From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

TEACHERS HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE ELECTION AGENDA THIS YEAR
Hundreds of candidates for MP endorsed our pledge to support teachers

It's nearly over; battle buses have clocked up thousands of miles travelling the length and breadth of the country; rictus smiles have been fixed for countless photo opportunities and spin doctors have spun like there is no tomorrow.

I, like a lot of the nation, have watched transfixed as the question of education has become more and more central to the election politicking. I've become intrigued as party A spells out its plans for our schools and Party B rubbishes the plans while unfurling its own, while Party C, and that's with a small c, states that its way is the only way.

Well, we're nearly at the finishing line and we at Teacher Support Network wonder, as the parties jostle for position, just what the future holds for the education sector? Whatever lies ahead for teachers, we know they will rise above the political machinations of the day and continue to educate and inspire generations of young people.

As a charity we have to be careful not to cross any lines in the sand and enter the minefield of party politics. But that doesn't mean we've been resting on our safe seats. We've seen this period, when politicians look to actively engage with people outside the Westminster village, as a real opportunity to build bridges with future MPs and policy-makers from across the political spectrum.

To do this we've asked prospective parliamentary candidates to sign up to our campaign to support teachers and commit to the following pledge: "In order for teachers to deliver first class education they need the support of elected representatives who understand the scale of the challenges teachers face. Putting in place measures to support and improve teacher health, wellbeing and effectiveness should be at the heart of education policy. If elected, I will campaign for this principle to be central to future party and government policy because I believe great teaching is critical to the delivery of great education."

To date, we have pledges of support from more than 150 candidates (Note: 242 candidates signed up by election night), which is wonderful, but we aren't going to stop there. We need your help to ensure that the next intake of MPs do their bit to support teacher wellbeing. Politicians can do huge amounts in their constituencies and nationally to improve the lives of teachers. We hope they will. To find out what you can do to help us with this agenda, visit our website (below).

Here are a few comments from the candidates in response to our pledge:

"I work in the private sector and staff wellbeing is a big priority, not least because it directly affects productivity. Why should public sector staff be treated any differently or have lesser expectations when it comes to wellbeing?"

"I would like to assure you that I will put my soul and blood into the teachers' cause as I am a teacher myself and have benefited from Teacher Support Network. This would be an ideal opportunity for me to pay my gratitude in kind. Looking forward to working together on this noble cause."

Whatever the make-up of the next administration they will have to tackle a range of challenges that, for the sake of effective teaching, need to be urgently addressed.

They include how to ensure teaching staff are supported through any further structural change; how to ensure that any cuts to the public sector don't adversely affect frontline staff and teacher effectiveness; adapting to social change and being ready to tackle new behavioural and technological challenges such as cyber-bullying; and ensuring the health and wellbeing of all teachers.

That's just the start. As we stand on the brink of a new Parliament, the need for the health, wellbeing and status of teachers to be at the heart of education policy has never been greater.