A NEW campaign which seeks to attract teachers to Essex has been launched today.

With schools across the Eastern region reporting that recruitment is increasingly challenging and Essex County Council planning to spend about £200 million over the next five years to meet the need for thousands of new school places, the demand for teachers in the county is likely to continue to grow.

To help schools, the council has today launched the Teach in Essex campaign, which aims to promote the county as an excellent place to both teach and live.

The council is working closely with the Association of Secondary Headteachers in Essex (ASHE) and Essex Primary Headteachers’ Association (EPHA) and the campaign will primarily target areas of the country where there is a known surplus of teachers.

The stories of two teachers who have moved into the county in recent years will be used as case studies to encourage others to do the same.

The campaign will initially run until the end of March, although it is anticipated that there will be further phases in the future.

Cllr Ray Gooding, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Essex is on a fantastic school improvement journey. More than four in five of the county’s schools are now rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted* and exam results are also continuing to improve.

“Clearly a good supply of quality teachers is imperative if that progress is to continue and all pupils are to receive the best possible education.

“I am therefore delighted to have launched this campaign and look forward to continuing to work with schools in the future.

“Essex is a wonderful county to teach in and I would urge any teachers looking for a fresh challenge to take a look at what is on offer.”

Vacancies and more information about teaching in Essex can be found at http://www.essexschoolsjobs.co.uk/