Newly Qualified Teachers

Newly Qualified Teacher? Your school must:

  1. Appoint an induction tutor (mentor) to guide you through your first year.

  2. Follow the procedures in the Handbook for Newly Qualified Teachers.

  3. Give you a timetable 10% lighter than if you were not an NQT and with 10% of your total timetabled time guaranteed free for Planning, Preparation and Assessment.

  4. Negotiate with you an agreed personal induction programme: what is to happen when, and who is responsible.

  5. Plan, in consultation with you, which LEA training sessions of the NQT induction programme you attend.

  6. Plan with you which other, school-based training you would like.

  7. Consult you throughout the year on any further supportive training needs, including observing experienced teachers.

  8. Explain the criteria against which you will be assessed, the monitoring and assessment arrangements.

  9. Make sure that you have all the information you need.

Your school should provide:

  1. The Staff Handbook, including information on daily routine, organisation and administrative arrangements (e.g. what to do if you are ill, delayed).

  2. The School Prospectus or Brochure (information to parents and pupils).

  3. Timetables, schemes of work and relevant curriculum documents (e.g. all relevant national curriculum documents).

  4. The calendar of meetings and any other events which you are directed to attend (i.e. within the 1265 directed hours of your contract) and any voluntary activities to which you are invited.

  5. The pastoral and tutor programme (including parents’ evenings).

  6. The behaviour policy of the school, including how breaches of the school rules by pupils should be handled, and the “chain of referral” for poor work or behaviour.

  7. Copies of the Disciplinary, Capability, Grievance, Whistle-Blowing, and Harassment, Procedures.

  8. Details of when assessments and reports will be required, and how to complete them.

  9. A copy of the school’s pay policy giving details of how your pay is determined.

Your salary level

If you are a “mature entrant” to the profession and did other things before coming in to teaching, there could be some discretion to include extra “experience” allowances in your starting salary. Your school’s salary policy should indicate what discretion there is. The Union would expect previous industrial, commercial or teaching experience while unqualified to attract some recognition in the starting salary. Most inductees from the Graduate Teacher Training Scheme or SCITT programmes should expect such consideration.

If you are to make a claim for extra incremental credit for previous experience or on the grounds of equality of treatment, the earlier you do it, the better.

 

Induction in Practice

Your Handbook for Newly Appointed Teachers explains how the Assessment criteria uses your Career Entry Profile as the starting point, and the national core standards for your assessment. You will need to show that you can consistently meet the standards required to be “fully registered” as a teacher.

Your teaching must be observed regularly (at least once every 6 to 8 weeks, and once in the first four weeks) and there must be full feedback and discussion, with a planned, supported approach to any improvements sought. Each observation and feedback decision should be recorded by an agreed memorandum. If you disagree with anything, or request further help, you have a right to say so in writing.

There must also be a termly formal assessment meeting after which an induction assessment form has to be completed by the school and forwarded to the LEA. It should accurately reflect what has been observed and discussed with you and will include a summative judgement.

What support can I expect?

The procedures expect a high standard of professional support and planning from the school to ensure that you get the kind of induction programme that addresses your needs. You should help identify the needs and make sure that they are addressed by your planned induction programme. You have the right to point out, in writing, any failure of the school to do what is required.

What if I feel unsupported?

Heads, Advisers and Induction Tutors are all busy people and there are many demands on their time. So, occasionally, NQTs find themselves facing a formal assessment for which they have not been prepared or where previously identified areas for improvement have not been addressed through no fault of the NQT.

In view of the importance of each formal assessment, if you feel that your progress is affected because you are not getting the advice and support you need, seek advice from the NEU. We would normally wish to alert the Head and/or LEA that the procedures are not working as intended. It is important to seek advice early.

Satisfactory progress?

On the first two termly Induction Assessment forms the Head Teacher has to tick one of two boxes to indicate whether you are, or are not, making sufficient progress to meet the requirements for the satisfactory completion of the induction period. If the recommendation is that you are not making satisfactory progress, the reasons for this should have been clearly outlined to you in earlier observation feedback sessions and the formal assessment meeting. As soon as there is any suggestion that your progress might be deemed “unsatisfactory” you should contact the NEU straight away.