"Paul Middleton will travel to Switzerland, Norway and Singapore to investigate approaches to supporting the wellbeing of new teachers. He will share his learning to help educational institutions improve their retention of new teachers." - WCMT
Later this year, I will have the opportunity to travel to three amazing locations to learn about one of the most important issues facing our education system. Over six weeks, I will meet with early-career teachers, teacher trainers, senior leaders and policy makers to find out how the UK can improve the retention of new teachers. My travels will take me to Singapore, Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim) and Switzerland (Geneva, Zurich) - can I consider this my first 'world tour'? (Too late, the promo material and merchandise have already been ordered...)
This incredible experience has been supported by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, who run the Churchill Fellowships:
'Churchill Fellowships are a unique programme of overseas research grants. These support UK citizens from all parts of society to travel the world in search of innovative solutions for today’s most pressing problems.' - WCMT
I applied for a Fellowship at the end of August; the initial application focused on my proposed project and what I will do upon my return. This was then followed by a detailed application/itinerary and interview about my project - and now, here I am, a 2019 Churchill Fellow!
I will be posting regular updates about my research over the coming months, particularly when I embark on each section of the trip. If anyone has any contacts working within education in any of these three locations, then please do let me know! I would also welcome any recommendations of things to do, as I do not fancy wandering around aimlessly on my own for six weeks!
If you are interested in applying for a Churchill Fellowship, then you can find out more details about how you apply here (applications for 2020 open in May): https://www.wcmt.org.uk/apply/why-apply
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