September might seem a long time away at the moment but it comes around quicker every year. From this half term, the pressure to get ahead of the recruitment process for the next academic year will only become more intense and there are three ways that Zen Educate can help.

1. Free TA assessment days

We’ve offered TA assessment days to a number of different schools. TA assessment days are designed to be adjusted to fit your school needs. Here’s an example of how it can work:

A primary school contacted us in March because they had a number of children with Special Educational Needs joining the following September. They required an experienced SEN TA to work with each one of them and were finding it difficult to source SEN TAs who were right for their school. Having reviewed carefully the specific requirements and school expectations we sent across fifteen SEN TA profiles within a few days for the school to choose from. The school picked their top six of the group and an assessment day was set up.

The structure of the day was organised by Zen and there was a Zen representative on-site to run the day. Each SEN TA had a 15-minute interview with the school, followed by a 1-hour in lesson observation. At the end of the day, we gathered feedback from the school. Two SEN TAs were chosen from this single assessment day. The school was very pleased with the process and the TAs are still working there today!

What’s the value for your school? The assessment day is totally adapted to your needs, plans and requirements. It is a huge time saver as all assessing is done on the day and it’s totally free of charge.

2. Prepare for September with Team Teach TAs

Do you struggle to hire Team Teach trained TAs? We can help. We have a special offer* for schools that approach us ahead of September about their TA requirements. You want to feel confident you have high-quality TAs coming in. We will find the right TAs for you and ensure that they are Team Teach trained before their September start date.

Team Teach is an accredited, award-winning provider of positive behaviour management training, equipping individuals and teams in a variety of settings to deal with challenging situations and behaviours in ways that lead to desirable outcomes and positive relationships at work or in daily life.

It’s a fantastic way of ensuring you’re getting highly trained, competent TAs joining your school without having to cover the cost of their training yourself. This offer is for two or more TAs needs, so if you only need one you could always team up with other local schools to take advantage of the offer.

3. Don’t miss out on candidates you’ve loved

Have you worked with us in the last year and had a great Zen teacher or TA come in who you felt really fitted in at your school? It could have been for daily supply or for a longer-term role. If you'd like to hire them for the new school year we can ensure they’re booked in for September by letting them know that you’re interested now.

High-quality teachers and TAs often get booked up for long term roles in advance of the new school year if they are finishing a long term role in June. By starting the conversation early you can go into the summer holidays knowing you already have a great teacher or TA locked in.

Zen Educate is always here to help you with your requirements both now and in the future. As the ethical, cost-effective alternative to recruitment agencies, we have our own community of high-quality teachers and TAs right on your doorstep and can offer support for daily cover, long-term supply and permanent hires.

*This offer applies for requirements of two or more Teaching Assistants required for long-term roles only. The offer applies for any requirements shared with Zen Educate before April 3rd, 2020. The offer does not apply to TAs that are already in long-term roles at a school unless the school requires two or more additional TAs and the existing TA can attend the same training.