If someone asked you why you worked at your school ...

[drinkinglemonadeinthesummer]

What would you say?

I’ve been asked this (new head) and I completely didn’t know what to say.

I hate my school by the way!

The reason I stay at my school is the management-they are brilliant. There are plenty of things I am unhappy about, but they make it worth staying.

My school is an incredibly important part of my life. It genuinely feels like a family. I started 10 years ago as an NQT and have never wanted to leave. I love working somewhere that has really high standards academically, but where we also focus on the wider development of each child. It’s a school that lives and breathes its Christian values.

The reason I stay at my school is because of the students. They are so full of energy, drive and passion. The management are beyond awful but the students keep me going.

I stay at my school because we are trusted and given a reasonable amount of professional autonomy in that nobody tells us how to plan lessons or how to mark in 5 different colour pens. Our school leaders are good and they care about staff and their workload. We have a sensible behaviour policy and don't get into parents telling us their child won't have a detention for disrupting the lesson because it was 'just a question'.

Our students are friendly, lively, inquisitive, curious, critically thinking and on the whole are well behaved.

Staff are, on the whole, friendly and there's no sense of being stabbed in the back by people 3 months into teaching who want to be HOD.

I love my kids! Im a head of year and I love that each day is different and never gets boring! Been a HoY for nearly 10 years and every year i think i have seen/dealt with all there is to see/do and each year something different and more extreme pops up. So i get a new challenge!

Been at same school since NQT so its also a bit like family now!

School support here. I stay as its 3 miles from home, drop kids off at school, finish 3:30 and collect kids.

Its a great school but I really wish the teachers would stop and think when they come in to my office with a “can you do this now? Can you print these and copy for each family? Can you order these? - handing a 3 page order for the Consortium. Everything needed yesterday, stock arriving needing checking, cash to be banked, breakfast club to be booked as the parents are to lazy to book them in, lunch debts to be chased as the parents think they don’t have to pay for their litter darlings meals, letters to the council to forward.

All to do in 3 days.

Oh and the head has decided that Thursday is a great day to do the summer fair. Thursday? All that money to be banked too.

This week cant end soon enough 🙈

Because we take the kids nobody wants and often, we manage to turn things around for them, give them a second chance and help them have a positive experience of school. Our school can be difficult to work in for lots of reasons but this keeps me going.

I’m leaving and the head hasn’t asked why yet...

Have you been asked directly, or as part of a "hi staff, im new, tell me what's good about this school?"

I'd it's the latter, I'd just 'forget' to respond

The easy commute, the excellent pay, the autonomy and trust. Not in UK obvs.

It's ten minutes away from home.
The kids are (usually) nice.
It's not too difficult a school to teach at.
The parents are (usually) nice, if a little demanding.
My colleagues are fab and we all get along.

And I've been there for 20 years, so very much feel like I know the catchment area and many, many of the families (inc some of the 2nd generation!).

Because it was my school in 1990s, I was the only kid from my primary to get in (Grammar) and it was a new world. After leaving a lot of my dreams - say, 10-15 a year, every year - were set in that building, I'm approaching 40 and still dream about it although it stands to reason now I'm back there. I was overjoyed to get the job and be back in those classrooms and corridors. Felt like coming full circle.
I'm currently on maternity leave and had a dream the other night that it was a hospital and my colleagues were doctors, my baby was born in the finance office which was an operating room! No idea why it has held such significance all these years but I love being back there and will miss it during my year off! Probably not the answer you were looking for, OP, but no doubt one of the strangest you'll get!

I had an interview for a permanent job at a school I was doing a mat leave cover for. I didn't want it as I hated the school but needed something for September.

One question was "what do you like most about the school?"

My response was how lovely the buildings and facilities were. It was a brand new PFI, beautiful, purpose built school that the feral inmates were destroying

Apparently the correct answer was how amazing the students were that caused the school to be locked down due to knife fights, would swear at you and throw furniture across the room regularly

Because when I started to work here many, many years ago it was a lovely place to be. Great kids, supportive staff who were friends and a sympathetic management who gave me space to grow professionally and supported my subject.
Now I work there because it pays a wage. I can't wait to leave.

I teach in a small (200 on roll) rural primary school. I've been there since 2001 which says a lot.

Staff who are like family, great kids and parents. Beautiful place to work with a wonderful community feeling are all reasons why I've stayed for so long.

I live a 10 minute easy drive too. I have 9 years to retirement and will be quite happy to stay there until then. It's been a fantastic place to work.

Because the kids have needed me to do what I do (largely safeguarding and teaching lower ability groups) through some pretty troubled times when staff wouldn't come and work for us for love nor money. Not like that now, we've turned things round, and I'm starting to plan my exit after 15 years. I just don't know what I want to do next...

After training I worked in all the other local schools in supply so got to see them in all their gory detail. When I came to this one I knew straight away it was the only school I would take s full-time job in so when it was offered I jumped at it.
Very close to home, lovely staff vibe, good behaviour, classes max 22, lots of staff perks (free breakfast/lunch) , pay higher than in the state sector -lots of positives. It is not al rosy -the days are longer (but hols also longer), parents can be demanding and there are obligations to do open evenings and entrance exams etc.
Very happy - before teaching worked in a very pressurised environment so this school provides unimaginably better work/life balance -having seen so many other school I know it is unusual so grateful to have found it.

I like the kids - the vast majority are lovely, funny and well behaved. As with any state school, you get an odd one that isn't but even they aren't that bad.

The staff feels like a real team from the head downwards and people are very supportive of eachother.

I have had a lot of support and encouragement from SLT which has really helped me to develop professionally and take on a promoted post.

We focus on giving all kids a good education but also giving them many experiences out of lessons which they may not otherwise get.

I can't see me moving on anytime soon - even in stressful days, I love my school.

I teach in a tiny school with 3 classes - there are 43 children in the whole place. I love it! We're given support, respect and autonomy to do what we know is right for the children. The children are lovely, with supportive parents.
I left my old school after many years, resigned without a job to go to. The HT knew that I'm the only earner with 2 dependant adults to support and a huge mortgage and that I had just had 6 months off work due to stress/depression from his bullying. He didn't ask why I was putting myself into such a precarious financial position and didn't even say a proper goodbye at the leavers' assembly.
Not really a surprise that I'm so happy in the new job.