Your first term as a new teacher is drawing to an end. No doubt there will have been the most satisfying highs when you have seen the children and young people you are teaching develop and achieve and the justified pride you will feel in having been instrumental in that progress.
Equally, you have probably also experienced the intense demands and challenges of your role.
Teaching is one of the best, most satisfying and worthwhile of the professions, requiring immense dedication, skill and commitment.
Being taught by a qualified teacher is a fundamental entitlement of all children and young people. Parents have a right to expect that when their child attends school they are taught by qualified teachers.
In recognition of the skill and talent required to become a teacher, NQTs have a number of statutory and other entitlements, specifically designed to ensure that their induction year provides a structured and high-quality introduction into the profession.
In England and Wales the range of statutory provisions which schools are required to provide includes:
- A reduction in timetabled teaching, in addition to a contractual entitlement to 10 per cent guaranteed planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time.
- Teaching only the age range or subject for which they have been trained.
- An induction tutor or mentor.
- Not routinely to have to teach classes or children with especially challenging discipline problems.
- Teaching the same class(es) on a regular basis to establish a routine and a rapport with pupils.
- Receiving regular feedback and support on progress.
- The right to be given early warning of any perceived problems or difficulties with progress.
- Professional and timely communication about judgements on performance.
If after almost a term in school you have still not been given your statutory entitlements it is critical that you raise this.
The induction period is intended to lay firm and positive foundations and provide a positive start to professional development and a career in teaching. These entitlements are a critical part of supporting you to achieve your best in the classroom and must be put in place for you.
While some NQTs have a positive and supportive experience, unfortunately others do not receive not only their induction entitlements, but also are denied fundamental and important contractual provisions such as their guaranteed PPA time, which, when taken together with their induction time, should result in reduction in timetabled teaching time by 20 per cent.
In whatever type of school an NQT begins their career, they are entitled to a consistent, high-quality experience which instils confidence and nurtures the passion and enthusiasm with which they entered the profession.
Classroom observation will have been an important element of the support you receive in your first term. Supportive and developmental observation, which includes meeting with the observer prior to the lesson to discuss the focus of the observation and receiving verbal and written feedback afterwards which highlights all the positives observed and constructively details the areas for development can make an enormous difference.
But it is the quality, not quantity, of classroom observation which is important and it is deeply disappointing that there are still too many NQTs who report being monitored rather than observed, sometimes excessively so, with no feedback or constructive comment.
By now, your entitlement to timetabled classes with whom you can work on a regular basis should be supporting you to gain experience and build a rapport with pupils. Your school should have ensured that you have not been allocated classes of pupils known to exhibit extremely challenging behaviour, even with the most experienced of teachers.
The NASUWT is very concerned that there are still too many NQTs who cannot find even a temporary placement for their induction year and who, as a result, work on supply. A recent NASUWT survey of supply teachers found that they are routinely denied access to training, have their pay and conditions entitlements flouted and are routinely expected to teach outside their specialism or age-range. This is no way for a new teacher to begin their career.
This is one of the key reasons why the NASUWT has developed a programme to support supply teachers, including dedicated seminars and “SupplyAdvisor”, a website which enables supply teachers to rate agencies and share valuable information about terms and conditions.
The continuing use of temporary contracts and the increasing number of NQTs working on supply has underlined even more strongly the importance of the NASUWT’s campaign for a guaranteed placement for all NQTs in their induction year, a scheme which already works successfully for new teachers in Scotland.
The union has an extensive network of support for new teachers and provides comprehensive advice and guidance. Our NQT induction planner, which is free to members, guides NQTs through the induction year giving useful prompts, tips and advice. This is complemented by a programme of professional seminars for NQT members throughout their induction year.
NASUWT research and feedback from our NQT members in recent years show that a significant number do not envisage staying in teaching for any length of time, but that they could be encouraged to stay long-term if there was secure employment with fair access to pay progression and if they had professional respect.
At a time when there is a crisis in teacher supply, employers and governments cannot afford to fail to nurture the new talent in the profession. They are a precious resource. Schools should recognise how valuable you are and ensure that your professional needs are met.
The NASUWT will support you and continue to campaign for you and all other teachers to be recognised and rewarded as the highly skilled professionals you are and for you to have working conditions which enable you to focus on teaching and learning.
Without you being given your rights and entitlements children and young people will not receive their entitlement to the highest quality of education.
- Chris Keates is general secretary of the NASUWT.
NQT Special Edition - November 2015
This article was published in November 2015 as part of SecEd's bi-annual NQT Special Edition, supported by the NASUWT. You can download a free PDF of all eight pages via our Supplements page: http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/supplements/