Flexible Working Case Studies
Need some inspiration, or wondering how other parents have fitted CPD into their schedules? We hope these stories of real mums and dads balancing their family commitments and securing flexible working give you the tips and direction you need. Just click on their lovely faces to read their stories in full.
Have a similar story? Help inspire other MaternityTeachers and PaternityTeachers by sharing it with the MTPT community. We’d love to hear from you!
Confident and Informed
Leanne Shaw (@leanneshawAHS), Maths teacher, mother to first baby, Oscar and our York Advocate, explains how she used her maternity leave to improve her subject knowledge, structuring her CPD through our very own, flexible MTPT Project Accreditation.
Every School is Different
Part time Lead Practitioner and Maths blogger, Jo Morgan (@mathsjem) is mother to two girls. She explains how discovering Twitter on transformed her second maternity leave and empowered her to move to a school with a more family friendly culture to balance her passion for teaching and the time she wanted to dedicate to her family. Check out some fabulous Maths resources on her award-winning blog.
The Big Decision
Former Director of English, James Ashmore (@ashmore_edu), SLE, education consultant and father of three talks about how taking shared parental leave benefitted the careers of both him and his wife, and improved the wellbeing of his whole family.
Exploring Ambitions
Mother of two and English teacher, Frances Ashton (@FKAEnglish) is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her second daughter. An Associate Senior Leader for T&L at her school, she outlines how she plans to use the coming months to continue developing her leadership skills.
Dreams Realised
Kristy Turner (@doc_kristy) is a Chemistry teacher and lecturer at Manchester University, and a single mum to her daughter. She tells of how making bold decisions before, during and after her maternity leave gave her the opportunity to reassess her career and realise a number of professional dreams, including co-authoring a book of high quality, accessible resources for secondary Chemistry teachers.
A Personal Choice
Mum of two and part time Head Teacher, Kanchana Gamage (@kanchanagamage) shares how she secured her first headship whilst on maternity leave with her first son, and her second whilst 8 months pregnant with her second! She shares pearls of wisdom around balancing motherhood and headship.
Joining the ‘Parent-Teacher Club’: the Pros and Cons
Mother of three, Catherine Brown (@catmaybrown), reflects on the opportunities for teaching, learning and professional development that her maternity leave offered, as well as how she fit different forms of CPD around babies with varying characters and used her learning when she returned to the classroom.
A Maternity Leave Masters
“Two Below Two” + One More!
With every subsequent child, Niki Kaiser (@chemDrK), secondary Chemistry teacher and mother of three, tells of how her skills and subject knowledge developed and career opportunities grew, and how creative part time solutions supported her leadership journey.
Confidence and Clarity
After four years out of the classroom and a sojourn in the US, Catherine Campbell (@CatCampbell15), primary school teacher and mother of two describes how inspirational reading and a strategic approach to CPD helped her to regain her professional confidence.