◦ Department handbook, if there is one.
◦ A markbook - whether it be an A4 exercise book from Maths or not!
◦ Access to Schemes
Assessments etc).
of
Work
and
assessments
(Controlled
◦ Request a copy of their Transition Point (end of PGCE review) so that
constructive targets can be created.
◦ Talk with the NQT about their strengths and weaknesses and actively
encourage development in those areas, and if you're not able to
solve the issue personally, find someone in the school who is.
◦ Remind other colleagues within the department that it is a team effort
for the NQT to pass the year. Any advice given to them should be
considered valuable.
◦ Any information about classes (the good, bad and the ugly) - whether
anecdotal or not. Bar Year 7, this is vital in my opinion.
◦ The sharing of resources and/or ideas. I was crushed by the workload
expected of me - preparing everything from scratch because my
other colleagues did not share resources.
◦ Remind the NQT what they're good at and why.
◦ Regular mentor meetings where advice is asked for and feedback is
helpful and constructive - whether that be in school teaching hours
or after school.
◦ Looking at the NQT's planning, or at least discussing ideas about how
lessons should go.
◦ If behaviour issues are frequent, look at the cause of the problem
rather than the effect.
◦ Give the NQT a notebook to write down thoughts/ideas about how
lessons went. They won't have time to do it on the same scale as
on PGCE, but they need time to reflect. I used to just draw a
smiley face in my planner but that isn't really constructive long
term.
◦ Do not expect the NQT to become a carbon copy of you, they're their
own person and that's why you hired them - you saw their
potential.
◦ Tell the NQT to reward students, rather than think of new and creative
ways for the NQT to manage bad behaviour.
◦ At the first sign of trouble/concern, resolve it before the issue becomes
to big to handle.
◦ If the NQT is new to the area, perhaps assist them in finding
somewhere to live?
Encourage and insist on a work/life balance.
- Have a regular slot to meet with your NQT each week, and if you can't do it
one week try to catch them quickly in the corridor to rearrange and check how
they are.
- If the NQT comes to you for help, don't just fob them off with "oh when you've
had 30 years experience like me everything will come naturally" (especially if
the NQT, like me, is under 30!!)
- Share resources on the school network and, if possible, allow the NQT access
to them during the summer holidays.
- Allow the NQT to observe you teaching your worst class. It will make the NQT
feel less alone if they can see that you might also have occasional problems
with behaviour / a class you just don't gel with.
- Don't give the NQT 50% of their timetable teaching bottom set groups!! My
current school is all mixed ability (it's a middle school) so not an issue here, but
it really dented my confidence in my previous school.
- If the NQT is teaching GCSE / A Level for the first time, please share ideas for
controlled assessments, lesson ideas/plans etc. as well as giving them a copy
of the teachers' book for any textbook you might use!