their knowledge on how to protect children from harm and what to do if a student needs help

  2. Being Ready: We ask them to demonstrate how they plan lessons, help students learn, check their qualifications and experience

  3. Being Kind: We check that they know how to keep a classroom calm, happy, and focused on learning.

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3. Teacher Qualifications

We follow the strict standards set by the British Council (Accreditation UK). This means our teaching staff are professionally trained and observed.

3.1. Fully Qualified Teachers

Most of our staff hold a recognised "Certificate" or "Diploma" level qualification. This training includes over 100 hours of study and supervised teaching practice with real students.

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​​​​​​​​​Why is this important?

To work at our school, a teacher’s qualification must be validated. For example, by Cambridge, Trinity or English UK (through NILE).

Crucially, every teacher has passed "Supervised Teaching Practice". This means an expert Teacher has watched them teach real students and confirmed they are effective and professional in the classroom.​

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3.2. Our Trainee Teachers (The AccessTEFL Programme)

We also have a specific programme for Trainee Teachers. These staff members are studying for the AccessTEFL qualification while they work with us.

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We select these trainees very carefully. They are usually:

  • Experienced Teachers: Professionals who have years of teaching experience but need a specific qualification to work in accredited language schools in the UK.

  • High-Potential Staff: Staff we already know (such as former Activity Leaders) who have shown exceptional talent for teaching.

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The "Triple Support" System because they are in training, we give them more support than other teachers to ensure your child receives excellent lessons.

  1. Longer Induction: They complete a much longer introduction period to ensure they are fully prepared before they start teaching.

  2. Senior Mentoring: They are not left alone. They are supported and observed by experts:​

    • A Senior Teacher (daily guidance)

    • The Assistant Director of Studies (guidance and support)

    • The Director of Studies (academic training)

    • The School Principal (quality oversight).

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4. Consistent Quality: How We Teach

We know that parents want consistency. This means that every lesson must be high quality, no matter which teacher is in the classroom.

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A Special Curriculum for Every Age

We do not just use a standard textbook. We have our own specific Curriculum (learning plan).

  • Age-Specific: We have different curriculums for different age groups. The way we teach a 7-year-old is different from how we teach a 15-year-old. 

  • Designed by Experts: Each age group has a Director of Studies. This is a senior expert who writes the course to ensure it is perfect for their age group.

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Clear Levels for Progress

To make sure your child is in the right class, our curriculum is divided into six clear levels.

  1. Beginner

  2. Elementary

  3. Pre-Intermediate

  4. Intermediate

  5. Upper-Intermediate

  6. Advanced.

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Four Age Groups

  1. 5 to 6 year olds (Discoverers)

  2. 7 to 9 year olds (Discoverers)

  3. 10 to 12 year olds (Explorers)

  4. 13 to 17 year olds (Leaders)

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Testing Students Before Arrival 

Our experienced staff assess students' speaking levels online before arrival. This ensures we can place them in the correct class prior to their first day at SKOLA, meaning no time is wasted on in-person testing.

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Training and Quality Control

Before a teacher steps into the classroom, they must learn our way of teaching.

  • Training: The Director of Studies trains the teachers on how to use our special curriculum. This ensures all teachers follow the same successful methods.

  • Observations: The Director of Studies regularly visits classrooms to watch the teachers. They check that the lessons are active, fun, and follow the curriculum correctly.

  • The Principal: The School Principal oversees this whole process to ensure that the Directors of Studies are maintaining the highest standards across the school.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What happens if a teacher is sick?

If a teacher is unwell, we ensure that learning continues.

  • Cover Teacher: we often have an extra teacher who is not assigned to a class, their primary job is to cover teachers who are ill. 

  • Assistant Director of Studies (ADOS): if the Cover Teacher is not available then the Assistant Director of Studies will teach instead. 

  • Director of Studies: if the ADoS is not available, then the DoS will cover the class. 

  • Principal: if none of the above are available then the Principal will cover. 

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2. Do your teachers continue to learn?

Yes. We have regular Training (sometimes called continuous professional development). During these sessions, our staff learn new teaching methods to ensure your child gets the best education possible.

 

3. How can I speak to my child’s teacher?

  • Quick chats: You can speak briefly to the teacher at the classroom door during pick-up times.

  • Longer meetings: If you need to discuss something serious, please email the school’s principal. 

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4. Do the teachers speak my language?

All our lessons are taught in English only.

 

Vocabulary Help

  • DBS: A police check to ensure a person is safe to work with children.

  • Supply Teacher: A temporary teacher who covers a class when the regular teacher is away.

  • INSET Day: A training day for staff. Students do not come to school on this day.

  • Curriculum: The plan of what students will learn during the 

  • Induction: The training period a new employee goes through when they start a job.

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Do you want to work at SKOLA? Then visit our jobs page: www.skola.co.uk/jobs. Although most of our staff return each summer, we are always looking to add quality to our team. 

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Want to enroll your child at SKOLA? Then register through our website: www.skola.co.uk/register

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