Like many special schools in the UK, Portland School in Sunderland is experiencing problems with staff recruitment and retention.
Training teachers that have converted from mainstream education and enabling new teachers to the required standards is an expensive commitment when relying on specialist training providers.
In order to combat this, Portland School has pioneered the technique of providing existing staff with the qualifications to become in-house trainers. The cost savings are substantial and the disruption caused by staff having to attend outside courses is greatly reduced.
We follow Judith Knox as she is inducted as a new teacher at the school. Despite having eight years mainstream teaching experience and being the parent of a child at Portland, Judith is surprised by the range of new skills she has to acquire.
