A teacher who is appearing in an advert to encourage people to take up the profession has praised the passion behind the headteachers’ march on Westminster.
Laura Quinn, 33, of Graveney school in Tooting, plays a teacher in the advert as part of the government’s ‘Get Into Teaching’ campaign that began airing this week.
This comes after the protest on September 28 which saw 2,000 headteachers go on strike for a day and head to Westminster to campaign against the recent funding cuts.
Ms Quinn said: “The worst thing about teaching is seeing the funding issues that schools have. It’s really tough, when you see it impacting students.
“I think the headteachers at Westminster showed how passionate everybody that works in education is, it’s a really big deal for headteachers to be out of school for a day.
“People from every aspect of the profession feel that these cuts are having a really serious impact on pupils’ lives and experience of school.”
But Ms Quinn, who did the advert during maternity leave, said the education system is a privilege to be a part of.
She said: “The best thing about being a teacher is working with teenagers. I think they’re a great age group to work with, really funny, inquisitive, it’s a real pleasure.”
“I like teaching English, getting to read novels, plays, poems and talk about them. It’s a privilege really,” she added.
The advert, which will be shown in cinemas as well as on TV, was shot in a north London school to give a true representation of school life.
“If I was going to be in an advert, teaching is a good one to be in an advert for. I’m happy to promote the profession.
“It’s a very realistic school experience. They made it as true to life as possible, a lot of thought went into it.
“I think I’m going to have to take a trip to the cinema! I’ll have to try. Maybe I’ll go to something baby-friendly, see if I pop-up on the screen.”
